The elaborate trials which were carried out with the obus
fumigene certainly were spectacular so as they went. Two small
spherical balloons, 10 feet in diameter, and attached to 1,000
feet of cable, were sent aloft. The anti-aircraft guns
themselves were placed about 5,1OO feet distant. Owing to the
inclement weather the balloons were unable to attain a height of
more than 200 feet in a direct vertical line above the ground.
The guns were trained and fired, but the one balloon was not hit
until the second round, while the third escaped injury until the
fifth round. When struck they collapsed instantly. Though the
test was not particularly conclusive, and afforded no reliable
data, one point was ascertained--the trail of smoke emitted by
the shell enabled its trajectory to be followed with ease. Upon
the conclusion of these trials, which were the most successful
recorded, quick-firing tests in the horizontal plane were carried
out. The best performance in this instance was the discharge of
five rounds in eight seconds. In this instance the paths of the
projectiles were simple and easy to follow, the flight of the
shell being observed until it fell some 18,670 feet away.
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