Trivia #9 - Balloon Busters!

**usmc1855** · 03-02-2010 19:25

Merlindex was the winner of Trivia Quiz #8, but will be out of town for a few days. With his permission, and through coordination with Col. Hajj, I have been given clearance to post a Balloon Busters Trivia Quiz in Lieu of Merlindex's posting for Trivia #9. Merlindex will post Trivia #10 once this one is closed out.

The winner of this Balloon Busters Trivia will have the opportunity to post Trivia #11, and the winner to Merlinex's Trivia #10 will be invited to post Trivia #12.
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In celebration of the Balloon Busters Miniatures being released in Europe, and soon to be available in the U.S. It seems appropriate that we have a Balloon Busters Trivia Quiz.

Trivia Quiz #9- Balloon Busters:

1. List the top ten Balloon Busters of WWI, and indicate how many Balloon victories they were credited with.

2. What kind of Guns did Frank Luke have mounted on his SPAD?

3. What killed Rudolph von Eschwege?

4. How many German Balloons were shot down by enemy aircraft?

5. How many Balloons were shot down by the USAS?

6. How many Pilots were credited as being true ‘Balloon Busting Aces” (ie shooting down at least 5 Balloons during their career)

7. During WWI, when did the British first deploy observation balloons in support of combat operations?

8. During the Battle of the Sommes (1916), how many Kite-Balloon Squadrons did the RFC have? How many actual Balloons?

9. Name the top three Balloon Busting aces whom had the most Balloon Victories in one day.

10. What type of ammunition did the British use for destroying Balloons?
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-Do not post your answers here. E-mail them to me at: brian_hicks@usa.net , or send me PM from the the forums.

**usmc1855** · 03-07-2010 17:28

Two more days before I close this trivia and announce the winner.

Anymore takers?

**usmc1855** · 03-09-2010 14:54

sparty (aka Kieth) is the winner Trivia Quiz #9!

And here are the questions and answers:

1. List the top ten Balloon Busters of WWI.

1. Coppens de Houthulst, Willy Omer François Jean 35
2. Bourjade, Léon Jean Pierre 27
3. Coiffard, Michel Joseph Callixte Marie 24
4. Boyau, Maurice Jean Paul 21
5. Roeth (Röth), Friedrich Ritter von 20
6. Ehrlich, Jacques Louis 18
7. Gontermann, Heinrich 18
8. Beauchamp-Proctor, Andrew Frederick Weatherby 16
9. Luke, Frank 14
10. Schlegel, Karl 14

2. What kind of Guns did Frank Luke have mounted on his SPAD?

Luke flew with an 11mm Vickers gun fixed on the right side of the cowling of his SPAD while the left side gun remained a standard .303 Vickers.

3. What killed Rudolph von Eschwege?

He was killed in action during an attack on a decoy balloon launched by No. 17 Balloon Section of the Royal Flying Corps. As Eschwege engaged the target, the British ground crew detonated 500 pounds of explosive in the balloon's basket, damaging the German's Halberstadt Scout and causing it to crash.

4. How many German Balloons were shot down by enemy aircraft?

471

The official German numbers - given in "Die deutschen Luftstreitkräfte im Weltkriege" - are the following:

471 destroyed by enemy aviators
75 destroyed by artillery
(sum 546)
109 destroyed by "höhere Gewalt" (= higher force: wind, weather, accidents)
Total sum 655

Another 505 balloons became "unusable" and were written-off because of damages after enemy fire and other causes.

5. How many Balloons were shot down by the USAS?

73

(Pilot and number of Balloon Victories)

A H Treadwell - 1
A J Weatherhead - 3
A McLanahan - 1
C E Wright - 1
C G Grey - 1
E L McCubbin 1
E R Clark + B F Giles - 1
E V Rickenbacker - 5
F Luke - 14
G E Turnure - 2
G O Woodard - 1
H C Smith - 1
H Coolidge - 3
H R Buckley - 1
H R Hall - 1
H S Loomis - 1
H W Cook - 4
I A Roberts - 1
J A Meissner - 1
J C Vasconcells - 1
J Dewitt - 1
J E McGehee - 1
J F Wehner - 5
K W Matheson - 1
L B Cooper - 1
L C Holden - 5
L H Dawson - 1
R deB Vernam - 2
R G Conant + J F Curry - 1
R M Chambers - 1
S P Gaillard - 1
S Sewall - 1
T F Lennon - 1
W E Brotherton - 1
W L Avery - 1
W Thaw - 1
W W White - 1
Z R Miller – 2

6. How many Pilots were credited as being true ‘Balloon Busting Aces” (ie shooting down at least 5 Balloons during their career)

74

7. During WWI, when did the British first deploy observation balloons in support of combat operations?

11 May, 1915: The 1st Kite Balloon Section proceeded to Steenvoorde for work with the Second Army in the Ypres sector.

8. During the Battle of the Sommes (1916), how many Kite-Balloon Squadrons did the RFC have? How many actual Balloons?

Four kite-balloon squadrons and fourteen balloons.

9. Name the top three Balloon Busting aces whom had the most Balloon Victories in one day.

1. Friedrich "Fritz" Ritter von Röth
2. Wiliam G Barker
3. Harold B. Hudson

Germany’s Friedrich "Fritz" Ritter von Röth while flying an Albatros DVa, On 29 May 1918, assigned to Jasta 16, became the only World War I pilot to down five balloons without assistance. The attack took 15 minutes.

Canada’s Barker and Hudson, both flying Sopwith Camels with N. 28 Sqdn of the RAF, on 12 Feb. 1918 shared in the credit of destroying 5 enemy Balloons over Fossmerlo.

10. What type of ammunition did the British use for destroying Balloons?

The Buckingham bullet (Mk VII bullet) was a British incendiary bullet based on phosphor, invented by James Buckingham in 1914 and adopted by the RFC for use against airships during the Great War. The bullet contained an incendiary filling which percolated through an annular hole, the seal of which melted on firing, and ignited on contact with the air.

**sparty** · 03-09-2010 17:42

Well fellas...I'm already scouring the depths of the interwebs to find a nasty little treat for you to unravel....I will post as soon as Trivia #10 by Merlindex is completed!!!