CONTROL OF THE AIR

One of the primary considerations of any commander is to shape the battle space so that friendly operations can proceed at the place or time of his choosing without prohibitive interference from an opponent. A second important consideration is to ensure that friendly military forces are safe from attack. One of the core capabilities of air power is, therefore, to achieve and maintain the degree of control of the air required to achieve mission success. Just before eight a.m. on the morning of 29 August, 1918, Flight Lieutenant Henry Botterell climbed his 208 Squadron Sopwith Camel out of a forward airfield at Tramecourt, in northern France. Carrying four bombs, he headed west southwest towards his target at Vitry, just over 50 miles distant, and well into enemy occupied territory.

BALLOON BUSTER

Some 35 minutes into his mission, flying at around 100 mph at 12,000 feet he noticed a German observation balloon as he passed over Arras, and made a mental note to give it attention on the return journey. Arriving over Vitry he dropped his bombs in the area of the railway station in an effort to disrupt communications, and headed back on the reciprocal course.

As he passed to the north of Arras he could see the ground crew furiously winching the balloon down, and although aware of the danger of attacking normally heavily defended balloon installations, couldn't resist the opportunity to make an attack. Putting his Camel into a dive he swooped down pumping some 400 rounds into the target. With the balloon now hauled down around 1000 feet, the observer had just seconds to make an escape, leaping from his basket and pulling at his parachute in the same motion.

Robert Taylor's painting (above) captures the scene a few moments later: the balloon is aflame, the basket and a tangle of ropes and guys, binoculars, telescopes and maps plummeting towards the ground. The observer's parachute snaps open, as Henry Botterell banks his fighter clear of the victim - close enough to see the fear in his eyes that he too may fall victim to the Camel's guns. However, in the traditions of gallantry that prevailed among World War 1 fighter pilots, Henry merely waved a salute before heading back to base - no sense in waiting around to identify whether the other aircraft that had suddenly appeared were friend or foe.