Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The battle of Fleurus was the first battle in history that incorporated aerial reconnaissance and observation of an enemy force. This was provided by a French reconnaissance balloon , l'Entreprenant , operated by a crew under Captain Coutelle of the Aerostatic Corps , which continuously informed Jourdan of Austrian movements.
The corps transporting the balloon to Fleurus. In May 1794, the new corps joined Jourdan's troops at Maubeuge, bringing one balloon: L'Entreprenant. They began by constructing a furnace, then extracting hydrogen. [3] The first military use of the balloon was on 2 June, when it was used for reconnaissance during an enemy bombardment. [2]
L'Entreprenant at the Battle of Fleurus (1794). Balloons and kites were the first inventions used in aerial warfare and their primary role was reconnaissance.Balloons provided a reliable and stable means of elevating an observer high over the battlefield to obtain a birds-eye view of troop positions and movements.
Jourdan at Fleurus with the balloon l'Entreprenant in the background (Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse 1837; Galerie des Batailles, Palace of Versailles) At this time, the French were reinforced by four divisions from the Army of the Moselle under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, who had been ordered to reinforce the army on the Sambre while operating to the ...
The battle of Fleurus, 26 June 1794, saw the first military use of an aircraft (L'Entreprenant). The first military use of observation balloons was by the French Aerostatic Corps during the French Revolutionary Wars, the very first time during the Battle of Fleurus (1794). [1]
Some minor warfare use was made of balloons in the infancy of aeronautics. The first instance was by the French Aerostatic Corps at the Battle of Fleurus in 1794, who used a tethered balloon, L'entreprenant, to gain a vantage point. [5] [6] [7] Balloons had disadvantages. They could not fly in bad weather, fog, or high winds.
At some time during the battle, Olivier went up in a captive hot air balloon to observe the Coalition positions. He later named his son Fleurus to commemorate his part in the victory. [2] At Fleurus, Jourdan's 75,000 men were attacked by the 52,000-strong Coalition army under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld deployed in five converging ...
There have been four battles fought near the town of Fleurus in Belgium: The Battle of Fleurus (1622) in the Thirty Years' War; The Battle of Fleurus (1690) in the Nine Years' War; The Battle of Fleurus (1794) in the French Revolutionary Wars; The Battle of Ligny (Battle of Fleurus, 1815) in the Napoleonic Wars