Development
of Balloon Command
The origin of Balloon Barrages dates from about 1917 when a barrage was
flown in London to try and frustrate the German night raiders. The barrage
was only 30 barrage balloons and many lengths of wire cable. It was struck
by one plane and the whole structure collapsed. The Germans had tried a form
of kite or balloon barrage as early as winter of 1914/15. In 1917 the
Germans had formed Balloon Barrage detachments to protect important
industrial targets. In January 1918 a British F.E.2b of No.100 Squadron
piloted by Second-Lieutenant L. G. Taylor and his observer Second-Lieutenant
F.E.Le Fevre were caught in a German Balloon net and captured. After the war
he was debriefed and was able to emphasise the damage the balloon cable had
made to his machine. One of the earliest WWI Allied Balloon Barrages was in
Venice, where there were seven balloon Stations and each one flew ten
balloons. They were inflated during each moonlight period and flown from
rafts at 200 feet separation. The Balloons were flown at a height of 10,000
feet. A Rpyal flying Corps officer was sent to Venice to report on the
scheme. On September the 5th 1917 Major-General E.B.Ashmore, who commanded
the London Air Defence Areas put forward his scheme for a London Balloon
Barrage system.
He
suggested an apron consisting of a row of balloons connected by cross
wires and carrying weighted wire streamers. It got Government approval and
he arranged to install two balloon aprons on the easterly borders of London,
each consisting of five Caquot balloons disposed in a straight line 2,000
yards in length, with the balloons anchored to the ground at three separate
points and linked together by cable from which wire streamers 1,000 feet
long were suspended.
In
October 1917 the Commander-in Chief of Home Forces, agreed to the
establishing of five Balloon Squadrons with a total personnel of 3,587 to
run them. He also agreed to the further installation of a cordon of 20
balloon aprons that ran approximately on the line, Tottenham - Ilford -
Barking - Woolwhich and Lewisham. By April 1918 seven of these aprons were
in operation and the eighth was almost ready. The balloon aprons were heavy
and inflexible. Operating them turned out to be difficult and the weight
when airborne was a potential menace to the people below. The presence of
balloons did give reassurance to the civilians in wartime. Major-General
Ashmore reported on May 27th about the Barrage balloons as follows:
"
In my opinion, the balloon aprons are an essential part of the defence; to
do away with them would have the worst possible effect. Our aircraft patrols
would have to cover all heights instead of a comparatively narrow zone as at
present. London would certainly be bombed from low heights at which
considerable accuracy is attainable."
German
records also show that the balloon aprons were successful in deterring
pilots. A report made in March 1918 to General von Hoeppner stated that:
"
the aprons had increased enormously and that they added greatly to the
difficulties of the attack. If they were increased much more they would make
raid on London almost impossible."
A
captured German prisoner in the same month told his interrogators that:
"the
aprons were sufficient to keep all machines at their maximum height."
With
the war at an end the work on defensive balloons collapsed. A research
establishment was maintained. Between 1928 and 1938 the Air Defence Command
kept representing the fact that it was necessary to be able to organise and
maintain a barrage in any future war. Air staff decided in 1936 to establish
a London barrage, with the provinces left unprotected until more
experience was gained.
In
1936 the Committee of Imperial Defence approved the idea of 450 barrage
balloons being set up to defend London. This initiated an eventual national
balloon defence organisation. It was to be set up by The Auxiliary Air Force
i.e. manned by non-regular volunteer staff. No1 Balloon Training Unit was
formed at R.A.F. Cardington on January 9th 1937. On 17th March 1937 the
first Balloon Barrage Group No30 was formed. It was commanded by
a retired R.A.F. officer Air Commodore J.G Hearon C.B.,C.B.E.,D.S.
The
fledgling Balloon Command was formed in 1937 as war clouds gathered over
Europe. The official Balloon Command was formed on November 1st 1938 under
the control of fighter Command. At its head was A.V.M O.T. Boyd C.B.,
O.B.E., M.C. with the title of Air Officer Commanding. In 1939 we had 47
Barrage Balloon squadrons set up. They were given the numbers 901-947
inclusively based on a county wide affiliation. At the outbreak of war in
September 1939 we had approved the idea of a total of 1450 balloons but had
only 624 in existence. Balloon production was 212 in September 1939 and fell
to 148 in October. Production figures trebled as the months went by and by
May 1940 we had at last achieved our pre-war target only to be faced with an
imminent German invasion of France with Britain potentially next. It was at
this time that waterborne balloons became to be used at ports and harbours.
They were tethered to floating barges. By 1939 we had improved the
designs and method of flying balloons so that dive bombing by German planes
was frustrated and this reduced their capacity to bomb accurately. At
the same time it kept the enemy at heights that kept them in the range of
anti-aircraft fire. Balloon Command divided Britain on a geographical basis
into Balloon Groups and each one of those was in turn subdivided into
Balloon Centres staffed by squadrons of balloon operators who were
responsible for the flying of the balloons. Each Centre was a depot for the
supply and repair of equipment along with balloon maintenance. The
balloons were not always flown from fixed static sites; Balloons were flown
from barges, drifters and even mobile lorries. This meant that the barrage
could be placed where it was most needed and ensured that land and sea areas
were well protected. These seaborne balloons were designed to prevent enemy
aircraft from dropping mines into the ports and harbours. At sea balloons
were flown by the convoys using a mixture of naval and merchant seamen with
the balloons being serviced by RAF personnel. Balloons flown at sea were a
slightly smaller size than those flown on land.
In
1940 balloon production was around 1200 balloons per month. By August the
1st there were only 1,466 balloons spread across 52 operational squadrons,
still nearly 400 below the expected figure.. At this time 2 mobile squadrons
were being formed.
Balloon
Command was organised intro 5 Groups:
No
30 Group: LONDON
No
31 Group: BIRMINGHAM
No
32 Group: ROMSEY
No
33 Group: SHEFFIELD
No
34 Group EDINBURGH
The
life of Balloon Command was relatively short as The Balloon Training Unit
closed down in 1943. By then it had trained over 10,000 RA.F. and W.A.A.F.
balloon operators and some 12,000 operator drivers.
It
was decided to train W.A.A.F. personnel instead of male operators to relieve
more men for active duty. There were those who scorned the idea but the
W.A.A.F.'s set to and showed they were more than ready to meet the
challenge.
The
Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on a round the clock
shift basis. In 1940 the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by
W.A.A.F.'s thus releasing men for active service in other areas. This idea
was hotly contested by A.O.C. Balloon Command and his W.A.A.F. Staff
Officer. In April 1941 20 W.A.A.F. Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in
London. In May 1941 the first batch of W.A.A.F. volunteers were posted to a
10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be,
working on the basis that 10 male balloon operators could only be replaced
by at least 20 female balloon operators, began to substitute women for men
in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women
were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as
the correct figure. By December 1942 10,000 men had been replaced by some
15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend
vital installations the operators were male.
The
flying of balloon barrages was finished in the United Kingdom in Autumn
1944. This led to the disbanding of Balloon Command in February 1945.
This
site is dedicated to the men and women of Balloon Command who served in WWII
defending this country and vital areas abroad. It is hoped to cover the
development, training, and history of Balloon Command. This site will be an
ongoing project. It is hoped that those who served will come forward and
tell their story for others to read and learn about the activities of the
balloon crews.
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