Author Topic: Bring the Barrage balloon to AH2!  (Read 2810 times)

Offline Tilt

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Bring the Barrage balloon to AH2!
« on: January 31, 2005, 07:07:47 AM »
For use in and around key areas(HQ's and strat) maybe over towns and  vehicle fields and definately over ports.

Quote
The standard barrage balloon used throughout the war was designated the LZ (Low Zone). It was just over 62 feet long and 25 feet in diameter at its widest part and had a hydrogen capacity of 19,000 cubic feet. The LZ balloon was flown from a mobile winch and was designed for a maximum flying altitude of 5000 feet. The winch speed limited the raising and hauling down speed to about 400 fet per minute, which meant that the balloons required 11 minutes to reach 5000 feet from their close-hauled altitude of 500 feet. When an aircraft struck the cable of an LZ balloon armed with a Double Parachute Link, the cable was severed at the top and bottom by two cutting links. The aircraft thus carried away the main portion of the cable and an 8 foot diameter parachute opened at each end of the wire. Together the parachutes exerted a drag about six times as great as the engine thrust of a bomber, sufficient to stop it almost dead in its tracks, causing the victim to fall out of the sky and crash. As the cable parted from the balloon, a wire ripped off a patch which allowed the hydrogen to escape, causing the balloon to descend slowly to the ground.


Best read I have found so far at


http://www.fishponds.freeuk.com/puckle.htm

It was the RAF's answer to make bombers fly higher over key targets...............it could serve to do the same in AH.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2005, 06:58:13 PM by Tilt »
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Offline Tilt

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2005, 07:14:01 AM »
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Offline Stratocaster

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2005, 07:42:05 AM »
awsome idea... they were cool in the game battle of btitain
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Offline Jester

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« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2005, 09:33:42 AM »
Would make things interesting in attacking Ports, V Bases and strategic targets. Don't think you could have too many around airfields - have your own guys running into them all the time.

I loved going "loon" hunting in DOW, was fun. Do like they did - station a light A/A gun under every balloon.

BTW Tilt, excelent idea - but they were called Barrage Balloons not Blimbs.  :aok
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Offline Slash27

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2005, 10:38:36 AM »
Be a nice sight over the Vbases.

Offline frank3

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2005, 12:39:37 PM »
Those would be great, bombers need to bomb higher, which decreases accuracy!
And sleaping pilots might just crash! God I love the idea!

Offline Krusty

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« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2005, 01:25:55 PM »
Also, while it says it would slow the planes down -- that was just one idea -- in reality the wire actually sliced into wings and vital parts and in some cases caused massive damage.

If I recall they had some designs where the baloon detached when the wire was hit, and at the baloon was a small mine charge. As the wire ripped downward into the fast-moving wing (being anchored in place) the mine charge would hit the wing and explode.

In AH I could see them as indestructible items. Like trees. You hit 'em, you lose a wing. Kind of like in real life. This idea would be easily done with what we have now (no need to recode AH, just use custom models on the terrain).

Now, making the baloons destructible.. that's another problem... Plus when one is shot down it can be raised again by the ground crew.

Offline Slash27

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2005, 01:31:55 PM »
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... Plus when one is shot down it can be raised again by the ground crew.


Maybe you would have to run supplies to it?

Offline Tilt

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« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2005, 02:32:54 PM »
There are destroyable "structures" at fields now......... barrage balloons with wires could just be additional ones...........


and yes hitting the wire may be sufficient to lose a wing etc


If you hit one you die..........if you put enough rounds into it It explodes.

..........flying thru a "flaming onion" may carry its own danger.......although currently all fire is cold in AH.

Structures recover with time at airfields now.....unfortunately however they simply re appear................ bit of a blow if a barrage balloon simply warps into existanceinfront of an ac.

Hence for scenario terrains we could just make the shape call it a structure and stick it where we wish.

However if we want it/them to float up to  deployment altitude at 400ft per min some x mins (decided by strat)after it has been destroyed..........(ie an AI barrage balloon)......... we need COAD.

IMO it is both historically accurate and a method of adjusting "solo" low level bombing game play.
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Offline Jester

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« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2005, 05:03:51 PM »
Have them set to automatic.

Could have them on the ground till an enemy aircraft got so close then they would assend to their set altitude.

Once the threat passed they would lower to the ground so as not to  interfear with friendly aircraft operations.

Love this idea the more I think about it. WTG Tilt. :aok
Lt. JESTER
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Offline bunch

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2005, 06:43:32 PM »
Those are just barage balloons.
The USN had real blimps (airships) for costal anti-sub patrol, dont know if they had any offensive capability like the WW1 blimps did....DOA blimp races were some fun....
http://www.tillamookair.com/html/bldg.html

Offline Rasker

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2005, 06:51:02 PM »
I believe they could drop depth ("deth") charges (but no nooks) :)

Offline Jester

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2005, 10:25:17 PM »
DOA had Zeppelins - different varment from a Blimb. Think the main subject was "Barrage Ballons" not blimbs. Don't think the Blimps would last too long here in AH.

The WW2 USN Blimbs could carry several depth charges and were armed with .50cal machine guns.

One did get in a shootout with a U-Boat but lost.  :(
Lt. JESTER
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Offline Dux

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« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2005, 01:55:30 PM »
Anyone have any dimensions for these things? Even rough dimensions?
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Offline Flyboy

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Bring the Blimp to AH2!
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2005, 02:36:40 PM »
great idea tilt! i cant belive no one thought of it before.

bring barrage baloons to AH!