Louis Damblanc was a civil engineer at the Institut des Arts et Métiers in Paris who, between 1932 and 1935, performed experiments with black-powder rockets in order to develop better signaling devices for use by the Coast Guard and others. He was among the first to carry out methodical tests of the principle of staging.¹

 

Reference

1. Damblanc, L. "Les Fusées Autopropulsives à Explosifs." L'Aérophile, 43, pp. 205-9, 241-47 (1935).