Check Six: December 27, 1935
From the This Day in Aviation website
27 December 1935: When an eruption of the 13,679-foot (4,169-meter) shield volcano Mauna Loa, that had been ongoing since late November, threatened the town of Hilo, Hawaii, a decision was made to try to divert the flow of lava by aerial bombing. The U.S. Army Air Corps, 23d Bombardment Squadron, 5th Composite Group, based at Luke Field, on Ford Island, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, sent three Keystone B-3A and two Keystone B-6A bombers. The five airplanes dropped twenty 600-pound (272.2 kilogram) Mark I demolition bombs, each containing 355 pounds (161 kilograms) of TNT, with 0.1-second delay fuses.


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