Le Prieur rockets

[Bobrah]

Originally Posted by Bobrah

hot black powder ejected by the twyer of the rocket inside the balloon, the gas of the balloon was burnt.

I don't know if this word exist in English . The word in French is "Tuyère".

(In the computer game Red Baron II or 3D, the player cans used Le Prieur rockets, but there is a little mistake in the game, rockets were only in the reality against balloons or zeppelins, not against infantry or ground targets as a bomb or darts ).

[Bobrah]

I have forgotten,
Le Prieur in color red rockets were against Balloons.
Le Prieur in color black rockets were against zeppelins.
When i say color, i say normally of the color of the rockets, and types D (red) or Z (black).
(If no mistake by me).
Greetings (I love this English word (as an other word in English "Darling"), more than the French word "Salutations" (Salutations is the same word in French) . If this English word would be used in France, i would be very happy (as "Darling").

[AHC-ED]

Hi Bobrah, the different colours of the rockets is an interesting item I haven't come across before. Presumably that meant that there was some different mixture of chemicals or perhaps a different type of blade. Would you have that information available?

However my original question still stands: rounded versus pointed noses. I rather suspect now that it may be an optical illusion on my part BUT until someone can prove me wrong I'll carry on with my consruction. At least the blade looks a bit more prominent this way....

[Bobrah]

Originally Posted by AHC-ED

Hi Bobrah, the different colours of the rockets is an interesting item I haven't come across before. Presumably that meant that there was some different mixture of chemicals or perhaps a different type of blade. Would you have that information available?

However my original question still stands: rounded versus pointed noses. I rather suspect now that it may be an optical illusion on my part BUT until someone can prove me wrong I'll carry on with my consruction. At least the blade looks a bit more prominent this way....

Hello, I don't know for the moment and it's too late in France for a research in my archives.
The rockets were limited (i imagine) by quantity of powder inside the rocket, outside the good distance of the shot, was no enough or no very long.
Powder inside the rocket was no eternal for the result against a balloon, if the shot was too far when the shot, no enough powder i imagine...

I don't know the difference for D or Z types, perhaps more powder for type Z(???), i don't know for the moment.

I know more the number requested by the Armée d'Orient for to have these two types of rockets D and Z.

I imagine is very difficult to have information about to the type Z rocket. I haven't more information.
Greetings.

[Bobrah]

Salut,
In the French magazine "Champs de bataille Thématique" - January 2010 - "L'aviation alliée de la grande guerre", there is a photograph of rockets on a Sopwith "Pup" #N5186, four rockets every side and the text is "tested on the Eastchurch aviation camp on Sheppey Island" (it's my translate, the text in French: "Un Sopwith "Pup" armé de huit fusées incendiaires anti-ballons, testé sur le terrain d'Eastchurch sur l'île de Seppey".).

Best regards.
Nico.

[Bobrah]

Hello,
It is very difficult to find information about Le Prieur rockets in French archives at Vincennes. But i have read today, archives that I have photographed by the past (2011), an extract that I know by archives from normally a text of Louis DAMBLANC (Louis Damblanc - Wikipédia) if no mistake by me, speaking normally after the war of the Le Prieur rocket in the W.W.I.

The text says:
For the nose:
Wood penetration cone with a triangular blade of knife.

Propulsion:
Propulsive was built by Ruggieri with about 0,44 lbs (200 grammes) of black powder.
Rockets were launched by electrical putting.

The length of the rocket torpedo Le Prieur was normally about 0,55 yards (information by the 2D picture rocket) (50 cm).

The text says that at a distance of 218 yards (200 mètres), the rocket enter in the balloon for to burn it.
(If not a mistake by the text).

I hope helps you a little.
Nico.

[AHC-ED]

Thanks for all the information. As I stated before maybe it was an optical illusion on my part (rounded versus conical), but I think I'll stick with my current idea -but maybe change the colour!!

[Bobrah]

Hello,
On Le Prieur types, you have the site of the French member of the forum CTP:
Documents Monographies Douaumont mai 1916 Les ''As'' oublis de 14-18. Histoire de l'aviation franaise de la 1re guerre mondiale - Gestion de contenu (CMS), information (IM), connaissance (KM),AJAX , by Cosadgip SA Genve - Selfweb - self-web
Use the arrow at the right for to read all pages.

I have open a thread by the past about aircraft engine mechanicians about a research:

"Babcock and Wilcox" factory at La Courneuve (France).

Greetings.

[wingandprop]

Hello Eric,

Without seeing your picture (I looked but didn't see it; maybe I just missed it?), it is hard to say that it "is" an optical illusion, but I think it almost certainly is. The knife blade was needed to cut its way past the dense outer envelope of the balloon. The rocket's body is of a larger diameter than is the blade, however, and the pointed shape of the rocket nose would have been needed to ensure the rocket body was able to follow the blade into the balloon. A rounded nose, even with a knife edge attached, would have been contrary to that purpose. (That is why swords and bayonets have sharply pointed tips which flow smoothly into the body of the weapon.) Nor do the vast majority of rocket photos show a round nose. If, however, the angle of a photo from the rear is acute enough, the rocket tube (the body) will totally obscure the pointed, and smaller circumference, nose forward of it. I think that is what you are probably seeing. In fact, inasmuch as the blade width was larger along its entire length than the corresponding diameter of the nose along the points of attachment, and inasmuch as the tip of the blade extends forward of the rocket's nose, it would also be possible, at the correct angle, to see the tip of the blade seemingly extending beyond an apparently "round" rocket nose. Again, that would just be an illusion.