Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of
The defeat of Germany in 1918 temporarily slowed the airship business. Although DELAG established a scheduled daily service between Berlin, Munich, and Friedrichshafen in 1919, the airships built for that service eventually had to be surrendered under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which also prohibited Germany from building large airships. An exception was made to allow the construction of one airship for the United States Navy, the order for which saved the company from extinction.
In 1926, the restrictions on airship construction were lifted and, with the aid of donations from the public, work began on the construction of LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin. That revived the company's fortunes and, during the 1930s, the airships Graf Zeppelin, and the even larger LZ 129 Hindenburg operated regular transatlantic flights from Germany to North America and Brazil. The spire of the Empire State Building was originally designed to serve as a mooring mast for Zeppelins and other airships, although it was found that high winds made that impossible and the plan was abandoned.[5] The Hindenburg disaster in 1937, along with political and economic developments in Germany, hastened the demise of airships.
Principal characteristics
The principal feature of the Zeppelin's design was a fabric-covered, rigid metal framework made up of transverse rings and longitudinal girders containing a number of individual gasbags. The advantage of that design was that the aircraft could be much larger than
The first Zeppelins had long cylindrical hulls with tapered ends and complex multi-plane
Zeppelins were propelled by several engines, mounted in gondolas or engine cars, which were attached to the outside of the structural framework. Some of these could provide reverse thrust for manoeuvring while mooring.
Early models had a comparatively small externally-mounted gondola for passengers and crew which was attached to the bottom of the frame. This space was never heated, because fire outside of the kitchen was considered too risky so, during trips across the North Atlantic or Siberia, passengers were forced to bundle themselves in blankets and furs to keep warm and were often miserable from the cold.
By the time of the Hindenburg, several important changes had taken place: the passenger space had been relocated to the interior of the overall vessel, passenger rooms were insulated from the exterior by the dining area, and forced-warm air could be circulated from the water that cooled the forward engines, all of which made traveling much more comfortable. That did prevent passengers from enjoying the views from the windows of their berths though, which had been a major attraction on the Graf Zeppelin. On both the older and newer vessels, the external viewing windows were often open during flight. The flight ceiling was so low that no pressurization of the cabins was necessary, though the Hindenburg did maintain a pressurized air-locked smoking room, in which no flame was allowed. A single electric lighter was provided, which could not be removed from the room.[7]
Access to Zeppelins was achieved in a number of ways. The Graf Zeppelin's gondola was accessed while the vessel was on the ground, via gangways. The Hindenburg also had passenger gangways leading from the ground directly into its hull which could be withdrawn entirely, ground access to the gondola, and an exterior access hatch via its electrical room; this latter was intended for crew use only.
On some long-distance units, Blau gas was used to run the engines of the Zeppelin airships. This had the advantage in that the weight of Blau gas was near that of air. Thus the use of large quantities of Blau gas as a propellant had little impact on the Zeppelin buoyancy. Blau gas was used on the Zeppelin airship's first voyage to America, starting in 1929. The Zeppelin facility in Friedrichshafen produced the Blau gas.[8]
History
Early designs
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's interest in airship development began in 1874, when he was inspired by a lecture given by Heinrich von Stephan on the subject of "World Postal Services and Air Travel" to outline the basic principle of his later craft in a diary entry dated 25 March 1874.[9] It describes a large rigidly framed outer envelope containing several separate gasbags.[10] He had previously encountered Union Army balloons in 1863 when he visited the United States as a military observer during the American Civil War.[11]
Count Zeppelin began to seriously pursue his project after his early retirement from the army in 1890 at the age of 52. Convinced of the potential importance of aviation, he started working on various designs in 1891, and had completed detailed designs by 1893. An official committee reviewed his plans in 1894,[2] and he received a patent, granted on 31 August 1895,[12] with Theodor Kober producing the technical drawings.[3]
