Personnel and (typical) equipment of a German Ballonzug

[Volker_Nemsch]

Hello!

Up to now I always believed that a typical observation-balloon-unit (Ballonzug) used lorries for carrying the equipment. I was wrong ...


I recently dicsovered on several photos that even in the second half of WW1 many of these units transported their equipment on carriages (interesting is that there was a motor-driven winch for the balloon on a carrige drawn by horses!). This lead to the following questions:

What was the (personnel) strenght of a "motorized" and "horsedrawn" Ballonzug - I think that the latter needed more personnel?

What was the typical equipment (carriages, lorries, balloons (here: what type of balloon and when), cars, weapons, telephone and radio equipment) of such a unit or did they differ?

How did they cooperate with other units (special AA-batteries, artillery, protection by fighters, etc. and how were the results of their observation work provided to other units or the high command (telephone, radio, dispatch riders, etc.)?


Is there a book existing about these military units in German or English (I would even accept French, although my French is a mess)?


Thanks for your help in advance.
.

[CNOCK]

Hi,

A Ballonzug (balloon section) had 3 officers and 110 other ranks.

Regards,

Cnock

[CNOCK]

the winding gear consisted of a winch and a petrol engine, mounted on separate vehicles, and coupled together when the ballon was operationnal

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by CNOCK

Hi,

A Ballonzug (balloon section) had 3 officers and 110 other ranks.

Regards,

Cnock

Hi Cnock,

Not quite the exact answer on the question but an Austro-hungarian motorized balloon-section on the southwest front required for one observation balloon:

1 automobile winch-wagon

2 automobile gas-wagons

3 freight wagons

6 officers

137 men (!)

One should imagine the effort to move everything !


Kees

[jempie]

Hallo!

I guess itchanged a bit through time?
Perhaps also frm the sources ?

P. Neuman writes in his book that by outbreak of WW1 , 1914
The Feldluftschiffer-Abteilung for one balloon was foreseen of 10 officers, 270 man and 270 horses and 35 wagons...
If they mobilised also the drivers of the wagons , it was however than possible to let up two balloons, but he writes they were than less mobile!

However, I accept they used more man when they used handwinches...
to get down the balloons it took one hour and to do it faster they used the horses to pull the balloon down...

About 1915 due to the fact they got motorwiches (aus Beutematerial gebaut)
and than he wirtes they could do it with half the crew...so that each FLA could raise the number of balloons they could handle to 2 an 3 !

The more , each commander of a artillery section wished theyr own observation balloon to direct theyr fire and the balloon section needed not anymore to be so mobile, but stayed on place ....

One and another brought with that in Flandern 40 FLA were with 80 balloons in service....

I know that than later , 1916, due to reorganisations these FLA he writes was split up into "Stäbe und Ballonzuge "!

But I guess that in fact , this reorganisation was responsable for perhaps reducing the personnel per unit (A part went to that Stäbe another part was needed for the Ballonzuge?) and furthermore the motorisation of transportmeans and winches was also responable for these reduction in personnel also I accept...

But it might be that more mobile units, needed more personnel than units who stayed less or more on the same place at the front????


Vbr

Jempie


There is a principal plan of this reorganisation, but ?