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Barrage Baloons with Grenades ?

Millsman

Millsman

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Late night discussions bring up many subjects. Maybe someone has heard of this.

Has anyone has ever heard of grenades being attached to the tether wires on barrage balloons to do more damage if aircraft flew into them?

If not grenades then explosive charges with a contact fuze perhaps?

John
 
Yes, at least the Americans had them in WWII. Surviving examples of barrage balloon bombs are very scarce although member US-subs has a nice one in his collection. Perhaps he will post an image.
 
mvc-216s.jpg
Always found these fascinating . I'm told that a lot of them were deployed in Europe at the end of WW2 , particularly Holland . I would suspect that some of the museums over there also have examples on display . Mike .
 
Excellent Mike. How big is that item? I can't get any scale from the photo.

John
 
mvc-001s.jpg
John . There you go . I've put it alongside a Mills for comparison . Thanks , Mike .
 
Many thanks Mike. Was expecting something about the size of a waste paper basket. How were they fuzed? How were they handled when the balloon was lowered? John
 
The US had two versions, an HE one and one that simply had a larger parachute - it was supposed to create a sudden four tons of drag on the wing of the aircraft when snagged and deployed. This is mine, it is the HE version. The bottom can contained the small drag chute which would deploy when a sharp tug released it. The chute would create drag and stabilized the bomb as the cable was pulled across the wing. The ring at the top of the bomb would strike the wing, detonating the explosive contained in the central part of the bomb.

DSC_4552.jpg
 
US-Subs said:
The US had two versions, an HE one and one that simply had a larger parachute - it was supposed to create a sudden four tons of drag on the wing of the aircraft when snagged and deployed. This is mine, it is the HE version. The bottom can contained the small drag chute which would deploy when a sharp tug released it. The chute would create drag and stabilized the bomb as the cable was pulled across the wing. The ring at the top of the bomb would strike the wing, detonating the explosive contained in the central part of the bomb.

View attachment 130582
Click to expand...

Outstanding

Many thanks for posting and putting in the ruler for scale. The use of the parachute makes good sense and the even if the explosive charge failed could still bring the aircraft down.

John
 
The last question I have is about handling these grenades.

Easy to hang on a rope from the balloon.
Ok to arm and then release the balloon on its cable.
How was the balloon retrieved with armed grenade hanging from it?

As the balloon was winched down the grenades / mines would be at ground level first.

Did they have the facility to 'put the pin back in'?

Seems a trite hazardous to me.

John
 
I've got a TM that covers some aspects of the US version, I don't remember if that is part of it or not. I'll try and find time tonight to see what I can locate.
 
These are not grenades John, the example Mike is showing is attached to the wire and when it hits the wing goes off, the only grenades I know of that was on balloons was the No76 which was attached to a balloon released and floated to occupied europe there is a long thread about it some where on here
 
I'm not even sure they were attached to balloons . I seem to remember from many years ago that they were fired from rockets ? No idea to be truthful so perhaps someone with more knowledge could enlighten us . I'd love to know . Thanks . Mike .
 
Tony . Fine article but are you sure that my item was used in that particular operation ? Mike.
 
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