Soviet balloon

[Pilot]

This is image bellow is extract from the well know image of Finish Fiat G.50 and here is represent few air victories including of balloon.



What kind of balloon Soviets use in the WW2 and what kind was used in the front with Finland?

Hope that this subject is not discussed before.

[Juha]

Hello
just a short reply. Soviets used in the front with Finland observation balloons, during both Winter (30.11.39-13.3.40) and Continuation (25.6.41-4.9.44) Wars. The Fiat pilot's balloon kill seems to have been a shared kill, probably the back end of the shot down balloon looked like that of the victory marking. The head-on siluettes are easily recognisable so my quess is that the balloon is as exact as the head-on siluettes.

HTH
Juha

[Pilot]

Thank you Juha for the reply. It is very strange that somebody could use observation balloons in WW2. That was normal practice in WW1 but in WW2 most use was as barrage balloons.

Half of the silhouette for sure indicate shared victory.

[Juha]

Ballons were very well protected by AAA and sometimes with fighter patrols also. IIRC in 44 at least Maj. Luukanen (56 kills) was shot down while bursting an observation balloon, Lt Pekuri (18½ kills) got a direct 37mm hit in rear fuselage while trying to burst another and, in this I'm more uncertain, Capt. Puhakka (42 kills) was forced to make an emergency landing after hits during still another balloon bursting sortie. All pilots survived but still the balloon bursting was very dangerous. And these examples are only those that came to my mind instantly.

juha

[Pilot]

Very good info Juha. Do you know is this balloon parts of the land forces or the aviation? By the way- nothing is changed from WW1- at that time balloon was also heavy protected by AA and fighters patrol and that was very daring mission to attack them. Just some time ago I have made one art for the project of the forthcoming book about Stephen Luke.

Thank you again and best regards

Srecko Bradic, Serbia [if my name mean anything...]

[Håkan]

Hello,

Finnish pilots claimed 1 ballon during the "Winter War" and 29 during the "Continuation War".

Best wishes/Håkan

[Franek Grabowski]

Germans used balloons in 1939 and one of Polish fighter aces scored such a victory. As far as I know, Soviet used them well into the war. I suppose it was quite an effective tool of observation.

[Csaba B. Stenge]

The Soviet observation balloons were subordinated directly to their artillery units, not to their air force. The Hungarian fighters shot down two observation balloons as well (in September, 1944 at the Carpathians). In one case, the victorious fighter was shot down by the strong AA defence of the balloon.

The first photo evidently shows a shared (half) victory against a balloon, as Juha said earlier.

[Juha]

Yes Franek, Finnish infantry hated them, especially during Winter War when the Finns had only 11 heavy cannons (107mm K10 or 13), a couple of which were purchased from Poland in 20s, with only limited number of shells (3700 or 5000 altogether depending on source) for all counter artillery works. And during most of the winter War only some 30 almost modern fighters (Fokker D.21s), which had many pressing jobs to do besides trying to hinder Soviet fire control planes and balloons.

Srecko,
The balloons were used in observation and fire-control work and even if I don't know my quess would have been that they belonged to ground forces but Csaba has already given answer to that question.

Glad that my earlier answer helped
Juha

[Pilot]

Gentleman- all info you have provide here are very interesting and off course very helpful. Fact is that at the height you can see much more ahead. I know when I was active mountain climber that from the height of some 1200 meters we could with easy see Belgrade which was more then 300 km far away. In closes distances, like the distance of the artillery fire range, observers in that position could with easy locate enemy equipment and points and very precisely guide its own artillery fire.

This question I placed here as well I never search anything about the WW2 balloons and in the age of the developed aircraft for the tactical and strategic recognizance it sound a little bit "old fashioned" to use balloons.

Thank you again for the kind reply and very valuable info.