Otto Lilienthal in the Franco- Prussian War

[retread]

I have only recently learned that Otto Lilienthal served as a volunteer in the Prussian army during 1870-71 and took part in the siege of Paris. I have read he was either a fusilier or an engineer (an engineer company in a fusilier regiment ?) and may have served with his brother Gustav.
If anyone is aware of them it would be interesting to have particulars of his service.
The time and the place has me considering that had he witnessed the French use of balloons during the siege perhaps this contributed toward his interest in flight.

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by retread

I have only recently learned that Otto Lilienthal served as a volunteer in the Prussian army during 1870-71 and took part in the siege of Paris. I have read he was either a fusilier or an engineer (an engineer company in a fusilier regiment ?) and may have served with his brother Gustav.
If anyone is aware of them it would be interesting to have particulars of his service.
The time and the place has me considering that had he witnessed the French use of balloons during the siege perhaps this contributed toward his interest in flight.

There is not much chance that Otto Lilienthal saw balloons flying when he was in the neighbourhood of Paris in 1870. Already in 1873 he became a member of the Aeronautical Society in London, where he lectured in the same year already on the flight of birds. He thinking was in a different direction than lighter-than-air machines.

Probably more can be found in the (german language) works by Schwipps ;

Schwipps, Werner, and Otto Lilienthal. 1988. Der Mensch fliegt: Lilienthals Flugversuche in historischen Aufnahmen. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe.

Schwipps, Werner. 1985. Lilienthal und die Amerikaner: Beiträge zur Entwicklung der Flugtechnik. München: R. Oldenbourg.

Schwipps, Werner. 1966. Otto Lilienthals Flugversuche. Berlinische Reminiszenzen, 11. Berlin: Haude u. Spener.

Schwipps, Werner. 1979. Lilienthal. Berlin: Arani-Verlag.
Internationales Symposium "Die Schule Lilienthals", and Werner Schwipps. 1992. Die Schule Lilienthals: der Einfluss Lilienthals auf die Entwicklung der Flugtechnik in der Welt : gesammelte Vorträge des Internationalen Symposiums "Die Schule Lilienthals im September 1991 im MVT Berlin. Berlin: Das Museum.

Schwipps, Werner, and Helga Wetzel. 1989. Der Mensch fliegt: Otto Lilienthal, Anklam 1848 - 1896 Berlin : 1. Juni bis 15. August 1989, Kiel, Schloss, Rantzaubau. Kiel: Stiftung Pommern.

Looking at the series of documents Schwipps has produced about Lilienthal, I think he probably has written down everything that is known.

Cheers

Kees

[rammjaeger]

According to the Lilienthal-Preis-Stiftung and other Internet sources he wrote a letter to his brother in this time and reported about the French balloons leaving Paris. As well it was written he was enthusiastic about that but thought balloons are th wrong way. Some sources claims he observed (all) 66 balloons - that is nonsense because of the very different routes of the balloons. However, I would not exclude the opportunity that he did see ballons with his own eyes. The Lilienthal-Preis-Stiftung or the Lilienthal-Museum should/could know more and provide the text of the letter in question.