Balloon Command was the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards ...

which was responsible for controlling all the United Kingdom-based

barrage balloon A barrage balloon is a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult. Early barr ...

units during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

History

Prior to the establishment of Balloon Command, a balloon group was brought into being in 1937. This smaller formation was known as No. 30 (Balloon Barrage) Group and was commanded by Air Commodore John Hearson. Balloon Command itself was formed on 1 November 1938 at RAF Stanmore Park in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

.Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1936 - 1938
It consisted of a headquarters and several groups. Balloon Command was disbanded in February 1945.

Commanders

The following officers were in command: *1 November 1938

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Owen Tudor Boyd *1 December 1940 Air Marshal Sir Leslie Gossage *1 February 1944 Air Vice-Marshal W C C Gell *13 February 1945 Air Commodore P L Lincoln

Pre-war organization

Before the second world war the command had one group - No. 30 (Balloon) Group at four stations: ;No. 1 Balloon Centre at Kidbrooke *No. 901 (County of London) (Balloon) Squadron

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

*No. 902 (County of London) (Balloon) Squadron

*No. 903 (County of London) (Balloon) Squadron

;No. 2 Balloon Centre at Hook *No. 904 (County of Surrey) (Balloon) Squadron

*No. 905 (County of Surrey) (Balloon) Squadron

;No. 3 Balloon Centre at Stanmore *No. 906 (County of Middlesex) (Balloon) Squadron

*No. 907 (County of Middlesex) (Balloon) Squadron

;No. 4 Balloon Centre at Chigwell *No. 908 (County of Essex) (Balloon) Squadron

*No. 909 (County of Essex) (Balloon) Squadron

*No. 910 (County of Essex) (Balloon) Squadron

Important: All Balloon Squadrons numbered 901 to 947 were formed within the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) prior to the outbreak of war in September 1939, thereafter, the remainder numbered 948 to 999 were RAF Squadrons.

Second world war organization

During World War II, the command had the following organization: *Headquarters at Old Church Lane,

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, whi ...

. This in turn directly controlled: **

RAF Cardington The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

**RAF Chessington The command consisted of five groupsAir of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Groups 30 - 48
which were in turn subdivided into balloon centres (equivalent to

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...

of heavier-than-air aircraft). The organization was as follows: *No. 30 Group headquartered at

Chessington Chessington is an area in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames within Greater London. Historically part of Surrey, today it is the largest salient of Greater London into that county. At the 2011 census it had a population of 18,973. Th ...

, near

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it h ...

, Surrey (1 November 1938 to 7 January 1945) **No. 1 Balloon Centre **No. 2 Balloon Centre **No. 3 Balloon Centre **No. 4 Balloon Centre **No. 12 Balloon Centre *No. 31 Group (1 April 1939 to 13 November 1941), Birmingham *No. 32 Group headquartered at Claverton Manor, Claverton, near Bath, Somerset (1 March 1939 to 15 November 1944) **No. 6 Balloon Centre (earlier in 33 Group) **No. 11 Balloon Centre **No. 13 Balloon Centre **No. 14 Balloon Centre *No. 33 Group headquartered at Parkhead House, Abbey Lane,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

(1 March 1939 to 4 September 1944) **No. 5 Balloon Centre **No. 6 Balloon Centre (later in 32 Group) **No. 8 Balloon Centre **No. 9 Balloon Centre **No. 10 Balloon Centre **No. 15 Balloon Centre (earlier in 34 Group) **No. 16 Balloon Centre **No. 17 Balloon Centre *No. 34 Group headquartered at Tor House, Corstorphine Road,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

(7 April 1940 to 19 July 1943) **No. 15 Balloon Centre (later in 33 Group) **No. 18 Balloon Centre The dates indicated give the periods for which each group existed as part of Balloon Command. No. 30 and 31 groups also existed in World War I as part of different formations. The balloon centres in turn consisted of balloon squadrons which were numbered from 900 to 994. Image:Barrage ballons.jpg, WAAF Barrage Balloon crews at

. Image:RAF Sussex balloon winch tender.JPG, Restored Fordson Sussex Balloon Winch Tender Image:Fordson Sussex ballon Winch tender rear view.JPG, Rear view of Fordson Sussex on display at the RAF Museum Hendon. Image:Barrage balloons over London during World War II.jpg, Balloons over London. Image:Cardington Shed BW.jpg, RAF Cardington near Bedford was home to a large Balloon Command unit. File:Royal Air Force Balloon Command, 1939-1945. CH8330.jpg, Dodge Type 'H' LHD cradle carrier, loaded with gas bottles.

References

External links

Balloon Barrage Reunion Club Website - Development of Balloon Command
{{Royal Air Force

Balloon Command Balloon Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling all the United Kingdom-based barrage balloon units during the Second World War. History Prior to the establishment of Balloon Command, a balloon group was b ...