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British observation balloon from 1908, typical of pre-WWI observation balloons. An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they ...
Caquot kite balloon (in French Caquot Captif) was a type of non-rigid military observation balloon, designed in 1915 by Albert Caquot.The type became widely used by Allied forces in World War I warfare for multiple observation or naval defence uses and later also as a anti-aircraft barrage balloon.
Two French Balloon Corps balloon companies had already been created, and the new organisation's role was to build balloons and train their pilots and operators. The first balloon, the Entreprenant , was built within four months, and on 31 October 1794, the National School of Ballooning was created, with Conté as its director.
German observation balloon launching at Équancourt in the Somme (22 September 1916) German war plane brings down a tethered kite balloon (1918) World War I was the high point for the military use of observation balloons, which were extensively deployed by both sides. The British, despite their experience in late 1800s Africa, were behind ...
The French Army at one point had 76 companies operating Caquot balloons. [3] The first aircraft on aircraft rocket attack was made on 22 May 1916 when a group of eight French aces including Charles Nungesser made a dawn attack while flying Nieuport 16s armed with eight Le Prieur rockets each, that shot down six balloons. [7]
The balloon's silk envelope is roughly spherical and has a diameter of 9.8 metres (32 ft). Its wooden gondola is very small, measuring 1.14 metres (45 in) by 0.75 metres (30 in) and its railing has a height of 1.05 metres (41 in). [2] The balloon envelope is a replica, with the original displayed folded in a glass case nearby. [1]
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]
Tolstoy also includes a letter from the sovereign Emperor Alexander I to Count Fyodor Rostopchin concerning the balloon. [45] French Emperor Napoleon III employed a corps of observation balloons, led by Eugène Godard, for aerial reconnaissance over battlefields both in Franco-Austrian war of 1859, and in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War and ...