Le Prieur rockets

Ah, Sunday. Time to jump into serious esoterica...I am wondering about Le Prieur rockets, probably familiar to modeling sorts, but I suspect quite limited use in the war. I am wondering if anyone knows: 1)Just how effective were these things?by effective, I mean not making the balloon observer wet his pants, but actual balloon kills.How many were by rocket?2) Were they used by the "balloon aces", like Coppens etc.?(I suspect not, but am curious) 3)How were they set off from the cockpit? 4)On firing, was there a risk of the firing pilots wing linen being set afire? 5)did the Germans have something similar? Many questions!Trivial?yes indeedy.

[Billy_Bishop]

A lot of this is from memory, so if I miss something I'm sorry.

From my readings what I recall is they were effective IF they hit the balloon. They weren't very accurate, which is why you had to get in close to use them.

They were fired electrically, is all I know. As to what the ignition system looked like, it's anyone's guess. I've never seen a picture, nor read a description beyond what I've already said.

No, the Germans didn't have anything like it.

If Coppens used it, it would have been whilst flying a Nieuport, as I understand only the Nieuports, Sopwith Pups, and SPAD VII's were ever equipped to carry the rockets.

Unfortunately, I've not seen any statistics on the number of balloons that were downed with the rockets. Maybe someone else has that information.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[PeterL]

Nebel, the same Nebel who gave his name to the Nebelwerfer or "Moaning Minnie" of WW2, carried out some experements using a Halberstadt D111. As had the French he used modified signal rockets, but the Germans do not seem to have developed the idea.Firing in both systems was electrical, and a thin sheet of metal was placed strategicaly on the lower wing as protection against fire.
Al is correct in identifying the Nieuport as the most regular user of this weapon, but missed the BE2(why?) and DH2 from his list.

Volume 10 of Windsock quoted this from 'Recherches et Inventions' April 1935: "The aircraft was in a nosedive at the time of ignition and the rockets launched at a range of 200 metres would penetrate the envelope of the German 'sausage' and set it on fire thanks to the stream of incandescent matter which continued to spout from the rear of the rockets. On May 22 1916, the 'rocketeer' Charles Nungesser and five other Great War aces effectively perticipated in the recapture of Douamont, setting afire most of the Drachens along the 35km front, depriving the German general staff and most of the enemy artillery of valuable information. Mr Le Prieur's invention caused the destruction of about 50 German kite balloons."
[In total? Seems like a lot for a 35km front.]

And a US War Dept report noted in December 1916:

"The fire is commenced at 100-150 metres whilst diving at an angle of 45 degrees. The steeper the dive the greater the trajectory and the more effective the attack. The attack should be made in the direction of the length of the balloon and against the wind... the ring of the front sight permits the pilot to calculate the distance at which the firing is to commence... the pilot should fire as soonas the balloon fills the front ring."

I got this from WWI Model Mailing List 1994-95 Archives that I had secreted in the part of my computer marked 'Juicy'.

All the best,

Vigilant.

The discharge of the rockets does not occur immediately the button is touched and the delay varies slightly from one rocket to another.It is absolutely necessary to cntinue to hold the target in sight and the dive until the last rocket has been discharged.If the pilot breaks off or pulls out of the dive too quickly the last rockets will go in different directions and give a dispersion which is altogether inadmisable.

[Barrett]

Nungesser isn't generally known as a balloon buster but he bagged 7 of 'em in his career, including 4 of his last 5, August '18. No info on whether he used the rockets after May '16.

A bit of semantics to question the USAS evaluation of the LePrieur rocket: "the steeper the dive the greater the trajectory." Actually, the steeper the dive the LESS the trajectory because from directly over the target (diving straight down) there would be no ballistic drop--same principle as the advantage in the USN/USMC overhead gunnery pattern of WW II. Presumably the French doped out the trajectory of the rockets at optimum range of 150-200 meters, as I recall they were mounted with a nose-up aspect on the Nieuport struts.

Just got the book "Germany's First Air Force 1914 - 1918" by Kilduff. Picked it up at an arms show yesterday for $10 Australian, Thats about $6 U.S..

Anyway one chapter is devoted to balloons and has a great photo of a Nieuport II with Le Preiur's rocket system on it. According to Kilduff and others on this thread, it was fired by an electric switch, and the eight rockets where fired simultaneously.

Regards,
Andrew Smith

[Billy_Bishop]

Previously, Peter L said
"Al is correct in identifying the Nieuport as the most regular user of this weapon, but missed the BE2(why?) and DH2 from his list."

Well, Peter, it's simple. None of my source books named the BE-2 or DH2 as having used the rockets. While I've found numerous entries listed for Nieuports from the model 11 to the 27, and the Sopwith Pup and SPAD VII, I've not found a single reference that mentioned the two models you have.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[PeterL]

The Datafiles and Profiles devoted to both these aircraft depict them so armed. Somewhere around here (possibly in one of the old Harleyford books) there is also a photo of a couple of rather splendid Belgians in a rocket armed MF40 (again why?)The more I look into this the more examples just pop up. I expect eventualy to find an instalation nailed to the side of a baloon basket.There isn't much after 1916 though, presumably better incendiary ammunition killed it off.

Peter L