List of World War I aviators who shot down three observation balloons

Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their near-suicidal fearlessness.[1]

The crucial role of observation balloons

An observation balloon was both a vulnerable and a valuable target: the balloon was moored in a stationary position and was lifted by flammable hydrogen gas, whose use was necessitated by the scarcity of helium reserves among European powers. The observer, suspended in the wicker basket beneath, typically had a wireless transmitter, binoculars and/or a long-range camera. His job was to observe actions on the front-line and behind it, to spot enemy troop movements or unusual activity of any sort, and to call down artillery fire onto any worthwhile targets. Balloon Observers were consequently targets of great importance to both sides, especially before any sort of infantry action or offensive, so individual pilots, flights or whole squadrons were frequently ordered to attack balloons, either in an attempt to destroy them or at least disrupt their observation activities.[1]

Due to their importance balloons were usually given heavy defenses in the form of anti-aircraft artillery and standing fighter patrols stationed overhead. Other defenses included surrounding the main balloon with barrage balloons; stringing cables in the air in the vicinity of the balloons; putting machine guns in gondolas for observers to use; and flying balloons booby-trapped with explosives that could be remotely detonated from the ground. These measures made balloons valuable but very dangerous targets to approach.[1]

Although balloons were occasionally shot down by small-arms fire, generally it was difficult to shoot down a balloon with solid bullets, particularly at the distances and altitude involved. Ordinary bullets would pass relatively harmlessly through the hydrogen gas bag, merely holing the fabric. Hits on the wicker car could however kill the observer.[1]

One method employed was the solid-fuelled Le Prieur rocket invented by Frenchman Lt. Yves Le Prieur and first used in April 1916. Rockets were attached to each outboard strut of a biplane fighter aircraft and fired through steel tubes using an electrical trigger. The rockets' inaccuracy was such that pilots had to fly very close to their target before firing.[1]

It was not until special Pomeroy incendiary bullets and the Buckingham flat-nosed .45 calibre explosive bullet became available on the Western Front in 1917 that any consistent degree of success was achieved. Le Prieur rockets were withdrawn from service in 1918 once incendiary bullets had become available.[1]

World War I aviators who shot down three observation balloons

The following list is accumulative and incomplete because it is a work in progress. It is compiled as biographies of flying aces are written, and still may lack some balloon busters.

Please feel free to {{Expand list}} by adding to it. Citations are requested for all additions, preferably to texts in Reference section.

Name Origin Balloon victories Aircraft victories Total
Giovanni Ancillotto Italian 3 8 11[2]
Yves F. Barbaza French 3 2 5[3]
Hans Böhning German 3 14 17[4]
Karl Bohny German 3 5 8[5]
Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp German 3 25 28[6]
Hamilton Coolidge American 3 5 8[7]
Pierre Delage French 3 4 7[8]
Rudolf von Eschwege German 3 17 20[9]
Henri Hay De Slade French 3 16 19[10]
Francis W. Gillet American 3 17 20[11]
Max Gossner German 3 5 8[12]
Justus Grassmann German 3 7 10[13]
Robert Hall South African 3 2 5[14]
Ludwig Hanstein German 3 13 16[15]
William Frederick James Harvey English 3 23 26[16]
Albert Haussmann German 3 12 15[17]
Heinrich Henkel German 3 5 8[18]
Adolf Heyrowsky Austro-Hungarian 3[note 1] 9 12[19]
Camille Lagesse Canadian 3 17 20[20]
Friedrich Manschott German 3 9 12[21]
George McElroy Irish 3 44 47[22]
Maurice Newnham English 3 15 18[23]
John Steele Ralston Scots 3 9 12[24]
Paul Rothe German 3 2 5[25]
Franz Rudorfer German 3 8 11[26]
Cecil Thompson South African 3 3 6[27]
Remington Vernam American 3 3 6[28]
Hans Waldhausen German 3 3 6[29]
Herbert Gilles Watson New Zealander 3 11 14[30]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Includes the Italian airship M4.

References

Citations
Bibliography
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