Le Prieur missile
Le Prieur rockets (fr .: fusées Le Prieur ) were air-to-air missiles used by the Western Allies during the First World War , which were intended to be used to launch enemy tethered balloons and airships.
These weapons were developed by the French officer Yves Le Prieur towards the end of 1915 . Four of these rockets were attached to the side between the two wings of Allied biplanes and fired by an electrical mechanism.
Le Prieur missiles were first used in April 1916 when Allied fighter pilots attacked German air units with Nieuport aircraft during the Battle of Verdun . On May 22, a French fighter pilot succeeded in one of the most successful attacks when he shot down five enemy reconnaissance balloons in succession. Many well-known flying aces then used these missiles, for example the Briton Albert Ball and the Belgian Willy Coppens .
The simple rocket weapon consisted only of a shaft and a head containing black powder and a mixture of fuel. A sharp piece of metal was mounted on the tip so that the rocket penetrated the balloon first and then ignited the lifting gas. The rockets were used with various aircraft of the Nieuport, Farman and Sopwith Pub type.
Despite some positive results with these weapons, the Le Prieur missile lost its importance from 1917. It was very imprecise and only promised success if the attacking pilot fired it no further than 115 meters from his target. As a result, the risk of collision increased for the fighter pilots, as they had to fly very close to their targets. After the development of more effective incendiary ammunition , the weapon was almost completely abolished in the last year of the war.
During the entire World War, Le Prieur missiles only shot down balloons, but not zeppelins.
