Kite balloons

[delta]

Have been reading the IWM site on the air war at Gallipoli. Many references are made to kite balloons being used for observation by RN ships.

Hav looked as few pictures on the web; most seemed to show a tethered barrage balloon. Were those used at Gallipoli of the same type?

Stephen

[per ardua per mare per terram]

I think 'barrage balloon' is the name that they went by in WW2 and by then they tended to be bigger. Kite balloons were used at sea and on land in WW1 for observations, a role played by aircraft in WW2.

I recommend: Alan Morris, 1970, 'The Balloonatics' -- mostly deals with the army/RFC

and Peter Cooksley, 2000, 'The RFC/RNAS Handbook'

[Tom Morgan]

Here's a picture of a British design. To add to what Per Ardua..... has said, kite balloons were designed to fly tethered, like kites, and their design kept them pointing into the prevailing wind. To achieve this they had either gas-filled tailplanes or sometimes hollow fabric scoops filled by the wind passing over the envelope.

They were used for observation, and on land they were usually let up and down from a winch on a lorry chassis.

Tom

[delta]

Gentlemen

Many thanx - all is now much clearer

Stephen