Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevally.
Thought I would try to learn blender today - first go
Barrage Balloons
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Well done Trevally!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maki4444
Nice baloons 
I really don't understand why the U.S. would have choosen these slow and vunerable airships to hunt U-boats. Especially since the Zeppelin failed during the first world war because they proved to be far too vunerable. I know the U.S. blimps weren't filled with explosive gass, but a hole is a hole. Air leaks out and you're over the ocean. Even if you land safely, you can drown.
Just imagine those poor airmen in those death traps :/
I'm gonna feel guilty shooting them down :P |
For what I've read so far on this topic, their ability to operate at slow speed and low altitude, coupled with their high range and endurance, was the key factor of their success in anti-submarine warfare, making them more effective than normal aircraft under some conditions.
Due to their limited fire power and weaponry, they had little chances to sink any U-boat, but they were highly effective in sub detection and as deterrent of submarine attacks on Allied shipping.
As a matter of fact, during the whole conflict, U-boat warfare scored just one success against an airship-escorted convoy. It happened on 25 May 1942, when U-593 managed to sink the Panamian motor tanker Persephone, bound from Aruba to New York.
On the other hand, if we have to believe that -as stated by many sources- for the duration of WWII only one K-class blimp was ever lost to enemy action (just by a submarine: see post
#1550 in this thread), we have also to admit that they were not as vunerable as we could think at first view.
