Aerial Combat, 1850
Colorized artwork of aerial combat as envisioned in a French periodical, 1850. In the 19th century, the military used balloons for three purposes. One was for aerial bombing of military targets. The second was for aerial reconnaissance by captive balloons. The third was for communications and to transport personnel, mail, and equipment. The first aerial bombing was attempted in 1849 when the Austrians launched 200 pilotless, bomb-carrying hot-air balloons against forces defending Venice. Each bomb was released by a time fuse. However, the wind sent the balloons back over the Austrian troops. In France and Austria, there was a brief attempt to use air-filled balloons (Montgolfieres) during the Italian campaign of 1859, but the results were unsuccessful because the balloons would not stay aloft long enough
