A Grandstand Seat: The American Balloon Service in World War I
Eileen Lebow A Grandstand Seat: The American Balloon Service in World War I)
Praeger | 1998 | ISBN: 0275962555 | 240 pages | PDF | 12,9 MB
Praeger | 1998 | ISBN: 0275962555 | 240 pages | PDF | 12,9 MB
The little-known American Balloon Service worked in combat to help direct artillery fire more accurately and provide essential intelligence on enemy troop movements during World War I. German use of observation balloons to direct artillery strikes on enemy positions during August of 1914 forced the Allies to develop a similar force. By the U.S. entry to the war in 1917, the balloon service evolved into an effective, disciplined fighting unit, whose achievements are unfortunately overshadowed by those of the flying aces. Reminiscences from balloon veterans form the basis of this book, the first to picture life as a "gasbagger" in the three major American engagements of the war.