Zeppelin's patent described a Lenkbares Luftfahrzeug mit mehreren hintereinander angeordneten Tragkörpern ("Steerable aircraft with several carrier bodies arranged one behind another"),[3] an airship consisting of flexibly articulated rigid sections. The front section, containing the crew and engines, was 117.35 m (385.0 ft) long with a gas capacity of 9,514 m3 (336,000 cu ft). The middle section was 16 metres (52 feet 6 inches) long with an intended useful load of 599 kg (1,321 lb) and the rear section 39.93 m (131.0 ft) long with an intended load of 1,996 kg (4,400 lb).[13]
Count Zeppelin's attempts to secure government funding for his project proved unsuccessful, but a lecture given to the Union of German Engineers gained their support. Zeppelin also sought support from the industrialist Carl Berg, then engaged in construction work on the second airship design of David Schwarz. Berg was under contract not to supply aluminium to any other airship manufacturer, and subsequently made a payment to Schwarz's widow as compensation for breaking this agreement.[14] Schwarz's design differed fundamentally from Zeppelin's, crucially lacking the use of separate gasbags inside a rigid envelope.[15]
In 1898, Count Zeppelin founded the Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Luftschiffahrt
The first flight took place over Lake Constance on 2 July 1900.[18] Damaged during landing, it was repaired and modified and proved its potential in two subsequent flights made on 17 and 24 October 1900,[18] bettering the 6 m/s ( 21.6 km/h (13.4 mph) ) velocity attained by the French airship La France. Despite this performance, the shareholders declined to invest more money, and so the company was liquidated, with Count von Zeppelin purchasing the ship and equipment. The Count wished to continue experimenting, but he eventually dismantled the ship in 1901.[18][19]
Donations, the profits of a special
Incorporating all the usable parts of LZ 2, its successor
This accident would have finished Zeppelin's experiments, but his flights had generated huge public interest and a sense of national pride regarding his work, and spontaneous donations from the public began pouring in, eventually totalling over six million marks.[22] This enabled the Count to found the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH (Airship Construction Zeppelin Ltd.) and the Zeppelin Foundation.
Before World War I
Before World War I (1914–1918) the Zeppelin company manufactured 21 more airships. The
In 1909, Count Zeppelin founded the world's first airline, the Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (German Airship Travel Corporation), generally known as DELAG[26] to promote his airships, initially using LZ 6, which he had hoped to sell to the German Army. Notable aviation figures like Orville Wright offered critical perspectives on the Zeppelin; in a September 1909 New York Times interview,[27] Wright compared airships to steam engines nearing their developmental peak, while seeing airplanes as akin to gas engines with untapped potential for innovation.The airships did not provide a scheduled service between cities, but generally operated pleasure cruises, carrying twenty passengers. The airships were given names in addition to their production numbers. LZ 6 first flew on 25 August 1909 and was accidentally destroyed in Baden-Oos on 14 September 1910 by a fire in its hangar.[28]
The second DELAG airship, LZ 7 Deutschland, made its maiden voyage on 19 June 1910. On 28 June it set off on a voyage to publicise Zeppelins, carrying 19 journalists as passengers. A combination of adverse weather and engine failure brought it down at Mount Limberg near
On 24 April 1912, the
By the outbreak of war in August 1914, Zeppelin had started constructing the first M class airships, which had a length of 158 m (518 ft), with a volume of 22,500 cubic metres (794,500 cu ft) and a useful load of 9,100 kilograms (20,100 lb). Their three Maybach C-X engines produced 470 kilowatts (630 hp) each, and they could reach speeds of up to 84 kilometres per hour (52 mph).[35]
During World War I
The German airships were operated separately by the Army and Navy. When World War I broke out, the Army took over the three remaining DELAG ships. By this time, it had already decommissioned three older Zeppelins, including Z I. During the war, the Navy Zeppelins were primarily used in reconnaissance missions.[36] Bombing missions, especially those targeting London, captured the German public's imagination, but had little significant material success, although the Zeppelin raids, together with the later bombing raids carried out by aeroplanes, did cause the diversion of men and equipment from the Western Front and fear of the raids had some effect on industrial production.
