When Britain flew balloon bombs to Germany in World War II- Operation Outward
Fire !! Fire !! Fire !! It’s a fighter. It’s a bomber. It’s a balloon?
It was a windy autumn day in Sweden as people geared up for their daily activities.
The citizens of Sweden tuned to their national radio for an update on World War II. The national radio reception all of a sudden went off. The reason was a barrage balloon broke the Swedish national radio main antenna. The balloon had traveled 1500 km from Britain.
Some barrage balloons also caused power failures in Sweden. Sweden, as a neutral country, raised its concern with Britain on the menace caused by the barrage balloons. Britain saw this as an opportunity to start new warfare against Germany-Operation Outward.The operation saw major contribution from Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in RAF.
Balloons in Warfare:
Balloons were first used for meteorological purposes. Instruments to measure humidity temperature etc. were loaded on to a balloon and lifted to a certain height to measure the weather data.
