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079: April 2007
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The first French observation balloon of the Great War shot down
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October 9,1915; 7am on the Somme-Suippe-Perthe, Marne, Part of the champagne region. 20th company commanded by Captain Perrin in the misty air a balloon had been in the air for 2 hours at 800m altitude. From behind a cloud suddenly the staccato of a machine gun was heard, then the noise of an engine and an aircraft appears looking very big…
‘Observation Balloons on the Western Front – an "over view" ' by Vernon Creek
About this talk: Many groups of combatants could claim to be the unsung heroes of the Great War. But the men flying observation balloons must have a particularly strong claim. Operating at 1200-1800 meters above the front lines, the crew had nothing between their feet and the ground but a centimetre or two of wicker basket. The crews (or 'balloonat…