Definition

Noun: 1. A defensive aerial obstacle: A barrage balloon is an elongated, tethered balloon (often a blimp) designed as a passive defensive measure. Cables or nets are suspended from it to create a physical hazard for low-flying enemy aircraft, deterring strafing runs or bombing attacks by threatening collision.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • During the Blitz, hundreds of barrage balloons were deployed over London to protect the city from dive bombers.
  • The military installed a line of barrage balloons around the vital harbor to impede enemy planes.
  • A low-flying fighter plane had to maneuver carefully to avoid the cables of the barrage balloon.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Military Context: The term is almost exclusively used in historical discussions of 20th-century warfare, particularly World War I and World War II. It describes a specific, now largely obsolete, technology for area defense.
  • The effectiveness of the barrage balloon was debated, but it forced enemy pilots to fly higher, reducing their accuracy.

Variants and Related Words

• Barrage (noun): In a military context, a barrage is a concentrated outpouring of artillery fire or, by extension, any overwhelming quantity. The "barrage" in "barrage balloon" refers to the defensive "curtain" or barrier the balloons collectively formed.
  • The town was subjected to a heavy artillery barrage.
• Blimp (noun): A non-rigid airship. Many barrage balloons were blimp-shaped.
• Aircraft Obstacle / Aerial Obstacle (noun phrase): A more general modern term for any object, like a crane or tall mast, that poses a danger to low-flying aircraft.

Synonyms

• Aircraft barrier balloon (noun phrase): A descriptive synonym.
• Tethered defensive balloon (noun phrase): A literal description of the object.

Related Phrases

• To fly a barrage balloon (verb phrase): To be responsible for the deployment and maintenance of a barrage balloon.
  • His grandfather's job during the war was to fly a barrage balloon on the coast.
• Balloon barrage (noun phrase): Refers to the collective deployment of many barrage balloons to form a defensive line or network.
  • The balloon barrage around the industrial complex was a formidable sight.

Noun

1. an elongated tethered balloon or blimp with cables or net suspended from it to deter enemy planes that are flying low