Ancra Aircraft

Ancra Aircraft - Vette Asia is a leading supplier of advanced thermal management products used to remove excess heat generated by electronic components. The company offers custom designed heat sinks, liquid cold plates, and enclosure assemblies as well as a broad line of standard products and accessories.

The company's thermal management products are used by various OEM customers in the aerospace and defense, industrial, consumer electronics, medical, and telecommunications industries. In addition to thermal management products, the company also offers a wide range of extruded aluminum and fabricated metal products that are used in numerous end markets including building materials, HVAC systems, and recreational vehicles.

Ancra Aircraft

Wakefield Thermal is a leading supplier of advanced thermal management products used to remove excess heat generated by electronic components. The company offers custom designed heat sinks, liquid cold plates, and enclosure assemblies as well as a broad line of standard products and accessories.

Aircraft Logistic Track And Fittings

The company's thermal management products are used by various OEM customers in the aerospace and defense, industrial, consumer electronics, medical, and telecommunications industries. Ancra Systems BV develops automatic truck loading systems (ATLS) that streamline truck loading and unloading processes and are used primarily for shuttle services between production facilities and distribution centers.

The company offers skateloader systems, carpet systems, chain/belt conveyor systems, slat conveyor systems, skate systems, and roller tracks. Ancra Systems BV serves postal and parcel, automotive, consumer packaged goods, industrial, and paper industries in Western Europe and internationally.

Ancra International LLC LAD II and RAR systems, unless otherwise indicated, are warranted to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of twenty (24) months from the date of shipment. During this period, Ancra International LLC will, at its option, repair or replace without charge any product or part thereof found to be defective in material or workmanship.

This warranty does not extend to any product which has been subject to misuse, abuse, negligence, accident, alteration or repair. ARCOL manufactures and distributes resistors for high-current, high-voltage, and high-energy applications. ARCOL's product offering includes a broad line of film, foil, wirewound, and carbon composition resistor technologies.

A Family Owned Business That Treats Businesses Like Family

The company sells its products worldwide to customers in the industrial, medical, military, and aerospace markets. B/A Products develops, manufactures, and distributes a broad range of products used in the towing and auto transport industries. The company offers a premium line of chain and wire rope assemblies along with straps, lighting, safety, and other truck accessories.

Shred-Tech is a global leader in designing and manufacturing highly engineered systems used for shredding and recycling paper and other waste streams. The company produces a range of specialty vehicles that provide mobile document destruction and secure document collection solutions for the records information management and secure document destruction industries.

The Company also offers an array of stationary and mobile shredding systems for many different materials and applications in the waste management and recycling industries. Shred-Tech is headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario and has operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Thailand as well as distributors in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.

Ancra Cargo is a leading supplier of cargo securing systems for the heavy-duty trucking market. The company offers flatbed, chain, interior van, trailer access, tie-down, and decking system products as well as related webbing and hardware.

It serves OEMs, distributors, fleet operators, and independent owner/operators in the heavy-duty trucking and recreational vehicle markets as well as government and military customers. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

In no event will Ancra International LLC be liable for special, indirect or consequential damages or loss of vehicle, cargo or profits. Sarclad manufactures machinery and equipment for the steel making industry. It offers Rolltex EDT, an electro discharge texturing system for texturing rolling mill rolls;

Rollscan, a non-contact surface and sub-surface inspection system for hot and cold rolling mill rolls; and an off-line strand condition monitoring system for continuous casting machines. Astro Tecnologia manufactures and supplies cargo restraints and lifting products for the transport market.

The company offers a full line of ratchet straps, lifting slings, and thermal bulkheads primarily to transport companies, distributors, and OEMs in Brazil. All Ancra International LLC SilverCap OverDrive products, unless otherwise indicated, are warranted to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of shipment.

During this period, Ancra International LLC will, at its option, repair or replace without charge any product or part thereof found to be defective in material or workmanship. This warranty does not extend to any product which has been subject to misuse, abuse, negligence, accident, alteration or repair.

All Ancra International LLC products, unless otherwise indicated, are warranted to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of six (6) months from the date of shipment. During this period, Ancra International LLC will, at its option, repair or replace without charge any product or part thereof found to be defective in material or workmanship.

This warranty does not extend to any product which has been subject to misuse, abuse, negligence, accident, alteration or repair. The logistic track is designed with beveled edges that provide a smooth transition between the mounting surface and the top of the track.

This helps prevent cargo on wheels from getting caught on the exposed body of the track, offering a smoother loading and unloading process. Ancra is here with excellent products that are available at a competitive price.

The company does its utmost to provide the best possible solutions for your needs. All products by Ancra are made with expert care and created by professionals to meet all your requirements. Ancra does not accept compromises when it is going about quality, so you can be sure that all products have only first-rate quality.

With many years of manufacturing experience, Ancra is the name you can trust. Ancra Aircraft is a leading designer and manufacturer of cargo loading systems for the commercial freighter market. The company offers both powered and mechanical systems for narrow and wide body aircraft.

Ancra Aircraft's cargo loading systems are operating in more than 20 different aircraft types around the world and are used in both OEM and passenger-to-freighter conversion aircraft. The company also offers a broad line of aircraft seat and restraint fittings, which include anchor plates and track, stanchion and galley fittings, seat attachments, nets, straps, and tie down hardware.

Ancra Cargo was founded in 1969 with your security in mind. We started with the mission to improve safety and security for the material handling industry and originally focused on the airline industry. We quickly realized that engineered products were needed in every market segment that moved quantities of cargo, and our comprehensive product lines were born.

C/A Design manufactures precision thermal enclosures for the aerospace and defense industries. The company has extensive experience using vacuum and dip brazing processes to manufacture high-tolerance, complex heat exchangers and avionics enclosures that are used to house and protect sophisticated electronics.

The company sells its products directly to leading defense prime contractors and aircraft OEMs. The Heico Companies' Applied Solutions Group (ASG) was formerly known as the Ancra Group. The original group name came from the acquisition of Ancra in 1996. The group focuses its operations across four key segments: cargo securing, electronic & thermal solutions, metal solutions, and shredding/recycling systems.

Ohmite manufactures and distributes resistive products for high current, voltage, and energy applications. The company offers a broad line of power resistors, rheostats, and thick film resistor products. Other products include substitution boxes, power controls, inductors, chokes, heat sinks, and rotary tap switches.

The company sells its products to industrial, medical, military, and aerospace industries through leading global distributors and a network of sales representatives. Ancra Cargo was founded in 1969 with your security in mind. We started with the mission to improve safety and security for the material handling industry and originally focused on the airline industry.

We quickly realized that engineered products were needed in every market segment that moved quantities of cargo, and our comprehensive product lines were born. Wistra GmbH manufactures and distributes a broad line of load securing systems and accessories.

The company provides a wide range of products including lashing straps, shoring beams, cargo bars, decking beams, parting wall locks, and cargo nets to European logistics providers and industrial companies requiring specialized load securing solutions. The company has operations in Selmsdorf, Germany and Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Founded in 1969, Ancra® started with the mission to improve safety and security for the material handling industry and originally focused on the airline market. It quickly realized that engineered products were needed in every market segment that moved quantities of cargo, and its comprehensive product lines were born.

Today, Ancra is a world-class leader in the area of ​​cargo handling and restraint systems, providing quality products with the greatest customer value. Through the use of superior design, quality materials and attention to every detail, Ancra's advanced engineering capabilities raised product performance to a new level.

Ancra products are hard at work on land, in the air, and on the sea, serving all phases of the material handling industry. Founded by Michael Heisley in 1979, we built upon his legacy and have grown into a large and diverse organization with operations in 19 countries across five continents.

