Balloon bombing of Germany during WW2

[Mark V]

Hi.

I just stumbled again to Operation Outward, which seems to be entirely forgotten operation spanning from 1942 to 1944.

Armed Hydrogen balloons released from England to be carried by prevailing winds to Germany.

According to slim sources available Brits released almost 100.000 of those balloons, roughly half carrying incendiaries, and other half carrying an copper wire that reached to the ground, at same time tooking care of altitude adjustment of balloon and warload itself - intent was to short-circuit German power lines. Clever idea, and an target that still today troubles armament designers.

It is surprising that very little is known. After all, the number of balloons was around 10 times as much than the Japanese balloons released against US, and majority of balloon-bombs must have atleast reached the Continent if there was not real bad SNAFU. There was ofcourse much more balloons released from England, but those others were carrying leaflets, not warload per se.

Outward balloons were very cheap and crude, but atleast they seemed to have hit one time very effectively. According to Greg Goebels site, which is my best source here, one balloon short-circuited an power station near Lepzig, causing it to catch fire and burn down ??

If our members have more information about this subject, or good hints to something i should read i would be interested.

Especially about:

- Did that "bombing" campaign in some way influence the German decisionmaking ?? I am thinking about V-1 here. Somehow V-1 is not so random at all, if compared to balloons carrying firebombs.
- I understand that those copper wire carrying balloons had an effective way of altitude control, but what about those carrying incendiaries ?? I have no source of information about the technology used here to accomlish the range needed.
- Apart from that claimed bullseye to power station, no other result data. It seems at least that German forests were not so easy to set on fire.. On the other hand there is quite a lot cases were "drifting barrage balloons" are mentioned... did the balloon envelope look like barrage balloon ??, that would explain a lot.
- A whole operation seems to be an failure at first glance, but if the overall cost was really an fraction of cost of one Lancaster bomber, or if there was even hundred or so mission flown by Jagdflieger to hunt the balloons - i am not so sure.


Mark V

[BIGpanzer]

A very interesting subject.
AFAIK those British baloons carried two types of payload:a trailing steel wire for damage high voltage power lines or 2.7kg flexible socks filled with flammable material.
A total of 99.142 Outward balloons were launched: 53.343 carried incendiaries and 45.599 carried steel wires. Those baloons had to travel a very short distance in comparison with Japanese baloons so they flew at a lower altitude (16.000 feet only) and had no any mechanism to regulate altitude by dropping ballast or venting lifting gas.
17.09.1940 - a gale broke loose a number of British barrage balloons and carried them across the North Sea. In Sweden and Denmark they damaged power lines, disrupted railways and the antenna of the Swedish International radio station was knocked down. 5 balloons reached Finland.
After a strong bureaucratic struggle between the Air Ministry and the Admiralty, the British Chiefs of Staff gave the go-ahead in September 1941 and a launch site was set up at Landguard Fort near Felixstowe in Suffolk. The first launches took place on 20 March 1942. Within days, the British were receiving reports of forest fires near Berlin and Prussian Tilsit.
In July, a second launch site was set up at Oldstairs near Dover. On 12.07.1942, a wire carrying balloon damaged a 110.000 volt power line near Leipzig. A failure in the overload switch at the Bohlen power station caused a fire that destroyed the station; this was Outward's greatest success. Balloon launches continued, though they were frequently suspended when there were large bombing air raids on Germany as it was thought that those balloons might damage Allied bombers. Up to D-day invasion alloon launches became more sporadic. The last balloons were launched on 4 September 1944.

The balloons were very simple to mass produce and only cost 35 shillings each. German fighters were trying to shoot down balloons - it cost the Germans more to destroy each balloon than it cost the British to make them.

http://www.vectorsite.net/avbloon_2.html#m2

[Mark V]

Hi.

You are familiar with the same (secondary) source i have used.

Technically i am interested about the balloons carrying incendiaries. It is possible that there was no altitude keeping equipment, but that would had resulted large numbers of balloons going to "drink" in Channel or zooming to high altitudes, where the even slim chance that balloon would land in the right country would be greatly reduced.

Balloons carrying the wire naturally kept the right altitude.

Operationally i would be interested about info about German reactions to this weapon.

That German power station: I remember reading the same story many years a go somewhere else, but even with my best efforts i can't remember where.


Mark V

[PropCollector]

Hi.

Technically i am interested about the balloons carrying incendiaries. It is possible that there was no altitude keeping equipment, but that would had resulted large numbers of balloons going to "drink" in Channel or zooming to high altitudes, where the even slim chance that balloon would land in the right country would be greatly reduced.

Many of these phosphorous incendiary devices fell also in Holland (en route to Germany). It was common practice that local children had to go out collecting these incendiaries in buckets with water. The Germans went to a local school and ordered the teachers to go into the woods with the children. Happened alot around the villages in the south of the Netherlands were I live. The same happened in Germany.

