Observation balloon being inflated among soldiers on a hillside

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An observation balloon rises out of a cluster of uniformed men on a bare hillside, its gas bag only partly filled as crew work the hose and tethers below. Tethered balloons like this one were used to spot artillery fire and watch enemy lines, rising high enough for an observer in the basket to see far beyond the front. The United States adopted the type in the early twentieth century, and soldiers in scenes like this one were usually training or preparing for field work, when the gas, hoses and winch had to be handled as a team. Look at how the men are spread across the slope, since the crew had to keep the lines taut against the wind.

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