The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-12-23
VALUE Of GREAT
BALLOONS IN WAR
TOLD BY Captain

(By a Captain in the Aviation CORPSE
The vital importance and develop
,oant az balloon work has hardly as
vet been suspected In this country.
lover there" balloon observation has
become a science which, while per-
haps less spectacular than airpiahe
observation, is none the less essential.
The balloonist, riding steadily tor
hours at a time with the German hnes
spread out before him, and in direct
telephone communication with the
ground with his batteries, and with
other balloons, amasses a maze of de-
rails and accurate knowledge which
his more vicarious and longer-winseo
air brother can not hope to secure
The first use of balloons in warfare
dates way back TO the Napoieonic
wars. when France employed them
AGAINST Austria So revolutionary
was the procedure. however, that al
captured observers were treated as
spies by the enraged Austrians. Dur
ing the Civil War in this country
northern observers looked out across
the Potomac from near Washington at
the Confederates, and gained very
valuable information, though under
Irecarious circumstances. France fur
Their developed the art in the war or
1870 against Germany. who later
took it up on a much more ambitious
scale in her zeppelins. The science
fell upon slack times, however, as di
that Of airplanes, and the War De-
artment's reports of a few years back
are full Of brief statements that n ,
work was done in ballooning for lack
OF funds.
The balloon services abroad, how
developed for military purposes, and
the moment that the war settled into
the trenches came into their own
sgain. It was at once discovered that
work could be done with them which
could be done in no other way. Bal
loon observation began to assume vital
Importance until now hardly mile of
tho front lines is without it's big,
clumsy envelope. A constant, cease
less vigil IS maintained over every
move of the enemy, over every shell
fired by either side, so that friends
below may be saved from surprise ana
enemies across the lines may feel the
weight of every shell hurled at them
The United States is building up
such force literally from nothing
Last November the old field out West
was overgrown with weeds. the gas
reScrNlor out Oh repair, the whole
place stagnant. In the last few
months, however. the field has been
cleared and brought back to activity
the air once again is filled with big,
friendly balloons, and keen faced men
are being trained for immediate ser
Woe abroad. Already the first Ameri-
can detachments are in France, the
vanguard OF a large American balloon
force which ultimately will be as COM
piete as any other branch OF the
Army.
The work that this force will do win
be invaluable. With the airpIane
spoilers and photographers. it will
complete the vast Air Service which
II is expected will blind the German
Army and prepare the way for the
Artillery and Infantry to break up
the German military resistance. It's
minute by minute observations Will
head off all enemy surprises and will
at the same time make 1t possible for
American men and American NUM-
tons to secure the maximum OF de-
struction on the other side of No
Mans Land