By Richard DesChenes
THE BALLOON SECTION OF THE AEF
This story will sketch a picture
of a WWI Balloon Company, from its formation, schooling in the United States
and France, through its deployment to the trenches of and subsequent return to
the States. The Army Balloon Section
was one of the smallest groups in the AEF. There were 102 American Balloon
Companies in the Great War. Most were stateside or in transit when the
armistice took effect. The Balloon Corps had 685 rated balloon pilots and observers;
supported by about 20,000 other officers and enlisted men. Of these, only 36
Balloon Companies served overseas, not all saw action or even got a balloon in
the air. The 43rd Balloon Company was one of the few that saw action on the
Front.
CAMP JOHN WISE, TEXAS
By mid 1917, the Army realized that the weather conditions
of the Omaha area were not suitable for rapid training of balloon
companies. Because of the extremely
good flying conditions in San Antonio, Texas, the Army established its primary
aeroplane flying school there, and it was thought that it should have a balloon
school as well. The Signal Corps contracted with the Missouri Aeronautical
Society, directed by Maj. Albert B. Lambert, to teach free balloon operations
from a site west of Fort Sam Houston, close to the gas generation plant. The
Missouri Aeronautical Society charged the Army $1000.00 a head, to train
balloon pilots. In early 1918, the Army assigned a contingent of officers and
men, from Fort Omaha, to what would become Camp John Wise. It was situated on
about 300 acres, some 2 miles north of downtown San Antonio. (The City of Olmos
Park now covers the camp’s location.)
Training at Camp Wise
The 43rd Balloon Company was
formally organized at Camp John Wise on March 23, 1918 and was commanded by 2nd
Lt. John R. Hall. Most of the men had been at camp for a month or so, and were
in various stages of training when they became a formal organization. A typical
balloon company would have as many as 250 enlisted men and officers. Training
was extensive: daily drill, rifle and machine gun practice on the range, down
by the Olmos Creek. Depending upon one’s particular craft, there was training
for: balloon fabric repair, hydrogen generation and storage, cordage and
balloon rigging, basket repair, parachute rigging and balloon handling. Add in
the usual K.P., laundry and guard duty, on top of that: out in the field
launching and maneuvering a balloon for several days at a time. Needless to say,
the troops were kept very busy. However, there was time for recreation on some
weekends. Soldiers would venture into San Antonio and see the sights; much the
same as soldiers have done for the last 85+ years: visit the Alamo, the
Missions, eat real food, meet girls, and drink a beer.
FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA
On May 2nd, the 43rd
Balloon Company departed Camp John Wise for Fort Sill, Oklahoma. There they
would undergo several weeks of extensive field training, including live
artillery observations. Field conditions were very much like the Front, they had
a lot to learn, and problems to overcome. While trying to winch in a balloon
under high wind conditions, the cable broke and the balloon began to drift
away; the observers parachuted to safety. The balloon was damaged beyond
repair, having traveled some 30 miles, dragging its cable, cordage, and basket,
snagging telephone and power lines along the way. While there, they were
constantly reminded of the dangers associated with balloon handling and
hydrogen. A few weeks prior to their arrival, there was an incident that
occurred while a balloon company was deflating its balloon: it caught fire,
killing two men and injuring several others.
Having completed several weeks of rigorous training, they departed by train,
(a six day trip) to the new camp in Morrison, Virginia.
The Fatal Accident at Ft. Sill
CAMP MORRISON, VIRGINIA
The troops were upbeat upon
arrival, and ready to take on the Hun, as they were no longer rookies and were
ready to fight. However, they were put to work with pick and shovel, helping
other companies finish the facilities of the newly constructed camp. This is
not what they had in mind; after all, they signed up to fight in the trenches…
overseas. Little did they realize how
valuable this trench digging experience would be when they eventually got to
the Front. There was time however for the formation of a baseball team: a quite
good one, there were some pro and semi-pro players in the company. After
several weeks, a few cases of the mumps, dozens of rumors, and many “last”
letters home, on June 29th, with full packs and all their gear, they
gladly hiked several miles to the port and boarded an Italian ship bound for
France.
Preparing for Departure to France
FRANCE
When they boarded the ship,
hardly anyone knew what to expect. It was worse than anyone could have possibly
imagined. It had been a
passenger ship, but converted to carry troops, lots of them. Normally the ship
would have had space for 1000 passengers and crew. It now carried 5000+
soldiers and some crew. The 43rd Balloon Company was assigned to the lowest
decks, all well below the water line. It was dark, smelly and crowded. Bunks
were always full, as they slept in shifts. Food was as bad as the air below
decks. When one got to go up on deck, it was a constant lookout for German
U-Boats. Seasickness was the normal condition of most everyone. Rumors were
rampant, and the prevalent opinion was that the Italian crew was sailing to
Italy, not France. After two weeks at sea, the 43rd Balloon Company arrived in
“Sunny France”. Rain, rain and more rain, calling Pontanezen a mud hole was
being kind, but it was much better than being on board the ship.
