Observation balloon

Encyclopedia : O : OB : OBS : Observation balloon

Observation balloons were widely employed as aerial platforms for purposes of intelligence gathering and artillery direction during the First World War and beyond.

Both the Allies and Germany employed balloons from 1914 to 1918, generally a few miles behind the front lines. The balloons were fabric envelopes filled with hydrogen gas, whose flammable nature led to the destruction of hundreds of balloons on both sides.

Typically balloons were tethered to a steel cable attached to a winch that reeled the gasbag to its desired height (often above 3,000 feet) and retrieved it at the end of an observation session.

Because of their importance as observation platforms, balloons were heavily defended by anti aircraft guns and patrolling fighter aircraft. Attacking a balloon was a risky venture but some pilots relished the challenge. The most successful were known as balloon busters, including such notables as Belgium's Willy Coppens, Germany's Fritz Roth (Friedrich von Roeth), America's Frank Luke, and the Frenchmen Leon Bourjade, Michel Coiffard, and Maurice Boyau.

The military use of balloons originated in the American Civil War (1861-65) and continued in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71. Observation balloons also were used in limited numbers in World War II.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.