---
title: "That time pancakes helped fight the Japanese in WWII"
description: "It's reported that approximately 15 tons of pancake mix was imported and was never detected by Japanese forces. Read more on WATM."
date: "2022-05-15"
modified: "2023-05-18"
authors:
  - name: "Tim Kirkpatrick"
    link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/tkirkpatrick.md"
url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/japanese-pancakes-helped-fight-wwii/"
categories:
  - "History"
  - "War History"
  - "World War II"
---

# That time pancakes helped fight the Japanese in WWII

![pancakes japanese wwii](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/pancakes.webp>)

America's clandestine operators developed some pretty diabolical weapons to help inflict death and destruction behind enemy lines in [World War II](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/ww2-vet-dies-while-visiting-country-from-which-he-fought-71-years-earlier.md>). And in the fight against the Japanese occupation of China, the plans got downright dastardly.

In 1942, the Office of Strategic Services began working with Ukraine-born George Kistiakowsky who was a physical chemistry professor at Harvard University and developed an innovated explosive powder designed specifically for guerrilla warfare.

Kistiakowsky secretly created ["HMX" powder, or](<https://www.military-history.org/articles/back-to-the-drawing-board-aunt-jemima.htm>) "nitroamine high-explosive" that could be mixed in with regular baking flour and make various inconspicuous-looking baked goods.

Kistiakowsky managed to perfectly combine the HMX compound with a popular pancake mix and package the new weapon into ordinary flour bags that could be smuggled through the numerous Japanese checkpoints and delivered right into the Chinese fighters' hands.

![japanese pancakes](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pancake-640869_1280.jpg>)
*Ah, the power of good old fashioned pancakes.*

The explosive looked no different than regular pancake mix and if a suspicious Japanese soldier forced the smuggle to whip up a batch and eat them, there would be no ill effects except for a bit of a stomach ache.

Once the weaponized flour was in the hands of the Chinese allied fighters, muffins were baked from the Aunt Jemima pancake mix and a blasting cap was added to complete the destructive war device.

It's reported that approximately 15 tons of pancake mix was imported and was never detected by [Japanese forces](</history/uss-england-world-war-ii.md>).

## Author
Tim Kirkpatrick entered the Navy in 2007 as a Hospital Corpsman and deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in the fall of 2010. Tim now has degrees in both Film Production and Screenwriting. tim.kirkpatrick@wearethemighty.com

## More

- [The CIA’s precursor agency enlisted Aunt Jemima to fight the Japanese in WWII](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/the-cias-precursor-agency-enlisted-aunt-jemima-to-fight-the-japanese-in-wwii.md>)
- [5 times using food as a weapon helped turn the tide of a battle](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/5-times-using-food-as-a-weapon-helped-turn-the-tide-of-a-battle.md>)
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- [That time Guy Gabaldon convinced 1,500 Japanese troops not to fight to the death](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/pied-piper-corporal-guy-gabaldon.md>)
- [This is the history behind Napalm](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/this-is-the-history-behind-napalm.md>)