At Pontanezen, the 43rd Balloon
Company and gear were shoved into rail cars and moved to the U.S. Balloon
School near Camp de Souge. Lt. O.B. Anderson became the new commanding officer
and the crews were put to work with a new balloon. Col. Mygatt was in charge of
the school, and he told troops that they would be going to the front and to
forget everything that was learned in the States. Extra gear was jettisoned and only the “essentials” were carried; two pairs of socks. Training continued through the first weeks of August. On
August 13th, the troops were again crowded into rail cars and
endured a three-day trip to Toul. Once there, equipment was issued and the 43rd
Balloon was sent into the Bois de Menil la Tour; finally at the Front.
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TWO OF THE COMPANY'S PILOTS
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Everyone was exited but
disappointed; as there was little activity, save for a few aeroplanes flying
back and forth. It seemed rather calm and safe and everyone went to sleep.
Later that first night, the German gunners landed a shell into the ammo dump,
400 meters from the 43rd Balloon Company’s position. The company officers
gallantly led the troops to the shelter, (they ran faster than anyone). The
next 11 hours were spent being bombarded by our own exploding shells. They got
their first trial by fire and came to the realization that the Front was not
all that safe.
After recovering from the
bombardment, the balloon finally got some time in the air, with Lt. Leon Biche
and Lt. Cedric French as observers. Once up, five German planes immediately
attacked them, they went over the side of the basket, parachuting to safety.
Over the next few weeks, any day that the weather was good, the balloon was up:
very hard work under poor conditions.
On September 12th, the 43rd Balloon Company took part in
the St. Mihiel offensive. The ground troops were moving fast and it was
difficult to work in any one place, with all the artillery being heaved back
and forth. The trenches made it difficult to move the balloon forward as
rapidly as the doughboys were advancing. This trip across the battlefield
allowed for souvenirs to be picked up from the trenches. When the 43rd finally
got to their appointed place, orders were given to move to Parois, in the
Meuse-Argone sector.
The 43rd Balloon Company was a
group of seasoned soldiers and went about the business of artillery spotting
with a vengeance, directing fire on German batteries all across
the Front. A few German batteries would hold off until night, when balloons
were not up. Sentinels would make note of the direction of fire, and those
batteries would become targets the next day. On September 26th the
trench warfare broke down and the balloon moved little by little to Ivoiry.
Once there, the Germans bombarded the company heavily, killing Pvt. Esdras
Wheatley. The shelling persisted for several days, making everyone wonder: “who
was next?”
Winch Truck for Raising and Lowering the Balloon
On November 1st, the
company started their advance across the front, observing and directing fire as
they maneuvered the balloon through the small towns and trenches, finally
stopping in Nouart. They were waiting to cross the Meuse River, when the
armistice took effect. There had been rumors flying about that the war would be
over soon, but it did not really hit home until the silence fell over the
battlefield. There was disappointment, as they were ready to go further, but
satisfaction that they were still alive and would be going home soon.
GOING HOME
The “war to end all wars” was
over, and everyone thought that they would be going home within a few weeks.
However it was still the Army, and everything had to be in order. Camps were
formed and military organization took over the chaos of battle. The battle
weary troops adapted to camp life: warm food, showers, clean uniforms, regular
mail, drill, K.P., drill, K.P., etc. The 43rd Balloon Company was
fortunate, while a Camp John Wise, they had formed a 32-piece band. This
expertise provided them with an escape from the doldrums of “camp life”. They
provided entertainment and relief to the soldiers in the hospitals and for
Y.M.C.A sponsored events at various camps and towns in the area. They even got
some time to play baseball, and were quite good. As winter came and went,
spring arrived; the troops longed for home. Many were reassigned to other
companies as the demobilizations took place. The rumor mill was rife with: “I
heard from the mail clerk that we would be leaving next week!” Time dragged on,
allowing them to fine tune their “war stories”, for when they got home. Next week was on, May 19, 1919. They
departed for home, finally demobilizing at one of the camps in New Jersey, two
weeks later.
EPILOGUE
The 43rd Balloon Company spent 4
months in training and transit, in the States; 4 months on the Front, in France;
and 6 months waiting to come home. They were fortunate, only one killed in
action. Most of the Balloon Companies in training and waiting to come over were
in quarantine. The influenza epidemic and training accidents killed more
members of the Balloon Corps than any German shells or bullets.
The Balloon Section was ready to
provide men and equipment for two more years of war. The experiences learned in
battle provided valuable information to the balloon schools in the States. By the spring of 1919, most all the balloon
companies had been demobilized, the balloon schools closed and the technology
of the aeroplane would soon make the what was left, obsolete within a couple
years.
Sources and Thanks: Richard DesChenes, Author; Camp John Wise Aerostation, San Antonio,
Texas. Email: deschenes_rich@sbcglobal.net
Data for this story were gleaned from:
The Balloon Pilot Souvenir,
Camp John Wise, San Antonio, Texas, 1919
The Balloon Section of the
American Expeditionary Forces:
Ovitt and Bowers, 1919
Wings of Honor: American
Airmen in World War I: James J. Sloan, Jr., 1994
Photographs and map are from my
personal collection.
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