[deadmansshoes]

Kudos to the Montgolfier for inventing the hot air balloon based on a need to invade a strongly held fortress.

But when did the idea of slowly floating towards your fortified, gun-toting enemy in a giant gas filled balloon seem a good idea?

[pbhjpbhj]

>But when did the idea of slowly floating towards your fortified, gun-toting enemy in a giant gas filled balloon seem a good idea?

You don't fly in the balloon your soldiers do. That is what makes it as good an idea as trying to climb to the battlements whilst having rocks, hot pitch, arrows and sword blows rain down on one from above.

Even if the balloon simply diverts attention from your siege ladders then it might give enough advantage, it could also probably be used at distance to gain information vital to a successful siege - can you starve them out quickly, how strong are the numbers, where are cannon or arsenals located, etc..

[deadmansshoes]

"You don't fly in the balloon your soldiers do."

Strangely, I wasn't suggesting the Montgolfier brothers were going to take Gibraltar single-handedly.

There is a huge difference between climbing a wall with seige ladders where once you get a few men across everyone else can follow, and 2-3 men floating in a wooden basket and trying to land (!) in a fortress.

Granted reconnaissance may have been useful, but if after 4 years of seige you haven't worked out your enemy through espoinage and being shot at, a balloon is not going to help.

[pbhjpbhj]

>Strangely, I wasn't suggesting the Montgolfier brothers were going to take Gibraltar single-handedly.

Lol, nor I, I was assuming that creation of one balloon would allow creation of multiple balloons for use in any given battle.

I'd imagine the access a balloon gives, with the addition of surprise and maybe a steering fan, to be pretty good. You could send up some test balloons and then send up some huge ones with bombs on the bottom and shoot them down over the target for yourself. Or perhaps a pile of diseased food to a hunger-stricken garrison, or ...

You can't readily break down a whole castle with a single trebuchet either.

[elwin]

The Montgolfier balloons could reach altitudes of 2000 meters, which would have been impossible to hit with 18th century muskets or cannon. Landing would have been dangerous, of course.