Once focused on distressed investing, we now look to acquire performing businesses that complement our existing operations. Kinedyne is a leading manufacturer and distributor of cargo control products for the transportation industry. The company offers flatbed, chain, interior van, grip link tire chain, auto towing, transport, tie-down, and beam system products as well as related webbing and hardware.

It serves OEMs, fleet operators, and independent owner/operators in the heavy-duty trucking, farm and agricultural, moving and storage, automotive, and recreational vehicle markets as well as government and military customers. The company is based in New Jersey with manufacturing locations in Prattville, AL and Nantong, China.

ANC Distribution New Zealand is committed to providing high-quality solutions for the pipe working, aircraft, commercial trucking, and consumer industries. The company also focuses on innovative cargo control, cargo care, container parts, lifting and plastic pallet products that are engineered to surpass high standards and meet your expectations.

Every component and assembly offers capacity measurements that reflect dependable, quality design and construction. Ancra New Zealand designs and manufactures products that meet your particular requirements. ANC Distribution Australia is committed to providing the highest quality and innovative machines and tools for pipe working, aircraft seat and restraint fittings, commercial trucking cargo control, and consumer transportation.

Every single one of their products offers assurance that Ancra Australia systems are engineered with an understanding of your requirements and a commitment to your safety. Whether it's liquid solutions, van solutions, pipe tools, cargo control, or container parts, each of these products are engineered to the highest of standards to meet and surpass your highest of expectations.

Universal Aircraft Style Heavy Duty Beveled Track by Ancra®. Length: 72". Ancra's 72" heavy-duty beveled logistic track can be easily installed into your trailer or van to create strong and solid anchor points anywhere along your walls and floors.

Use this aircraft style, machined aluminum track in conjunction with single stud or double stud fittings to create a tie-off point for tie-down hooks and rope. Neo is the leading provider of wear-resistant surface treatments for industrial applications.

The company provides treatments primarily for steel mill work rolls, including chrome plating, electro-discharge texturing, nickel and copper plating, mechanical plating, and grinding and polishing. Neo operates domestic and international plants in Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Austria, France, Slovakia, Hungary, India, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Sistemas Kinedyne manufactures and supplies cargo restraints and protection products for the transport market. The company offers a full line of ratchet straps, thermal bulkheads, and curtain-side trailer systems primarily to transport companies, distributors, and trailer OEMs in Mexico.

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Anti Aircraft Drone

Anti Aircraft Drone - "Each service has each been assigned to sponsor one of those systems," Gainey said. "So as we move this forward as a joint approach, we'll coordinate the future upgrades of these systems and the contracting of these systems across the Joint Force."

However, what may prove more important is the introduction of enhanced radar and two new missiles that theoretically promise to lengthen the Pantsir's claws against both low- and high-end opponents that have battered the system's reputation in Libya and Syria.

Anti Aircraft Drone

That enhancement combines with a new two-stage 57E6M-E missile with a slant range of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles), or some sources claim even 40 kilometers and engagement ceiling of 59,000 feet. Speed ​​is increased speed by 30% to a blistering Mach 5, allowing interception of targets traveling at up to Mach 2.9, or one kilometer per second.

Above — An Avenger Humvee At Top — M Linebacker Us Army Photos

The 57E6M-E is reportedly expensive and has a long minimum engagement range (1.2 kilometers), so it will be complemented by the older 20-kilometer range 57E6 missiles. However, for countering cheap and numerous small drone threats, there's also a new 'mini-missile' in development meant to serve as a cost-efficient killer of small drones like those attacking Russian bases in Syria out to a range of 5-7 kilometers

(3-4.3 miles). Obviously, actions such as these did not involve any engagements against aerial targets. Unlike today, cheap civilian drone technology simply wasn't that prolific. As a result, starting in 2005 the U.S. Army spent millions of dollars converting its Linebackers back to standard M2 Bradley models, retiring the M6 ​​entirely.

SkyWall fires four projectiles instead of radio signals, and comes in three varieties: model 100 is shoulder-mounted, model 200 is stand-mounted and model 300 operates as a turret. There's a classic ballistic projectile (“SP01”) and three net-based options: a basic net to tackle the drone;

a net with parachute to "nonviolently" down the drone; and a net with signal-jamming electronics in case all else fails. These can reach 330 feet. SkyWall weighs 22 pounds and is marketed to police and government agencies.

An Avenger In South Korea Us Army Photo

With the Pantsirs disabled, Bayraktars went on to destroy LNA Wing Loong drones and aircraft on the ground and pick off self-propelled artillery, forcing the LNA to withdraw from its siege of Tripoli. One of the Pantsirs abandoned by Wagner was then airlifted out by a USAF C-17 transport to Germany for study by the U.S.

military in June. Go ahead and scoff at the sheer bulk of this 10-kilowatt capable anti-drone laser technology developed by Boeing, but back in 2014 this was highly advanced, and could function in heavy fog, rain, and wind.

Known as the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HELMD), it succeeded in "consistently acquiring, tracking and engaging a variety of targets in different environments, demonstrating the potential military utility of directed energy systems", according to Dave DeYoung, Boeing's Directed Energy Systems

Director. While most countries struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the civil wars in Syria and Libya have become battlegrounds for foreign states backing different local sides. External powers have intervened in both civil wars supplying advanced conventional weapons that have intensified the conflicts, but not all the weapons have performed as claimed.

Laser-Armed Stryker Us Army Photo

Perhaps the most startling example of this is how ineffective modern Russian air defense systems have been at countering drones and low-flying missiles. In the face-off between expensive air defensive systems and lower cost offensive drones and low-flying missiles, the offense is winning.

This Pentagon department focuses on developing the most advanced technologies possible, and is now joining the anti-drone field. DARPA aims to finalize a machine that is easily upgradeable over time. According to PopSci, it's intended to “neutralize” all shapes and sizes of UAVs and be portable enough to mount on trucks and ships.

It'll also defend against "rocket, artillery, mortar, and other conventional threats." Tracked mobility should allow a Pantsir to deploy into more rugged terrain—particularly overlooking areas where steep inclines create radar 'dead zones' hostile aircraft and missiles might exploit to close the distance to their targets without being detected.

This has left the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Humvee as the only mobile SHORADS system maintained by the U.S. military. The Avenger mounts two four-round Stinger pods, as well as an M3P .50-caliber machine gun — a faster-firing type better optimized for anti-aircraft use than the more common M2.

Four hundred remain in service with the Army and Marine Corps out of an original force of 2,000. That doesn't mean the many anti-drone devices and systems the Pentagon currently uses are headed to the junkyard.

The Army said those will remain in use until they can be replaced with one of the systems on the approved list. Reportedly, in Libya Bayraktars would lurk out of range of Pantsirs, waiting for opportunities to pounce on inactive systems.

Jamming by Turkish Koral electronic warfare vehicles also weakened air defense radars, and by one account long-range precision artillery strikes also contributed to Pantsir losses. That implies the task of debilitating defenses like the Pantsir is best done by ground- and air-based platforms working in tandem.

In 2022, Russia is moving forward to procure a new tracked Pantsir-SM-SV model developed to provide close air defense to the Ground Force's own top-tier (or 'frontal') air defense system, the S-300V4 (NATO codename SA -23 Gladiator) which is geared for high-altitude engagement over long distances, including intercepting ballistic missiles, and is also tracked.

Placing the Stinger on an armored vehicle allowed it to accompany mechanized and tank formations on offensive operations while affording more protection. The Linebacker retained the Bradley's 25-millimeter autocannon for ground engagements, which has limited application against low-flying helicopters.