Early offensive operations by Army airships revealed that they were extremely vulnerable to ground fire unless flown at high altitude, and several were lost. No bombs had been developed, and the early raids dropped artillery shells instead. On 5 August 1914
On 20 March 1915, temporarily forbidden from bombing London by the Kaiser, Z X (LZ 29), LZ 35 and the Schütte-Lanz airship SL 2 set off to bomb
Paris mounted a more effective defense against zeppelin raids than London. Zeppelins attacking Paris had to first fly over the system of forts between the front and the city, from which they were subjected to anti-aircraft fire with reduced risk of collateral damage. The French also maintained a continuous patrol of two fighters over Paris at an altitude from which they could promptly attack arriving zeppelins avoiding the delay required to reach the zeppelin altitude.[43] Two further missions were flown against Paris in January 1916: on 29 January LZ 79 killed 23 and injured another 30 but was so severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire that it crashed during the return journey. A second mission by LZ 77 the following night bombed the suburbs of Asnières and Versailles, with little effect.[44][45]
Airship operations in the Balkans started in the autumn of 1915, and an airship base was constructed at
At the instigation of the Kaiser a plan was made to bomb
In 1917 the German High Command made an attempt to use a Zeppelin to deliver supplies to
On 5 January 1918, a fire at Ahlhorn destroyed four of the specialised double sheds along with four Zeppelins and one Schütte-Lanz. In July 1918, the Tondern raid conducted by the RAF and Royal Navy, destroyed two Zeppelins in their sheds.
The main use of the airship was in reconnaissance over the North Sea and the Baltic, and the majority of airships manufactured were used by the Navy. Patrolling had priority over any other airship activity.[48] During the war almost 1,000 missions were flown over the North Sea alone,[36] compared with about 50 strategic bombing raids. The German Navy had some 15 Zeppelins in commission by the end of 1915 and was able to have two or more patrolling continuously at any one time. However, their operations were limited by weather conditions. On 16 February, L 3 and L 4 were lost owing to a combination of engine failure and high winds, L 3 crashing on the Danish island of Fanø without loss of life and L 4 coming down at Blaavands Huk; eleven crew escaped from the forward gondola, after which the lightened airship with four crew members remaining in the aft engine car was blown out to sea and lost.[49]
At this stage in the war there was no clear doctrine for the use of Naval airships. A single large Zeppelin, L 5, played an unimportant part in the Battle of the Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915. L 5 was carrying out a routine patrol when it picked up Admiral Hipper's radio signal announcing that he was engaged with the British battle cruiser squadron. Heading towards the German fleet's position, the Zeppelin was forced to climb above the cloud cover by fire from the British fleet: its commander then decided that it was his duty to cover the retreating German fleet rather than observe British movements.[50]
In 1915, patrols were only carried out on 124 days and in other years the total was considerably less.[51] They prevented British ships from approaching Germany, spotted when and where the British were laying mines and later aided in the destruction of those mines.[48] Zeppelins would sometimes land on the sea next to a minesweeper, bring aboard an officer and show him the mines' locations.[48]
In 1917, the Royal Navy began to take effective countermeasures against airship patrols over the North Sea. In April, the first
Bombing campaign against Britain
At the beginning of the conflict the German command had high hopes for the airships, which were considerably more capable than contemporary light fixed-wing machines: they were almost as fast, could carry multiple machine guns, and had enormously greater
Airship raids on Great Britain were approved by the
1915
The first raid on England took place on the night of 19–20 January 1915. Two Zeppelins, L 3 and L 4, intended to attack targets near the River Humber but, diverted by strong winds, eventually dropped their bombs on Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn and the surrounding villages, killing four and injuring 16. Material damage was estimated at £7,740.[58]
The Kaiser authorised the bombing of the London docks on 12 February 1915, Twice Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) aircraft tried to intercept LZ 38 but on both occasions it was either able to outclimb the aircraft or was already at too great an altitude for the aircraft to intercept.
