At what distance could observation balloons be seen from ground?

[bjomanson]

Hello all,

I'm trying to verify a sighting by two different witnesses on the ground of two allied balloons shot down by a German fighter west of Verdun on 14 Sept 1918. The ground witnesses were in Fromereville, while the German claim of balloons downed (4 balloons) took place in "Clermont, Verdun". I assume this would be "Clermont-en-Argonne". Both Fromereville & Clermont-en-Argonne are in the same general area, but appear, on my map at least, to be roughly 18 kilometers apart. Is it possible ground witnesses could see balloons at that distance? It seems unlikely. Especially since both witnesses describe the balloonist being machine-gunned by the German pilot. Another possibility, I suppose, is that the engagement took place several kilometers to the east of Clermont, and that the two German pilots specified Clermont in their reports as being the nearest town of any size, though they were perhaps actually some distance from it. So the question again is, how close would the aerial engagement and the ground observors have to be? Or another possibility, could the German pilots have simply been mistaken about which town they were close to? Or finally, was there a Clermont closer to Verdun than Clermont-en-Argonne?

Thanks,

BJ

[barkalotloudly]

I have a german map just prior to the 1918 offensive which in addition to trenches indicates limits of balloon observation {taking into account terrain}i will have to have a look

regards John

[duckman]

"Is it possible ground witnesses could see balloons at that distance? "

The Aerodrome forum ran a related discussion a while back. I'll try to find the link, or re-post the calculation I ran for altitude/distances.

Basically, its further than you'd think.

[Borys]

Ahoj!

Yes please, post a link or data. I'd like to learn what was the useful observation distance of a spotting balloon.

Borys

[Starlight]

Hi,

I've just come across some notes I made whilst doing research on zone calling. Apparently balloon observers could spot a moving column of soldiers or artillery up to 12,000 yards (not far short of your figure) and flares from 7,000 yards.

Regards

Steve

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

To compare with the modern day the typical Advertising Barrage Balloon,flown over DiY Superstores in this area of the Fens can on a clear day be seen from the ground; for some 6~8 miles,a lot would depend on the terrain