The increased velocity and ceiling also imply that the Pantsir could threaten even high-flying supersonic jets and potentially intercept attacks from supersonic land-attack missiles. Versus the latter, the Pantsir's would still need to detect the missile's small radar signature far enough in advance to allow time to engage, perhaps with the assistance of cueing by more powerful radars in an integrated air defense system.

Still, a Stryker armed with a five-kilowatt laser successfully destroyed 21 out of 23 drones in an exercise in May 2017, so laser-armed Strykers and JLTVs are a distinct possibility. For now, though, the Army has not settled on a mobile direct-energy weapon system it is fully satisfied with.

Officials determined the most compatible C2 architecture system for the job is the Army's FAAD-C2, or the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control. Interoperable systems include the Air Defense System Integrator, or ADSI, as well as the Air Force's Multi-Environmental Domain Unmanned Systems Application Command and Control, or MEDUSA.

The Army and Marine Corps have relaxed on their short-range air defense capabilities since the end of the Cold War under the assumption that the U.S. fighter jets would sweep enemy air power from the skies, as occurred in the 1991 Gulf War.

Seems very funny. Laser air defense systems are going to kill the drones. Drones my soon be lost with pretty good regularity. If the dones can see the target, then lasers can kill them. It seems like the drones are in more danger than the Russian air defense systems.

And drones are slow. If remotely piloted, then need radio communications, and that can be used to target the drones. If not remotely piloted they have to have a massive amount of intelligence. At least an aircraft has a pilot so it can be silent.

To counter such threats, U.S. troops need fast-reacting short-range air defense systems, or SHORADS — and better yet, they need them in a package that can move with frontline units on the battlefield, which the Army dubs “Maneuver SHORADS.”

Sebastien Roblin writes on the technical, historical, and political aspects of international security and conflict for publications including the 19FortyFive, The National Interest, NBC News, Forbes.com, and War is Boring. He holds a Master's degree from Georgetown University and served with the Peace Corps in China.

"We will continue to work with industry to bring these systems to full maturity or replacement with follow-on enduring solutions," he said. "Future research, testing and investment decisions on capability modernization will consider not only the most up-to-date existing technologies but, more importantly, those new and emerging technologies currently in development."

In January, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord announced that the Defense Department had established an office focused on addressing the growing challenge of targeting often-lethal adversary drones. The goal of the 60-person counter-drone team, led by Army Maj.

Gen. Sean A. Gainey, was to determine the best systems for the task. Let's make something clear: We at The Drive love drones. But the demand for anti-drone weapons is expanding. To some—governments, police forces, state actors, farmers, property owners—unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) pose a threat.

The rapidly emerging anti-drone gun market is a clear reflection of that. Here's a brief history of 7 significant moments in anti-drone history. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is testing a wide variety of new vehicles and short-range anti-aircraft weapons to give it true maneuverable SHORAD capability.

There are proposals to install anti-aircraft missiles on a range of new vehicles — including the Bradley. A new SHORAD Bradley upgrade offered by BAE would come with a new thermal sight, short-range AESA radar and drone jamming systems.

To be fair, the conflict wasn't strictly one-sided: in Libya, reportedly, between 9 and 15 Pantsirs supporting the LNA faction of Libya's civil war were destroyed against 14 Bayraktars and two Ankas shot down. The Pantsirs had been supplied via the UAE and operated by Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Not all of these systems were defeated due to inherent technical shortcomings. The tactical and strategic situation in which these air defense systems are employed also affects their performance. For example, as part of a United States government foreign assistance-funded project, RAND has examined open source reporting that highlights how Syrian personnel operating newly-acquired advanced Russian air defense systems lack the training time that is needed to effectively operate these complex systems.

The repeated success of forces using drones and low-flying missiles to destroy or suppress multiple air defense systems on the battlefield is a cautionary note about the effectiveness of these systems against modern air threats. In both Libya and Syria, lower cost offensive drones and low-flying missiles have bedeviled more expensive, complex, and difficult to operate air defense systems.

Reports claim either three or four of these small-diameter missiles could be stuffed into each of the Pantsir's twelve launch canisters. That implies an individual Pantsir could carry up to 36 or 48 mini-missiles, although more likely a mix of different missile types would be carried.

Can Russia's Pantsir Air Defense System Grow Longer Claws to Defeat the Drones That Are Trouncing It?: Air defense doesn't lend itself to one-size-fits-all solutions. As Russia continues its protracted roll-out of the new S-500 surface to air missile optimized for ballistic missile defense in the 2020s, it's also planning to field new short-range air defenses aimed at shoring up growing threats posed to missiles and drones flying.

at much lower altitudes. The Pantsir-S combines a truck chassis bristling with both radar and electrooptical sensors, twelve radio command-guided missiles, and two rapid-firing 30-millimeter 2A38 autocannons. The basic model's supersonic 57E6 missiles can reach respectably high maximum altitudes of 33,000-49,000 feet, and engage targets out to 20 kilometers (12 miles), while the cannons provide an additional last-ditch layer of protection.

Battelle's DroneDefender weighs 10 pounds, straps onto any existing anti-drone gun, and blocks a UAV's radio, GPS, and ISM signals. The drone is then told to return to its origin and land. As Popular Science points out, the Defender works best in cases "where cops want to disable a drone without risking injury to bystanders or property."

According to Gizmodo, Homeland Security and the DoD have around 100 Defenders already. Check it out below, courtesy of Battelle Innovations. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.

RAND is non-profit, non-partisan, and committed to the public interest. Recent conflicts in Armenia, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine have demonstrated the widespread adoption of drones by state actors — as well as rebel and terrorist groups — for reconnaissance purposes and as improvised attack platforms carrying grenades or explosive charges.

Most recently, Russian air-defense vehicles and electronic-warfare assets in Syria reportedly defeated a simultaneous rebel attack by 13 kamikaze drones.

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Anti Aircraft Balloons

Anti Aircraft Balloons - For forces struggling to maintain air supremacy, barrage balloons work. First employed in World War I, barrage balloons were enormously effective in limiting low-level air attacks on defended sites. During World War II, the U.K. deployed about 2,000 balloons, effectively hindering German bombing, aerial sea mining and other low-level flight operations.

After completing training, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion boarded ships to England in preparation of the invasion of continental Europe. The 320th were just one of the thousands of units that prepared for the invasion and trained for their specific role.

Anti Aircraft Balloons

The 320th was spread across over 100 landing craft that day destined for the Omaha and Utah beaches, the stretches of French coast assigned to the American military to secure. Barrage balloons were inflated in England and attached to the various ships taking part in the invasion for the trip across the English Channel.

Blimps In War A New Phenomena

As the Pentagon looks to buy innovative weapons for Ukraine, it might do well to explore the humble barrage balloon. Quaint weapons, associated with an old-fashioned way of war, the barrage balloon was simply a gas-filled bag tethered to the ground by a wire.

When employed in numbers, modern balloons can make low-level flight dangerous, forcing attackers to fly higher, exposing themselves to basic air defenses and reducing the effectiveness of low-level bombing runs. Balloons were used as a psychological tool as well.

A balloon release over enemy territory can make an enemy feel extremely vulnerable and vulnerable, which could cause them to act rashly. In the Battle of Britain, the German Air Force launched a series of bombing raids against the United Kingdom, believing that they could penetrate the Royal Air Force's air defenses.

The balloons, on the other hand, acted as a psychological barrier, preventing the bombers from approaching the civilian population. Brahzer balloons are still used as an aerial defense method. In particular, they are used to protect critical infrastructure such as airports and military bases from attacks.