As far as I know, the device that kept the balloon afloat on the righ altitude, was that the balloon dropped parts of his payload on the way to Germany. Causing the balloon to rise again.
That would be very similar to how the leaflet balloons worked.

I must have some original German folder warning for these devices. If I can find it, I will post a picture here. But it might be hidden under stacks of other paper stuff....

Hans

WW2 airdropped propaganda
http://members.home.nl/ww2propaganda/
leaflet balloon: http://members.home.nl/ww2propaganda/spread4.htm

[PropCollector]

Cannot find my German folder on these now.
But I found an Italian shorter version. So I hope somebody is able to translate this.

Note: The italian piece says these are airdropped from planes, but I am sure these are the same incendiaries as dropped by balloon.

I am still looking for the piece on the balloons, but I cannot promise that I will find it soon...

Hans

WW2 airdropped propaganda leaflets
http://members.home.nl/ww2propaganda/

[Mark V]

Thank you very much Hans.

I hope when you have time to sort out the papers you will post even more information.


Regards, Mark V

[Hans S]

More about the subject is here.

There is a section in The Moby Dick Project: Reconnaissance Balloons over Russia by Curtis Peebles about this.

Cheers

Hans

[Mark V]

Thanks.

I find that the same has been wondered previously. Why that operation is so unknown ??. OK, it wasn't an earth-shattering success, and small thing versus British commitment to night bombing - but it seems to be on postive side on cost vs. gain comparison.


Regards, Mark V

[faf_476]

I think using of balloons Isn't so effective during ww2!?

[Mark V]

I think using of balloons Isn't so effective during ww2!?

Yes, not effective when comparing to bombing campaigns of 8th Air Force, or Bomber Command - BUT.

If you could launch tens of thousands of balloons made up from rubberized cloth, some pieces of rope, hydrogen gas, and few slabs of wood plus the incendiaries / piece of copper wire... the overall cost is neglicable compared to even couple bomber ac built, fuelled and manned.

The one hit that caused the electrical plant to be heavily damaged, more than compensated the cost of whole program, and if those balloons drawed even some missions from German fighters to find them, that would make them still more effective.

Not a war winner surely - but in grand scheme of things - very few weapons are. The question here, was it cost effective, gaining more than it drawed from resources ??


Mark V

[Juha Tompuri]

A Very interesting thread, thank you Mark:)

The question here, was it cost effective

Definitely it was.

In a way a sort of pre BLU-114/B http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-114.htm ?

Regards, Juha

[Erik E]

I`ve come across a few entries in German KTB`s from 1942-43, south & southwestern Norway:

24th May 1942, a "Rubberballoon" equipped with a "canister of petrol" hits the ground just outside Forus airport, Stavanger.

25th may 1942, several "Störballone" are observed along the coast from Eigerøy to Arendal. Some are shot down by groundfire.

27th May 1942, 1 "Störballon" secured in Sognefjord, western Norway. A second is shot down by fighters outside Arendal.

28th May 1942. 1 "Störballon" secured in Førdesforden. Additional 7 balloons make landfall between Farsund - Lindesnes and causes damage on electrical wires.

In the monthly summary, these balloons are described as 1,5 meter in diam., made of rubber, has selfregulating altitude and equipped to damage electrical wires.


Then its silent for over a year, when suddenly ca 20 balloons are reported along the coast from Stavanger to Arendal on 23 September 1943. One was "secured", one shot down and the rest destroyed in the wilderness.

Erik E

[PropCollector]

I`ve come across a few entries in German KTB`s from 1942-43, south & southwestern Norway:

24th May 1942, a "Rubberballoon" equipped with a "canister of petrol" hits the ground

Would it be possible to somewhere find the winddirections on these dates? Somebody has a source for that?
I realy would like to know from what direction they came.

Hans

[Mark V]

Would it be possible to somewhere find the winddirections on these dates? Somebody has a source for that?
I realy would like to know from what direction they came.

Hans

I find that they came as rapid succession to Norway.

It looks like faulty wind prediction of one or couple balloon launches inside day or two. Brits for sure did not want their balloons end up to Norway. OK - Norway was occupied, but every balloon launched on purpose towards Norway might as well land to Sweden (or even Finland).

Inevidable outcomes occasionally when using such random weapon system - even word inaccuracy is too much of an compliment.

Mark V

[Mark V]

From Eriks post (thank you for information) where is an description of balloon envelope, i had an thought.

Could it be possible that balloon envelope itself was similar as propaganda balloons released all through WW2 by British ?? They were also simple affairs, roughly similar size as balloons described by Erik, and did carry leaflets. Payload potential of propaganda balloons was somewhere around 12 pounds.

Curiously, M-balloon units (propaganda) were restricted in their launches since mid-1942 because the shortage of cotton fabric and rubber. Same time as Outward-balloons started to be launched. Even if balloon envelopes weren't identical, they must have competed about the same limited resources.


Regards, Mark V