Year |
Month/Day |
Person |
Military Aviation Event |
1783 |
|
|
France adopted ballooning for military use. |
1794 |
Jun 23 |
|
Ascent by French captive balloon, L'Entreprenant during the
battle of Maubeuge under the direction of Coutelle. |
1794 |
Jun 26 |
|
Ascent of the L'Entreprenant during the battle of Fleurus,
gaining military information. |
1796 |
Sep 3 |
|
Balloons with Jourdan's army (French) made ascents in
front of Andernach and Ehrenbreitstein, and were captured by Duke Karl'a
Austrian army at Wurzburg. |
1798 |
|
|
The first company of French Aerostiers ordered to Egypt.
Destruction of balloon materials in the battle of the Nile by the English. Napoleon abandoned military aeronautics. |
1799 |
|
|
The French Aerostiers sent up several Montgolfieres from
forts in Cairo. |
1807 |
|
|
Denmark adopted ballooning for military use. |
1812 |
|
|
Russia adopted ballooning for military use. |
1849 |
|
|
Austrian bombardment of Venice with balloon torpedoes. At
the suggestion of Uchatius, an artillery officer, the range of the besieging batteries being insufficient to bombard the town, Montgolfieres made of paper were used. Each could lift 70 pounds, and each carried bombs weighing 30
pounds for 33 minutes. Position was chosen on the windward side. A
trial balloon was liberated for a course laid out on a chart. Then a balloon
with a bomb was liberated, after timing the fuse. By this means, bombs
fell in the town (one in the market place) with great moral effect. |
1859 |
Jun 24 |
Lieuts. Godard and Nadar (French) |
Ascended in a captive balloon at the battle of Solferino.
In the latter ascent he detected some important movements of the enemy, taking photographs while in the air. |
1861 |
|
Lowe |
(US Civil War) Made a free ascent after a defeat near
Manasses, and discovered position of victorious Confederates, showing the falseness of a report that their army was making a general forward movement. First attempt at heliography from a balloon. |
1862 |
|
|
A balloon division reconnoitered for MacClellan's army
(US Civil War). Ascents and descents under heavy artillery fire in various engagements. |
1862 |
May 4 |
|
A balloon showed that Confederate General Magruder had
left his position during the night. |
1862 |
May 24 |
General Stoneman |
Ascended and from the balloon directed artillery fire.
(The first instance of the kind.) |
1862 |
May 29 |
|
Important work by balloons at Chickahominy, and later at
Fair Oaks and Richmond, where a balloon was attached to a locomotive and
moved from place to place. |
1862 |
Aug 16 |
|
Discovery by a balloon of the fleet under Wilkes in the
James River. |
1869 |
|
|
During siege of the Duke V Aidzu's fort at Wakamatzu, by
the Japanese Imperial troops, besieged sent up a kite with a man who dropped explosives. |
1870 |
Sep 23 |
|
Siege of Paris. Between September 23, 1870 and January 28,
1871, 68 balloons got out of Paris. Two German balloon detachments, with balloons purchased from England, attached to the army before Strassburg. One
ascent was made on September 24. |
1876 |
|
|
Small captive balloons were used in war by Japan. |
1884 |
|
|
A French balloon section of four balloons saw service in
Tonkin, and were used in the battle of Hong-Hoa. |
1884 |
May 9 |
|
Formation of the Prussian Military Balloon
Division. |
1884 |
|
|
Spain adopted ballooning for military use. |
1885 |
|
Major Elsdale |
In command of balloons accompanied Sir 0 Warren's
expedition to Soudan and Bechuanaland. A balloon detachment was sent to
the Soudan under Major Templer and Lieut. Mackenzie. The hydrogen
was sent from Chatham compressed in cylinders. Ascents were made
during the march to Tamai. A German military critic said of this work,
"Practical application of ballooning left nothing to be desired." |
1885 |
|
|
Italy adopted ballooning for military use. |
1886 |
|
|
Belgium adopted ballooning for military use. |
1886 |
|
|
China adopted ballooning for military use. |
1886 |
|
|
Holland adopted ballooning for military use. |
1887 |
|
|
Italian army used balloons successfully in Abyssinian
operations. |
1888 |
|
|
Servia adopted ballooning for military use. |
1893 |
|
|
Roumania adopted ballooning for military use. |
1897 |
|
|
Switzerland adopted ballooning for military use. |
1897 |
|
|
Sweden adopted ballooning for military use. |
1898 |
|
|
United States war with Spain. Ascents at Santiago.
Useful observations July 1. A captive balloon, for the first time, is
destroyed by artillery. |
1899 |
|
|
At the beginning of the campaign against the Boers, the
British used captive balloons and Baden-Powel kites. |
1900 |
Jan 18 |
Capt. Heath |
Under Balloon Section I was sent to Natal. On the night
of January 18 attempted to discover Boer position on the Tugela with the
help of searchlights. Balloons were used during the battles of Vaalkrantz,
Spion Kop and Springfontein. On February 10 a balloon was shot down
by Boer artillery. Balloon Section II, under Capt. Jones and Lieuts. Grubb
and Earle was ordered to join Methuen's army. Ascents were made before Magersfontein. Balloons accompanied Lord Roberts to Paardeburg,
and helped to locate Cronje, and directed artillery fire during five days
observations. Balloons were constantly under fire. Balloon Section III,
under Lieut. Blakeney. Balloon used at Fourteen Streams. |
1900 |
|
|
French and English balloons used to advantage in the
campaign against China. |
1900 |
|
|
Chinese balloons and stores fell into the hands of the
Russians at the capture of Tientsin. |
1902 |
|
|
Morocco adopted ballooning for military use. |
1904 |
|
|
Japan vs. Russia. A balloon division at Port Arthur. Here
a kite-balloon was used for the first time in war. A Russian naval balloon
division sent to Vladivostock, and a balloon company to Manchuria. Ascents
were made at the battle of Liaoyan. A Russian balloon was under fire at the
battle of Mukden. Very useful work was done. |
1909 |
|
|
Spanish kite-balloon used in operations against the
Moors. |
1911 |
|
|
In fighting on Mexican frontier aeroplanes were used.
Spain, in Morocco campaign. |
1912/13 |
|
|
Balkan War. Bulgaria, Greece, Roumania, Servia, and
Turkey. Italy used aeroplanes, airships and kite-balloons in Tripoli
campaign. |
1914/18 |
|
|
WW-I Aeroplanes, kite-balloons and Blimps devolved
into an important universal arm of offensive and defensive service. |