A gas balloon carrying a secret wartime message, four sacks of mail and two Frenchmen made aviation history in 1870 after being blown hundreds of kilometres off course and landing in Norway instead of its intended destination in France.
The balloon, La Ville d’Orléans, took off from Paris on November 24, 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. At the time, Paris was under siege by Prussian forces, making normal communication impossible.
On board were pilot Paul Rolier and courier Léon Bézier, who was carrying a coded military message intended for French Minister of War Léon Gambetta in Tours, a city about 200 km southwest of Paris. The message was meant to help coordinate military operations against Prussian forces.
Strong winds carry balloon far beyond France
The plan was for the balloon to travel from Paris to Tours within France. However, powerful winds pushed it far off course during the night.
Unable to steer, the balloon drifted north-west over the English Channel and continued across the North Sea. The two men soon realised they were nowhere near their intended route and feared they might be lost at sea.
At one stage, the balloon nearly crashed into the water. To stay airborne, the crew threw out sandbags and even discarded one sack of mail into the sea near Mandal on Norway’s southern coast.
Record-breaking landing in Norway
After travelling approximately 1,200 kilometres — six times farther than planned — the balloon finally descended near Lifjell in Telemark, southeastern Norway.
The basket struck a tree, forcing the two men out into deep snow. Dressed only in light uniforms and unprepared for winter conditions, they wandered through the mountains before being rescued by local residents.
Journey becomes part of aviation history
Although the secret message eventually reached its destination via telegraph from Norway, it arrived too late to influence military operations.
The extraordinary journey from Paris in France to Telemark in Norway set a distance record for a manned gas balloon and remains one of the most remarkable stories from the early history of aviation and airmail.