On 31 May Linnarz commanded LZ 38 on the first raid against London. In total some 120 bombs were dropped on a line stretching from
The first naval attempt on London took place on 4 June: strong winds caused the commander of L 9 to misjudge his position, and the bombs were dropped on
After an ineffective attack by L 10 on
The Navy attempted to follow up the Army's success the following night. One Zeppelin targeted the benzole plant at Skinningrove and three set off to bomb London: two were forced to turn back but L 13, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy reached London. The bomb-load included a 300-kilogram (660 lb) bomb, the largest yet carried. This exploded near Smithfield Market, destroying several houses and killing two men. More bombs fell on the textile warehouses north of St Paul's Cathedral, causing a fire which despite the attendance of 22 fire engines caused over half a million pounds of damage: Mathy then turned east, dropping his remaining bombs on Liverpool Street station. The Zeppelin was the target of concentrated anti-aircraft fire, but no hits were scored and the falling shrapnel caused both damage and alarm on the ground. The raid killed 22 people and injured 87.[67] The monetary cost of the damage was over one sixth of the total damage costs inflicted by bombing raids during the war.[68]
After three more raids were scattered by the weather, a five-Zeppelin raid was launched by the Navy on 13 October, the "Theatreland Raid." Arriving over the Norfolk coast at around 18:30, the Zeppelins encountered new ground defences installed since the September raid; these had no success, although the airship commanders commented on the improved defences of the city.[69] L 15 began bombing over Charing Cross, the first bombs striking the Lyceum Theatre and the corner of Exeter and Wellington Streets, killing 17 and injuring 20. None of the other Zeppelins reached central London: bombs fell on Woolwich, Guildford, Tonbridge, Croydon, Hertford and an army camp near Folkestone. A total of 71 people were killed and 128 injured.[70] This was the last raid of 1915, as bad weather coincided with the new moon in both November and December 1915 and continued into January 1916.
Although these raids had no significant military impact, the psychological effect was considerable. The writer D. H. Lawrence described one raid in a letter to Lady Ottoline Morrell:[71]
Then we saw the Zeppelin above us, just ahead, amid a gleaming of clouds: high up, like a bright golden finger, quite small (...) Then there was flashes near the ground—and the shaking noise. It was like Milton—then there was war in heaven. (...) I cannot get over it, that the moon is not Queen of the sky by night, and the stars the lesser lights. It seems the Zeppelin is in the zenith of the night, golden like a moon, having taken control of the sky; and the bursting shells are the lesser lights.
1916
The raids continued in 1916. In December 1915, additional P class Zeppelins and the first of the new Q class airships were delivered. The Q class was an enlargement of the P class with improved ceiling and bomb-load.
The Army took full control of ground defences in February 1916, and a variety of sub 4-inch (less than 102 mm)
The first raid of 1916 was carried out by the German Navy. Nine Zeppelins were sent to Liverpool on the night of 31 January – 1 February. A combination of poor weather and mechanical problems scattered them across the
Further raids were delayed by an extended period of poor weather and also by the withdrawal of the majority of Naval Zeppelins in an attempt to resolve the recurrent engine failures.[75] Three Zeppelins set off to bomb Rosyth on 5–6 March but were forced by high winds to divert to Hull, killing 18, injuring 52 and causing £25,005 damage.[76] At the beginning of April raids were attempted on five successive nights. Ten airships set off on 31 March: most turned back and L 15, damaged by antiaircraft fire and an aircraft attacking using Ranken darts, came down in the sea near Margate. Most of the 48 killed in the raid were victims of a single bomb which fell on an Army billet in Cleethorpes.[77] The following night two Navy Zeppelins bombed targets in the north of England, killing 22 and injuring 130. On the night of 2/3 April a six-airship raid was made, targeting the naval base at Rosyth, the Forth Bridge and London. None of the airships bombed their intended targets; 13 were killed, 24 injured and much of the £77,113 damage was caused by the destruction of a warehouse in Leith containing whisky.[78][79][80] Raids on 4/5 April and 5/6 April had little effect,[81] as did a five-Zeppelin raid on 25/6 April and a raid by a single Army Zeppelin the following night. On 2/3 July a nine-Zeppelin raid against Manchester and Rosyth was largely ineffective due to weather conditions, and one was forced to land in neutral Denmark, its crew being interned.[82]
On 28–29 July, the first raid to include one of the new and much larger R-class Zeppelins, L 31, took place. The 10-Zeppelin raid achieved very little; four turned back early and the rest wandered over a fog-covered landscape before giving up.[83] Adverse weather dispersed raids on 30–31 July and 2–3 August, and on 8–9 August nine airships attacked Hull with little effect.[84] On 24–25 August 12 Navy Zeppelins were launched: eight turned back without attacking and only Heinrich Mathy's L 31 reached London; flying above low clouds, 36 bombs were dropped in 10 minutes on south east London. Nine people were killed, 40 injured and £130,203 of damage was caused.[85]
Zeppelins were very difficult to attack successfully at high altitude, although this also made accurate bombing impossible. Aeroplanes struggled to reach a typical altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and firing the solid bullets usually used by aircraft Lewis guns was ineffectual: they made small holes causing inconsequential gas leaks. Britain developed new bullets, the Brock containing oxidant potassium chlorate, and the Buckingham filled with phosphorus, which reacted with the chlorate to catch fire and hence ignite the Zeppelin's hydrogen. These had become available by September 1916.[86]
The biggest raid to date was launched on 2–3 September, when twelve German Navy and four Army airships set out to bomb London. A combination of rain and snowstorms scattered the airships while they were still over the North Sea. Only one of the naval airships came within seven miles of central London, and both damage and casualties were slight. The newly commissioned
The loss of SL 11 to the new ammunition ended the German Army's enthusiasm for raids on Britain. The German Navy remained aggressive,[88] and another 12-Zeppelin raid was launched on 23–24 September. Eight older airships bombed targets in the Midlands and northeast, while four R-class Zeppelins attacked London. L 30 did not even cross the coast, dropping its bombs at sea. L 31 approached London from the south, dropping a few bombs on the southern suburbs before crossing the Thames and bombing Leyton, killing eight people and injuring 30.