Why Did They Use Small Blimps In Ww?

They are used to create psychological barriers as well as to obstruct enemy airspace. Despite their effectiveness, Western interest in balloon-based defenses deflated quickly after World War II. Balloons are purely defensive systems, and, once the West seized control of the air in World War II, the passive balloons were no longer needed.

The first untethered balloon flight took place on Nov. 21, 1783, with the first military use occurring during the French Revolutionary Wars. A century later during the Franco-Prussian War, the French again deployed observation balloons — and when Prussian troops besieged Paris, they became a vital lifeline out of the encircled city.

Floating barrage balloons over a specific area prevented enemy aircraft from flying close enough to target the area from directly overhead with bombs or strafing fire. If an enemy aircraft was determined to attack, the balloons forced them to fly at higher altitudes (to fly over the balloons) making them more susceptible to larger caliber anti-aircraft gunfire.

The balloons themselves could also destroy enemy aircraft, especially at night: the cables that anchored the balloons to the ground were very difficult to see and posed a risk to any aircraft that flew into them.

An aircraft caught in a cable could be slowed down enough to stall or have a wing torn off. In the early days of World War II, the use of anti-aircraft balloons was widespread. They were used to protect against enemy aircraft and were often used in conjunction with anti-aircraft guns.

The balloons were usually made of metal and were filled with helium or hydrogen. They were tethered to the ground and could rise to a height of several thousand feet. When an enemy aircraft flew into the area, the balloons would be released and would float up to the aircraft, forcing it to fly higher and making it more difficult to hit targets on the ground.

From left to right, PFC Arko Shaw, PFC Alvin Smith, Cpl. Jessie Sumlin, and Pvt. James Shrapshire hauling a barrage balloon through a partially cleared mine field to a new site in France, August 22, 1944. NARA 111-SC-192592

Piloted by balloon busters, they shot down more than five balloons at the same time. They were made of highly woven fabric rather than cheap latex Mylar or latex balloons. Despite the fact that the balloons were only fired at by the British during World War I, they used in-ground illumination rounds to their advantage.

During World War I and World War II, observation balloons were used to direct enemy aircraft over 5,000 feet above sea level, where anti-aircraft artillery was effective. These balloons were difficult to shoot down, as they could ignite in a large fireball and kill the enemy fighter when they fell.

Flying at the things proved to be one of the best ways for top American, English, and French pilots to demonstrate their abilities. He ended up in the water after his wingman was shot down in midair while attempting to take down his fifth balloon.

After passing basic training, the battalions began six weeks of balloon training, where they learned the skills needed to handle barrage balloons in combat. The balloons issued to these troops were known as very low altitude (VLA) balloons, which were about 35 feet in length and operated below 2,000 feet.

They learned how to carefully fill the balloons with over 3,000 cubic feet of inflammable hydrogen gas, preventing sparks or static electricity which could catch them afire. They learned how to camouflage the balloons, repair them, and generally maintain them on the battlefield.

They also learned how to attach and arm a small explosive charge to the cable that anchored the balloons to the ground. If an enemy aircraft struck the cable while flying near the balloons, the cable would snag on the wing and bring the explosive towards the wing, causing it to explode.

Blimps are becoming increasingly common in war, despite their relatively new application. It is possible to use these vehicles in civilian contexts, such as transatlantic travel. During World War I, the biplane was quickly adapted for military purposes, and cables were used to prevent German air attacks.

If a plane strikes the cable, the wing could be ripped off and the plane would crash. This is exactly the sort of low-cost and low-tech innovation Ukraine needs as it struggles to keep contesting airspace over the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

With its air force largely absent, Ukrainian defenders need every possible advantage as they concentrate and start pivoting towards the attack. After the First World War ended, the U.S. military decided that it was important to investigate means of defending areas from aerial attack.

In 1923, the United States Army decided to study which anti-aircraft defenses would be most effective to develop. The Army Air Service argued that barrage balloons would be an inexpensive and effective means of protecting strategically important locations, such as the Panama Canal.

The Air Service was given permission to develop barrage balloons for the military. This decision, however, set off an inter-agency feud with the Coast Artillery Corps, which thought that barrage balloons would fit in better with the other anti-aircraft defense items already under their command.

It was eventually decided that the Air Service would be placed in charge of developing barrage balloon technology, but the Coast Artillery Corps would actually operate the balloons. Camp Tyson, Tennessee, became the home of the barrage balloon battalions at the end of 1942 as units that had begun training elsewhere in the U.S.

were moved to the newly built camp. The camp would produce over thirty barrage balloon battalions, including four comprised entirely of African American recruits: the 318th, 319th, 320th, and 321st Barrage Balloon Battalions. Each battalion consisted of 1,100 men and over 50 balloons.

The idea for airships evolved from the Montgolfier brothers' successful first attempt at flying a spherical balloon in 1783. The Friedrichshafen, an aerial navigation technology, was developed in 1908 by Ferdinand Zeppelin. During its first flight, it flew for about 17 minutes at speeds of approximately 3.7 miles per hour and reached a height of 1,300 feet.

When used against enemy aircraft, the balloons resembled phonograph-shaped aircraft carriers. They could be stabilized with metal cables and their shape adjusted to withstand high winds in the event of a storm. If you add barrage balloons to a bow, the balloons could reach heights of 14,766 feet/4,500 meters.

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By countering the mobility of Russian pilots, and forcing them to be both less effective and more exposed to danger, it may be worthwhile to recall this old battlefield tool, and see if it can help Ukraine better protect land assets and keep eastern Ukraine a dangerous

place for Russian aircraft. During World War II, an important part of the Allied deception strategy was the use of inflatable decoys. It is possible that the inflatables will fly over enemy lines and return with intelligence, masking the true state of preparations for the invasion.

The Germans were well aware of the decoys and had been on the lookout for them for some time, but never captured any of them. For their work on Omaha beach, the battalion received a commendation from the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Although their service was unique to the D-Day invasion, they played a critical role in the success of the invasion which would eventually bring an end to German control of Europe. As Allied infantry forces moved further inland from the original invasion beaches, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion helped keep the vital artery of supplies open to keep the soldiers fed, armed, and bandaged, and protected both the living and the dead who remained on the Normandy

beaches. Balloons are more than just a physical threat. Balloons force pilots and unmanned aircraft operators to be on constant watch. They can become a psychic burden, making even the most hardened pilot question his or her career choices.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy used blimps to fly convoys through England and the Soviet Union to protect these massive armaments from German U-boats. You may have noticed that the many airships passing over the mighty fleet in the photographs taken at D-Day.

Although the joint command was in the process of developing the barrage balloon units almost from nothing, the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, brought the barrage balloon program to the forefront.

Following the attack, Chief of the Coast Artillery General Joseph A. Green ordered that every possible effort be made to send three barrage balloon battalions to the west coast to protect important locations including the Bremerton Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington and the Boeing aircraft plant in

Seattle, Washington. A lack of equipment meant that this task could not be completed until the spring of 1942. The Air Corps and Coastal Artillery Corps would continue to develop new equipment, new balloons, and new techniques.

By the end of 1942, however, what was needed most was new recruits; this is where the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion begins. Balloons brought down aircraft. During the Battle of Britain, 102 aircraft struck balloon cables, forcing 66 down.

Balloons were particularly effective against the first drone aircraft, accounting for 231 V-1 missile "kills." Tactical doctrine supported rapid balloon movement, and close integration with local air defenses. The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion served for almost 150 days in France following the invasion.

