The observation balloon most used by Americans on the Western Front in France during World War I was named for its designer, a French engineer, Lt. Albert Caquot. Measuring 92 ft. long and 32 ft. diameter, it could stay aloft in winds as high as 70 mph. The Caquot, with a capacity of 32,200 cubic ft., had sufficient lifting power for the mooring cable, basket, two passengers, and necessary communications and charting equipment when filled with hydrogen. In good weather, the balloon could ascend to over 4,000 ft. with operations normally conducted between 1,000 and 4,000 ft. Depending on terrain and weather conditions, balloon observers could see as far as 40 miles. During their months at the Front, American balloon observers directed artillery fire at 316 targets such as troop concentrations and supply dumps, noted 11,856 enemy airplane sightings, 1,113 instances of military traffic on railroads and roads, and 400 artillery batteries.
Caquot balloons were manufactured in great numbers in WWI; nearly a thousand were made in the U.S. in 1918-1919. During World War II, the British put the Caquot into production once again, but in limited numbers. The balloon displayed here is believe to be the only survivor. Manufactured in 1944, it was used by the British for parachute testing and noncombat aerial observation and photography until 1960. It was located in 1975 with the aid of American and British World War I balloon veterans and was subsequently presented to the USAF Museum by the British Ministry of Defence, Royal Aircraft Establishment. With the assistance of the Goodyear Aerospace Corp. of Akron, Ohio, which had produced these balloons during World War I, Museum personnel mended and sealed the balloon fabric and prepared it for inflation. It was placed on display in May 1979.
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