"We hope and pray to the Almighty that
end the abominable War. Since the world
exeter, one has seen nothing like it."
Balloon letter to Kristiania, 1 January 1871
The siege of Paris began in mid-September 1870 and lasted four and a half months.
"The Siege of Paris", painting
Ernest Meissonier : Le siège de Paris (1870-1871), verse 1884 (RF 1249)
Paris, musée d'Orsay, leg of Mme Elisabeth Meissonier, widow of the artist, au musée du Luxembourg en 1898
Map of the defenses around Paris. The Prussian forces
took up position along this line.art, the pressure for mass distribution by hot air balloon.
The Parisians were starving. They ate horses, the animals in the town zoo and occasionally rats. Image: Market in Saint-Germain, contemporary newspaper caricature
During the siege, 66 manned and one unmanned hot air balloon were sent up. The main task was to bring mail out of Paris.
Image: Stamp commemorating the balloon post 1870-71.
Rail traffic to and from the city was blocked. The Parisians turned the closed railway stations into balloon factories.
Image: Simultaneous erasure, Kleppensamlingen
The balloons used during the siege were filled with coal gas from the gasworks in Paris.
Image: Simultaneous erasure, Kleppensamlingen
Le Neptun was the first balloon to be launched from Paris.
It happened on 23 September 1870 from Place St. Pierre.
Photo: Nadar
Leon Gambetta was a republican freedom fighter in Paris.
He became Minister of War in the national government-in-exile that settled in Tours.
Gambetta leaves Paris on 7 October 1870 in the balloon L'Armand Barbes. The destination was Tours,
southwest of the capital where the national government-in-exile had settled.
Image: Etching, The Illustrated London News, 1870.
The balloons carried around 3 million letters and postcards out of Paris. In addition, they carried newspapers and official documents. The conditions in the besieged city thus became well known. The balloon post was sent to recipients all over Europe, including in Norway.
Microphotography: To make room for as much information as possible, documents and newspapers were photographed with advanced technical equipment. In this way, several newspaper pages could fit on a small sheet of paper weighing a few grams. Image: Simultaneous erasure, Kleppensamlingen
More than 350 carrier pigeons were transported out of Paris with the postal balloons. The pigeons returned to the city with messages from outside.
Image: Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. 275, April, 1873.
French commemorative coin honoring the carrier pigeons' efforts.
The Prussians hunted both balloons and carrier pigeons. Weapons that were particularly suitable for the purpose were developed by Krupp. Image: Simultaneous erasure, Kleppensamlingen
Image: The Illustrated London News
Intensified Prussian shelling meant that the balloons had to be launched at night. La Ville d'Orléans was among those that took off after dark.
One of the few known letters to a recipient in Norway was flown out of Paris in the balloon Le Newton. The letter is addressed to Mademoiselle Nielsen in Kristiania and is dated 1 January 1871.
The letter writer's name is unknown.
Dear Aunt!
You are probably very anxious for us, as they know that we are all holed up in Paris, and surrounded by the great and hideous Prussian army, which we all hope the French will soon chase away...
Dear Aunt!
You must be very anxious for us, as they know that we are all shut up in Paris, and surrounded by the great and hideous Prussian army, which we all hope the French will soon chase away.
They have now begun to bombard Paris, but so far they have done nothing to us or the City, as the fortress resists magnificently , and has guns in abundance to answer with. It is now three months and a half since these hideous people surrounded us. So far we have no need, the sea has food in abundance, we eat horse meat daily . It's not so bad when you get used to it. We still have food for a long time, so if the Prussians hope to starve us to death, he will have to wait a long time . We believe that they are more in need than us. We are all extremely fast, none of us has been sick for an hour.
We are probably not without anxiety as we probably lose a lot, as the area is quite desolate. It is disgusting to think that these Germans can be so barbaric as to burn and destroy all the lovely houses and gardens around Paris. We believe that our house is undamaged so far. Wecannot travel there, as the Prussians shoot all the people who come near them.
Both our sons Willi and Emile sacrifice themselves to nurse the wounded in our American Ambulance , they are there night and day. At the moment, we have 70 wounded but have raised one hundred and thirty . (...) We have three who have a doctor amputated , and are already dying , but in the French Hospitals they all die . The American Ambulance consists of tents in the open air which allow the wounded to pray .
We hope and pray to the Almighty to end the abominable War, since the world has existed nothing has been seen. I am so anxious every time there is a battle, and my sons must travel there and take in all the wounded (...) there are several persons who have been killed among the rumored wounded, as the enemy does not observe the regulations.
I sincerely from the Heart that God will spare us all and that we can gather again and experience better days .
The letter ends with family and New Year greetings, and these lines:
"This is sent by Ballon, which departs every day. It's no use writing to me."