They continued flying their balloons over the beaches and eventually a portion flew over the port of Cherbourg before the worsening weather in October prevented ships from landing any more supplies. They returned to England, and eventually back to the United States, where it prepared to support the war in the Pacific theater.

The battalion was eventually moved to Hawaii, but the war ended before they entered combat again. Those tactics make sense. Portable air defense systems often rely on the human eyeball to initiate targeting. It takes time to notice an aircraft, point the weapon at the aircraft, track it, and then fire.

By flying low, speedy aircraft are often long-gone before a potential defender has time to spin up a 9K338 Igla or grab a FIM-92 Stinger missile. Once recruits passed balloon training, they ended their time at Camp Tyson with twelve weeks of weather forecasting training.

Controlling the 35-foot balloons in strong winds or bad weather could be incredibly difficult, if not dangerous, so recruits needed to know how to predict what to expect. It was important to have the barrage balloons airborne before night, when it was expected that most enemy aerial attacks would come.

Despite the overwhelming odds against them, the 320th had one balloon aloft over the eastern end of Omaha beach by 11:15 pm on the night of June 6, and would have 12 balloons aloft by dawn the next morning.

These balloons were quickly destroyed by enemy fire, but more balloons were brought ashore, and by the night of June 7, 20 balloons were aloft over Omaha beach, and 13 balloons were aloft over Utah beach.

On Oct. 7, 1870, French interior minister Leon Gambetta left Paris in the balloon Armand-Barbès in order to rally troops near Tours. The last balloon took off from Paris on Jan. 28, 1871, the day of the armistice.

When they are buoyant, balloons and airships rise. Archimedes, a Greek philosopher, laid the groundwork for buoyancy in the 14th century. There are two types of lighter-than-air craft: balloons and airships. Brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier were the first to fly hot air balloons.

Jacques Charles, who invented the hydrogen balloon, discovered it in 1783. Pilatre de Rozier and Pierre Romain were the first to die as a result of being in a balloon. Jean-Pierre Blanchard created a hydrogen balloon that could flap its wings to control its flight.

These passive defensive systems wore on pilot consciousness, and several reports—from both sides in World War II—cited concerns that balloons loomed large as a threat, degrading effectiveness, and posing a disproportionate distraction to pilots and aircrew.

In terms of distance traveled, the Montgolfier hot air balloon surpassed the distance traveled by the Charlire hydrogen balloon. On January 9, 1793, Jean-Pierre Blanchard ascended from the yard of the Washington Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of his "March of Rebellion."

In 1852, Henri Giffard's steam-powered dirigible chugged for seventeen miles in the air, reaching speeds of five miles per hour. In 1927, a Brazilian named Alberto Santos-Dumont was the first to build and fly a gasoline-powered airship.

The Zeppelin dirigibles were named after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who invented them in 1886. David Schwarz designed and built the first rigid-framed airship, which flew on November 3, 1897. Thomas Baldwin constructed the California Arrow, a 53-foot airship that

won a one-mile race in 1904. In response to the French balloon flights, Alfred Krupp developed a breech-loading 37-millimeter cannon mounted on a pedestal fixed to the bed of a carriage. Some sources describe the gun as a Ballonabwehrkanone or "balloon-defense gun."

If used in numbers in tactically interesting areas, balloons make low-level flying a dangerous exercise. They immediately force attacking aircraft to operate at higher altitudes. And with the Russian Air Force running out of precision weapons and increasingly relying upon "dumb bombs," removing the threat of low-level air attack immediately makes Russian air strikes less accurate.

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Anti Aircraft Balloon

Anti Aircraft Balloon - Members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) held many roles in the Battle of Britain, including working as plotters in the Sector Station Operations Rooms. Plotters worked in three shifts in teams of about ten, tracking the size and direction of incoming German raids.

They received information on enemy raids from radar stations and the Observer Corps, and raids were tracked using wooden blocks displayed around a large table. These blocks showed the name of the raid and an estimate of its strength, and arrows placed behind each block showed the raid’s direction.

Anti Aircraft Balloon

The blocks were color coded to indicate how up to date the information was. Friendly aircraft were plotted in a separate room. On the evening of February 24, 1942, an anti-aircraft barrage of more than 1,440 rounds was launched at what was initially thought to be a Japanese aerial attack on the City of Angels.

Five civilian die – three from traffic accidents spawned by the chaos and two from heart attacks. In a typical Sector Station Operations Room there were usually eight men sitting on a balcony, above the WAAF plotters, each with a specific role.

The information the WAAFs plotted was used to direct squadrons into action by the Senior Controller, who was responsible for the squadrons based at his sector station, and the Assistant Controller, who kept up communications with other squadrons.

There were also two Deputy Controllers, one listening to communications from the other sectors and the other coordinating air-sea rescue. Alongside the Controllers there were also Liaison Officers, who maintained direct communication with Observer Corps Headquarters and Anti-Aircraft Command, as well as 'Ops A', who maintained permanent contact with the Group the Sector Station ownership to, and 'Ops B' who

'scrambled' the pilots into action. The 320th VLA (Very Low Altitude) battalion was raised in 1942, just a year after the Coastal Artillery Corps took over responsibility for barrage balloons from the Army Air Corps. There were 39 black anti-aircraft combations deployed during WWII.

Many of them manned mobile and semi-mobile automatic weapons and were detailed to defend various units. But the 320th holds the distinction of being the only all-black balloon battalion. In Washington D.C., Navy Secretary Frank Knox says: “As far as I know the whole raid was a false alarm and could be attributed to jittery nerves.”

Secretary of War Henry Stimson says 15 unidentified aircraft were over Los Angeles  — possibly commercial aircraft operated by the enemy from secret fields in California or Mexico or light planes launched from Japanese submarines. Their goal is to determine the location of anti-aircraft defense or damage civilian morale, Stimson says.

Around 3,000 pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, but thousands of other people helped defend Britain in the summer of 1940. They were the Royal Air Force (RAF) ground crews who the pilots depended on in order to get in the air and engage the

enemy, the staff in the Sector Station operations rooms who 'scrambled' the fighters into action, and the teams operating defenses on the ground. For some Black soldiers, the worst moment was returning to the United States, where their war sacrifices meant nothing.

One recalls getting off the ship from France to discover he wasn't allowed inside stores on military bases. German prisoners were allowed in the PX; blacks couldn't go in the PX. White Southerners were frequently put in charge of Black troops on the theory that they knew how to control them.

Within three years after Normandy, the U.S. military would desegregate. Soon after, "Brown v. Board of Education" touched off the first sparks of the 20th-century American Civil Rights movement. “Roaring out of a brilliant moonlit western sky, foreign aircraft flying both in large formation and singly flew over Southern California early today and drew heavy barrages of anti-aircraft fire – the first ever to sound over United States continental soil against an enemy invader.

" Regardless of cause, air raid sirens first blare at 7:18 p.m. Thousands of air raid wardens go to their posts throughout Los Angeles County. That alert is lifted at 10:23 p.m. Tensions ease. Then, after midnight, all hell breaks loose.

From “Chapter 8: Air Defense of the Western Hemisphere” by William Goss, The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 published in 1983: The Observer Corps provided vital information about incoming German raids. A chain of coastal radar stations was used to plot the raids but, in 1940, they were unable to track aircraft inland and manual tracking was needed.

The Observer Corps was significantly made up of volunteers, who mostly trained themselves in aircraft recognition and how to estimate their height. When the war broke out, there were 30,000 observers and 1,000 observation posts, which were manned continuously.

