Observation balloon

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Balloon (aircraft)#Balloons in the military. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with History of military ballooning. (Discuss)

An observation balloon being launched from the USS Arizona. Shown here is a kite balloon, an observation balloon designed for stability and lift and shaped to keep it pointed into the wind. It is usually moored to the ground or to a ship. This balloon has a two-man crew that performed artillery spotting in support of the battleship's main guns.

Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the Napoleonic Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today.

Historically, observation balloons have been filled with hydrogen. During World War I, from 1914 to 1918, both the Allies and Germany employed balloons, 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. Observers manning these observation balloons frequently had to use a parachute to evacuate their balloon when it came under attack. To avoid the potentially flammable consequences of hydrogen, observation balloons after World War I were often filled with non-flammable helium.

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.

[edit] History

The first military use of observation balloons was during the French Revolutionary Wars, the very first time during the Battle of Fleurus (1794). They were also used by both sides during the American Civil War (1861-65) ^[1] and continued in use during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). ^[2]

Balloons were first deployed by the British Army's Royal Engineers during the expeditions to Bechuanaland and Suakin in 1885. They were also deployed during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), where they were used in artillery observation with the Kimberley column and during the siege of Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.

A kite balloon is launched from the USS Utah.

World War I was the highpoint for the military use of observation balloons. During World War I, artillery had developed to the point where it was capable of engaging targets beyond the visual range of a ground-based observer. Positioning artillery observers at altitude on balloons allowed them to see targets at greater range than they could on the ground. This allowed the artillery to take advantage of its increased range. The balloons were deployed on land and at sea for use in

Observing enemy troops
Locating submarines^[3]

Artillery spotting

The idiom "The balloon's going up!" as an expression for impending battle is derived from the very fact that an observation balloon's ascent likely signaled a preparatory bombardment for an offensive.

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.

Observation balloons also were used in substantial numbers during World War II, particularly by the U.S. Navy for anti-submarine work. ^[4]

Observation balloons also played a role during the Cold War. For example, Project Mogul used high-altitude observation balloons to monitor Soviet nuclear tests.