To mark 80 years since the Battle of Britain, the RAF Museum’s Andrew Renwick looks at an unsung hero of Britain’s wartime air defence.
The role of the Second World War’s Fighter Command is well known, but the role of Balloon Command is often overlooked – despite the fact that both were responsible for the UK’s air defence.During the Second World War, barrage balloons were used to protect urban centres and other important locations, such as ports and factories.
In the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, they offered a vital means of defence against the Luftwaffe as their trailing metal cables would severely damage or destroy any aircraft which touched them.
Attackers attempting to shoot down a balloon could be caught in an explosion of the hydrogen used to get them airborne. German bombers also had to fly above the balloons, reducing their bombing accuracy.
Balloon Command was formed on 1 November 1938 with its headquarters at RAF Stanmore Park. Its squadrons were unusual in that they were made up of volunteers of the Auxiliary Air Force. Women were also recruited, employed as fabric workers and as winch operators who brought the balloons back to the ground.
Balloons could be flown from ships or barges at sea, from fixed sites on land, or from mobile sites. They were usually tethered by cables to concrete blocks, which were set in a circle in the ground.The Mk IV winch, shown above, was installed just behind the cab, and offered protection for the operator. The area at the rear was used to transport the deflated balloon. In April 1941 the Defence (Women’s Forces) Regulations came into effect, and WAAF personnel became members of the Armed Forces of the Crown.
Successful experiments in 1941 proved that women were capable of handling barrage balloons, despite initial doubts, and in 1942 approval was given for 1,246 sites to be staffed by WAAF crews, and 853 by RAF crews. The number of WAAF crews was soon increased to 1,376.
Barrage balloons were used throughout the war. Balloon Command was disbanded in February 1945 after long distance attacks by V-1 rockets were stopped by the capture of their launch sites in northern France.This article first appeared in the July-September 2020 issue of the members’ magazine Air Mail. To read more stories like this, subscribe to Air Mail by joining the Royal Air Forces Association – the charity that supports the RAF family.