Their information was sent first to an Observer Corps Centre, and then on to Group and Sector Station Operations Rooms. The system worked well in good weather but the observers quarreled in rain or low cloud. TOP Photo: Observation squadron aims anti-aircraft gun at a Douglas plane during a military show for National Defense Week, Los Angeles, 1940. Photo Credit: Los Angeles Daily News Negatives.

Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California at Los Angeles. What, if anything, is being fired upon remains a mystery. Theories include weather balloons, UFOs, birds, or just jitters by Angelenos with Pearl Harbor still a fresh memory and, even fresher, a Japanese submarine torpedoing a Santa Barbara oil field on February 23.

There were many heroic stories and episodes during World War II. One was the all-black unit, the 320th VLA barrage balloon battalion. "The 320th VLA was the only black combat unit to participate in the D-Day landings and was the only barrage balloon battalion to land on the beaches. Because the American Army was segregated, the Soldiers of the 320th VLA were all black.

*On this date in 1944, The Normandy landing operations commenced. Termed D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, in Operation Overlord during World War II. This was the largest seaborne invasion in modern history and began the liberation of German-occupied northwest Europe from Nazi control and contributed to the Allied victory on the Western Front.

The Prussians cut all communications between Paris and the provincial French forces and the first balloon, Neptune, left the city on Sept. 23, 1870, with regular flights beginning three days later. These flights carry supplies, 164 passengers and mail at a cost to senders of 20 centimes per letter.

Overall some 2,000 Black troops hit Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy, participated in the D-Day invasion. African American history of this era of American military history shows that Blacks were discouraged from enlisting in the first place;

they found the military was no refuge from racism. Banned altogether from the Marines and Air Force, confined to jobs as longshoremen and cooks in the Navy. The only branch that blacks could join was the Army's combat unit.

But their life there was an endless stream of humiliations, from being herded to the back of military buses on U.S. bases to being refused food by white units on the beach in Normandy. Not the least at variance are the media reports.

According to the Los Angeles Herald Examiner a witness puts the number of planes at 50. Three are shot down over the ocean. A battery near Vermont Ave. takes out another. “Air Battles Rages Over Los Angeles” is the headline of the Examiner’s “War Extra.”

The normally more staid Los Angeles Times says: In response to the French balloon flights, Alfred Krupp developed a breech-loading 37-millimeter cannon mounted on a pedestal fixed to the bed of a carriage. Some sources describe the gun as a Ballonabwehrkanone or “balloon-defense gun.”

Riggers and fitters were responsible for preparing aircraft for missions - wheeling them into position, checking them over and warming the engines. When pilots were ‘scrambled’ fitters started the aircraft engines while riggers strapped pilots into their parachutes - all packed by WAAFs - before the fitter jumped out and the pilot climbed in and took off.

Engineers worked frequently on aircraft, repairing damage after missions and carrying out vital maintenance to get them flight ready. Armorers were responsible for bombs, defensive ammunition and flares at the airfields. They re-armed aircraft guns when they landed and fused and loaded bombs onto aircraft.

On Oct. 7, 1870, French interior minister Leon Gambetta left Paris in the balloon Armand-Barbès in order to rally troops near Tours. The last balloon took off from Paris on Jan. 28, 1871, the day of the armistice.

“Probably much of the confusion came from the fact that anti-aircraft shell bursts, caught by the searchlights, were themselves mistaken for enemy planes. In any case, the next three hours produced some of the most imaginative reporting of the war: “swarms” of planes (or, sometimes, balloons) of all possible sizes, numbering from one to several hundred, traveling at altitudes which ranged from a

few thousand feet to more than 20,000 and flying at speeds which were said to have varied from “very slow” to over 200 miles per hour, were observed to parade across the skies. These mysterious forces dropped no bombs and, despite the fact that 1,440 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition were directed against them, suffered no losses.”

Barrage balloons became a liability as Allied forces pushed inland and took control of the countryside. VLA units were slow and cumbersome, and to deploy them, units had to have hydrogen-generating trucks, tank trucks, and all sorts of equipment to maintain the balloons.

By the end of October 1944, the 320th VLA Battalion was returning to Camp Stewart, Ga., to train for service in the Pacific Theater. They eventually made it as far as Hawaii before the war ended.

RAF Balloon Command operates the giant barrage balloons that floated above the potential targets of German raiders. The balloons forced the German aircraft to operate at higher altitudes, reducing the accuracy of their bombing and bringing them in range of anti-aircraft guns.

During the Battle of Britain WAAFs worked in Balloon Command alongside men. By July 1941, when this photograph was taken, the shortage of men meant far more women were assigned to Balloon Command and many formed all-women crews.

Members of Balloon Command had to raise or lower the balloons to the correct height using winsches. They were also responsible for keeping the balloons inflated and in position, which could be very difficult, especially in bad weather and during high winds.

Units from the 320th landed on both Omaha and Utah beaches at 9 a.m., two hours after the invasion began. The first balloon was floated at 11:15 p.m. that night, and by the next day, all of their balloons were knocked out by German artillery fire.

But, they were resupplied and were able to float new balloons quickly. The 320th had five batteries and a headquarters battery, with around 700 Soldiers. It took them so long to deploy their balloons because of intense fighting on the beaches.

As infantry units solidified their lines, the 320th Soldiers established their positions. Because putting up a balloon on the beach gave German artillery observers something to sight-in in, they didn't float balloons until the night of June 6.

After the war, Japan says it has no planes in the area at the time of the “raid.” The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 posits weather balloons as the most likely explanation.

A photo from the Los Angeles Times has been used to “prove” it is an extraterrestrial craft. Another explanation appears in an article attributed to the veteran Los Angeles newsman Matt Weinstock in which he interviews a man who says he served in one of the anti-aircraft batteries:

The Army's Anti-Aircraft (AA) Command operated searchlights and anti-aircraft guns against incoming German raids. AA Command was a crucial part of the Dowding System and was in constant contact with the RAF. Anti- aircraft guns shot down approximately 300 Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain.

Searchlights were mainly used to help anti-aircraft guns take accurate aim at night but they could also be used to help damaged bombers navigate in the dark on their return. On hearing a code word, every searchlight near a damaged its beam vertically and then horizontally towards the nearest airfield to guide the bomber safely to land.

It's estimated that 3,000 aircraft were helped in this way. As well as carrying out their regular duties, members of the ground crew would be called upon during German raids on their airfields. They towed aircraft damaged away from runways to make room for others to land, repaired damage from raids, fought fires and helped pilots out of their aircraft.

Ground crew fulfilled these responsibilities whilst sometimes under fire themselves, leaving them extremely vulnerable. Many were killed during the Battle of Britain. The first untethered balloon flight took place on Nov. 21, 1783, with the first military use occurred during the French Revolutionary Wars.

A century later during the Franco-Prussian War, the French again deployed observation balloons — and when Prussian troops besieged Paris, they became a vital lifeline out of the encircled city.

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Anti Aircraft Batteries

Anti Aircraft Batteries - The American theory on daylight bombing lay in the aircraft the crewmen flew: the rugged Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress," the main heavy bomber of the Eighth Air Force. The plane carried 10 crewmen, and sported 13 50-caliber guns for self-defense.

It was famous for bringing crews home, even when three of its four engines failed. The B-17's firepower, combined with that of other aircraft in the formation, would be plenty to protect bombers from enemy attacks.

Anti Aircraft Batteries

As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. Those who survived the initial onslaught and did not manage to flee, had to eke out a living on a battleground ravaged by incessant bombardment and street fighting

. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. The United States Eighth Air Force deployed to England with a daunting mission: destroy Germany's ability to wage war, and gain command of the European skies to pave the way for an Allied land invasion.

In order to accomplish it, thousands of American airmen had to face the constant threat of death daily. The other more feared threat was the German Luftwaffe. In 1943, the Luftwaffe was at peak strength against American bombers.

The pilots flying the ME-109s and FW-190s were professionals—the best in the world. Some of the German pilots had been flying in combat since 1936. Many had dozens of aerial victories; some had over 100. John Keema of the 390th Bomb Group said, “No matter the target they were defending, they were balls to the wall.

They were brave. They didn't hesitate." A fatalistic sense of acceptance became prevalent. A popular saying at the time was that to "fly in the Eighth Air Force then was like holding a ticket to a funeral - your own."

Abnormal behavior became more common. Insomnia, irritability, sudden temper flashes, nausea, weight loss, blurred vision, introverted withdrawal, inability to concentrate, and Parkinson's-like tremors were a few of the symptoms seen by flight surgeons. Nightmares so vivid that they caused the men to wake up screaming in the night were not uncommon.

Men became jumpy and jittery, the "Focke-Wulf Jitters," or "flak happy," became commonly used terms in the Eighth Air Force. The morale among the Eighth Air Force crews was at a low point in September, yet the worst was yet to come.

October 1943 yielded the heaviest casualties sustained up to that point in the air campaign. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museum from 2005 to 2020. He began his career conducting oral histories and research for HBO's miniseries The Pacific and holds the distinction of being the first historian hired by the Museum's Research Department.

In the 12 years he was Manager of Research Services, Seth and his team increased the oral history collection from 25 to nearly 5,000 oral histories. For the survivors, there wasn't much time for contemplation of those lost.

The next day proved to be an even longer day, followed by another, and another. The German fighters reaped a devilish harvest in the skies over Bremen, a harvest repeated in the next few missions in what became called "Black Week" by those fortunate enough to live through it.

Throughout the summer of 1943, American bomber crews sustained heavy casualties. Losses of 30 or more aircraft—300 men—were not uncommon throughout the summer. John Luckadoo, a pilot in the 100th Bomb Group recalled that he "calculated a 400 percent turnover in the first 90 days" of combat.

In 1943, bomber crews were tasked with a 25-mission tour of duty. Most crews never made it past their fifth. The Luftwaffe owned the skies over Europe and the men of the Eighth Air Force were paying the price.

At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942, the Western Allies agreed to a "Germany First" policy to govern global strategy, but the question where to engage Germany, and when, remained

unsettled. German anti-aircraft fire, or flak, was one of those deadly threats. Some targets were more heavily defended by flak batteries than others, but flak was an accepted part of the job at hand, no matter how deadly.

Beginning on October 8 and continuing until October 14, Eighth Air Force crews attacked targets all over Germany in an attempt to continue the pressure on the Germans. October 8's target was the shipyard in dreaded Bremen, known as "Flak City" by the aircrews.

The flak was so thick, Luckadoo said that "if you put your wheels down you could taxi on it." Combined with the expected fighter opposition, October 8 was not going to be an easy day for the bomber crews.

Luckadoo recalled that the enemy fighters attacked the bombers as soon as they crossed the border into France and continued all the way through to the target. Generally, when bombers approached the target and entered what was called the flak field, enemy fighters peeled away to land, refuel, and rearm.

As summer turned to autumn in 1943, the Americans felt that, despite the casualties, the air war would ramp up in intensity. Targets that directly affected the German war machine became priorities. Fighter-production facilities, ball-bearing plants, shipyards, and other military targets were in the crosshairs of the Eighth.

Conversely, the Eighth was in the crosshairs of the Luftwaffe, determined more than ever to defend their cities and facilities. In November 1942, German fighter ace Egon Mayer found the weakest place on a B-17—directly in the front of the aircraft.

Defended by only four machine guns, the nose of the B-17—and more importantly the cockpit—was vulnerable to a head-on attack. The attack required great skill and courage, as the German and American aircraft closed at an astonishing speed.

The German pilot only had seconds to aim, fire, and peel away before careening into the heavy bombers. Tested by the developer himself, Mayer found the tactic worked exceedingly well. By December, the head-on attack was the preferred method of attacking American heavy bombers by Luftwaffe fighter pilots.

Casualties among bomber crews began to mount steadily as B-17s were being blown out of the sky with growing consistency.

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Anti Aircraft Artillery Ww2

Anti Aircraft Artillery Ww2 - It soon became clear that small groups of guns working together had only a small chance of hitting a target that had the ability to maneuver in three dimensions. Anti-aircraft guns were later grouped in large formations.

These were usually positioned around military installations, airfields, industrial areas, population centers and on the coast. The main barrage strategy was to place blanket coverage over a particular sector of airspace. Most anti-aircraft commanders believed that shrapnel stood the best chance of bringing down an aircraft.

Anti Aircraft Artillery Ww2

Others preferred high explosive shells or incendiary shells. The ever-increasing German war effort required large numbers of antiaircraft personnel to be transferred to ground combat units. This transfer was made possible without appreciably weakening antiaircraft defenses through the use of railway antiaircraft artillery, which could be transferred rapidly from place to place for the temporary reinforcement of threatened areas, and by the introduction of Heimatflak, or home defense units, involving the replacement

Defense By Rail

of antiaircraft artillery personnel with factory and office workers and 16- and 17-year-old boys. American designers sought to improve upon the 81mm M1 Mortar by reducing the weight and size, which allowed for easier use by infantry and airborne units.

The latter used it to great effect in Normandy as it provided a way for paratroopers to pack some artillery punch. The airborne explosions also produced a characteristic black cloud that hung in the sky, and indicated to pilots that they were in the presence of the flak.

Soon after, the word "flak" soon became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. During the war it was not uncommon to hear, "flak so thick you could get out on a walk on it" when someone described heavy antiaircraft fire.

Impact fuses, sometimes known as crush fuses, go off when they impact something. A split-second later, this sets off the main explosives in the shell and causes it to explode in a cloud of shrapnel. This is great for hitting armored targets where you need the explosion pressed as closely as possible against the hull.

Blind And Confuse

The Germans used a large number of searchlights. Although the searchlights were not particularly successful in illuminating high-flying bombers, they were also used to produce dazzle or glare to blind and confuse hostile aircrews. The main searchlights used were 60cm- and 150cm-diameter parabolic glass reflectors.

Dazzle and glare made locating targets difficult and lessened the accuracy of bombing, and keeping beams direct on an Allied plane helped defending fighters approach the plane unobserved. At the outbreak of the war in August 1914, the French Army possessed just two purpose-built anti-aircraft armored cars and the British had a small number of motorized 3-inch 20 cwt guns.

The rapid growth in the role of aircraft in the war forced all the main countries involved to improve anti-aircraft weapons. At first all types of guns were fitted to upward-firing mountings. Light or medium antiaircraft guns were highly maneuverable and could engage a target almost immediately as it came within view and range.

These guns relied on high rates and volumes of fire. For altitudes below 1,500 feet, they were exceedingly accurate. At very low levels, about 50 feet, accuracy was considerably reduced owing to the limited field of view, the restricted time of engagement, and the high angular velocity of the target in relation to the guns.

An Organized Defense

Fire from light and medium guns was directed and corrected by observation of tracers. Guns were sometimes sited close to a heavy searchlight to obtain approximate target data. The rounds were set to go off approximately 50 feet above the ground.

Shrapnel tore through men and light equipment and took entire armored and infantry units out of play due to the sheer number of wounded and killed service members. This was the most numerous howitzer used by the Germans in World War II.

It was adopted for service in 1935 and used by all divisions and artillery battalions. More than 22,000 were produced, and it was the standard divisional field howitzer. It wasn't suited to anti-tank combat, but was used to good effect in that role in North Africa and even on the Eastern Front.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

Would Allyn Bath

In fact, for the first while after the rounds were deployed, gains were only made at sea because the technology was deemed too sensitive to employ on land where duds could be captured and then reverse-engineered.

Developed as a light anti-aircraft gun that was used on all fronts by the Germans during World War II, the 2cm FlaK 38 was deployed in both single mounting and quad mounting configurations. It was also deployed as an anti-tank and even anti-personnel role.

In the film Saving Private Ryan a 2cm FlaK 38 gun was seen in the final battle at Ramelle. The cannons were also unique in that they were designed with a high rate of fire, and the FLAK 18 automatically ejected spent shells.

The guns were tested in the Spanish Civil War, which led the Germans to refine the design as the FLAK 36, which featured the use of a two-piece barrel for easier replacement of worn liners. The trailer design was also improved, which streamlined the set up and transport of the fixed guns.

Barrage Balloons

The 88 was considered among the best anti-tank weapons but its size was an issue. The 7.5cm Pak 40 was also designed from the ground up as an anti-tank weapon and was capable of piercing 120mm armor at a distance of a kilometer!

It offered a high rate of fire—fourteen shells per minute, making it an effective weapon to stop enemy tanks. Allied strategic bombing forced Germany to organize an extensive air defense system of both air and ground elements.

The defense system included concrete towers over 100 feet high that allowed heavy antiaircraft guns to be sited above the surrounding buildings, the creation of camouflaged streets, and even false towns. A network of air warning, coordination, and direction centers detected Allied bombers and alerted thousands of antiaircraft gunners, searchlight units, and civilian defense authorities to the approaching waves of bombers.

On nights with considerable ground fog or industrial haze, searchlight beams were unable to penetrate the haze, and searchlights went into action at a low angle of elevation to diffuse a pool of light to make target location or landmark identification extremely difficult for Allied bombing crews.

Flak Tactics

On clear nights, when in belts to aid fighter interception, the usual tactic was to illuminate the target by directing beams vertically too produce a wall of light against which enemy bombers would be visible to fighters attacking from the rear, or to compel the bombers,

as they ran the gauntlet of lights, to fly so close that they became visible from the ground, thus enabling other lights to engage them. A searchlight battalion included three or four heavy searchlight batteries. The batteries contained up to a dozen 150cm searchlights and a number of sound locators.

Except for mass employment, initial directional data for heavy searchlights were usually obtained through the use of sound locators, while light searchlights relied on picking up targets by means of search patterns. Searchlights would be laid out in belts or in concentrations along likely lines of approach to important targets.

A belt usually consisted of between 10 and 30 searchlights placed 1,000 to 2,000 yards apart. In Britain an Anti-Aircraft Brigade was formed by the Royal Marine Artillery. The equipment chosen for this unit was a Vickers Naval gun mounted on a Pierce-Arrow 5-ton armored lorry chassis.

Aircraft-Warning Service

The Anti-Aircraft Brigade had four batteries. Each battery was equipped with four Vickers Naval guns and Pierce-Arrow armored cars. Three of these were positioned to provide protection of government buildings in Whitehall. After the start of the war, the Luftwaffe quickly realized the need for protecting Germany and occupied territories from the growing strength of Allied bombers.

The result was an enormous expansion of the antiaircraft artillery organization. Total antiaircraft artillery personnel strength, including staff and administration, grew to over one million, with hardware that included 9,000 heavy guns, 30,000 light guns, and 15,000 heavy searchlights.

Jet engines, air-to-air rockets, drones. World War II was filled with flashy technological breakthroughs that would change warfare, both during that conflict and in wars to follow. But it was one humble piece of equipment that got an early upgrade that may have actually tipped the war in America's favor: the fuse.

During the Second World War, it wasn't just the aircraft that delivered devastating blows to the enemy. As the Allies sought to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany both sides engaged in artillery exchanges that proved as devastating and as destructive as the bombs dropped from above.

Deploying The Guns

That may not sound like a great rate, but it was actually a bit of a miracle. Air defenders had to fire thousands of rounds on average to bring down any of the fast, single-engine bombers that were becoming more and more popular — and deadly.

In well-defended areas, heavy guns were deployed on the outskirts with special attention to expected lines of approach. Light guns were concentrated at vulnerable points, such as factories and docks. They were occasionally emplaced on lines of approach, such as canals, rivers, or arterial roads.

In an effort to counter strafing operations, light guns were used to ambush fighter-bombers. March 10th, 1915: We established an advanced Headquarters at Hazebrouck. This was the first time during the war that aircraft co-operated with artillery in battle.

Some of the pilots were up nearly all day sending wireless messages. The rounds were finally authorized for ground warfare in 1944, and their greatest moment came during the Battle of the Bulge when Gen. George S. Patton ordered them used against a concentration of tank crews and infantry.

An Investment Without Returns

The gunners do not seem to have realized that the aircraft might not be German. Such a mistake points to a want of familiarity with airplane tactics on the part of personnel of the anti-aircraft batteries and observer companies.

Allied bombers had to penetrate belts of heavy antiaircraft guns spread across the Reich's frontier and along routes of approach to target areas. A target might be defended by anti-aircraft guns with barrage balloons overhead, an array of searchlights, and even smoke pots to obscure the area during daylight.

Low-level raids had to run gauntlets of rapid-firing 20mm and 37mm guns. The gun was also fitted with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism to reduce recoil, while it was also redesigned to be fired electrically while on its wheels.

It had a flat trajectory out to 914 meters, which made it easier for the gunner to hit targets at longer ranges. One of the challenges in using the 88 as an anti-tank weapon was in its transport.

An Army Of Air Defense

The Krupp Factory, which built the weapon, received requests from the German military to produce the anti-aircraft gun but in an anti-tank role. The result was the Pak 43, which included a shield and two steel wheels.

The sector controls were the operational headquarters for fire control and also acted as communication centers. Close liaison was maintained between the flak organizations and the warning service, and between flak and fighter-interceptor units. Operational units included battalions and regiments.

Organization of the individual units was not uniform? the exact composition of the unit depended upon the role it was expected to play in the defense scheme. Regiments might consist entirely of searchlight units, gun units, or mixed gun and searchlight battalions.

During the Allied air campaign against the Third Reich in World War II, well over a million tons of bombs were dropped on German territory, killing nearly 300,000 civilians and wounding another 780,000. While much of the focus remains on the air battles above Germany—the Anglo-American bombing offensive and the defeat of the Luftwaffe—the role of German flak units has generally been ignored, despite the employment of more than one million men and women who helped

brought down more than half of all Allied aircraft. The fuses' combat debut came at Guadalcanal where the USS Helena, one of the first three ships to receive it, fired on a dive bomber heading for its task force.

The Helena fired two rounds and the fuses' first victim burst into flame before plunging to a watery grave. Searchlight tactics varied depending on cloud conditions. On cloudy nights, if a hostile aircraft broke through low-hanging clouds, a limited number of searchlights, in belt or other configuration, went into action.

They attempted to follow the course of the aircraft along the base of the clouds in order to indicate its course to night fighters or to produce an illuminated cloud effect against which the aircraft might be silhouetted for the benefit of fighters or antiaircraft artillery.

It even potentially saved the life of one of its creators, Dr. Van Allen. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where U.S. planes and gunners brought down over 500 Japanese planes, Dr. Van Allen was exposed on the USS Washington when it came under kamikaze attack.

He later described what happened next:

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