L 32 was piloted by Oberleutnant Werner Peterson of the Naval Airship Service, who had only taken command of L 32 in August 1916. L 32 approached from the south, crossing the English Channel close to Dungeness light house, passing Tunbridge Wells at 12:10 and dropping bombs on Sevenoaks and Swanley before crossing over Purfleet. After receiving heavy gunfire and encountering a multitude of anti-aircraft search lights over London, Peterson decided to head up the Essex coast from Tilbury and abort the mission. Water ballast was dropped to gain altitude and L 32 climbed to 13,000 feet. Shortly afterwards at 12:45 L 32 was spotted by 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Sowrey of the Royal Flying Corps, who had taken off from nearby RAF Hornchurch (known at the time as Sutton's Farm). As Sowrey approached he fired three drums of ammunition into the hull of L 32, including the latest Bock & Pomeroy incendiary rounds. L 32, according to witness accounts, violently turned and lost altitude, burning from both ends and along its back. The airship narrowly missed Billericay High Street as it passed over, one witness saying the windows to her home rattled and the Zeppelin sounded like a hissing freight train. L 32 continued down Hill side and came down at Snail's Hall Farm off Green Farm Lane in Great Burstead, crashing at 01:30 on farm land; the 650-foot-long airship struck a large oak tree.
The entire 22 crew were killed. Two crew members jumped rather than be burned (one was said to be Werner Peterson). The crew's bodies were kept in a barn nearby until the 27th September when the Royal Flying Corps transported them to nearby Great Burstead Church. They were interred there until 1966, when they were reinterred at the German Military Cemetery in Cannock Chase. Attending the scene of the crash site were the Royal Naval Intelligence, who recovered the latest secret code book which was found within the gondola of the crashed L32.
L 33 dropped a few incendiaries over Upminster and Bromley-by-Bow, where it was hit by an anti-aircraft shell, despite being at an altitude of 13,000 feet (4,000 m). As it headed towards Chelmsford it began to lose height and came down close to Little Wigborough.[89] The airship was set alight by its crew, but inspection of the wreckage provided the British with much information about the construction of Zeppelins, which was used in the design of the British R33-class airships.
The next raid came on 1 October 1916. Eleven Zeppelins were launched at targets in the Midlands and at London. Only L 31, commanded by the experienced Heinrich Mathy making his 15th raid, reached London. As the airship neared Cheshunt at about 23:20 it was picked up by searchlights and attacked by three aircraft from No. 39 Squadron. 2nd lieutenant Wulstan Tempest succeeded in setting fire to the airship, which came down near Potters Bar. All 19 crew died, many jumping from the burning airship.[90]
For the next raid, on 27–28 November, the Zeppelins avoided London for targets in the Midlands. Again the defending aircraft were successful: L 34 was shot down over the mouth of the Tees and L 21 was attacked by two aircraft and crashed into the sea off
1917
To counter the increasingly effective defences new Zeppelins were introduced which had an increased operating altitude of 16,500 feet (5,000 m) and a ceiling of 21,000 feet (6,400 m). The first of these S-class Zeppelins, LZ 91 (L 42) entered service in February 1917.[93] They were basically a modification of the R-class, sacrificing strength and power for improved altitude. The surviving R-class Zeppelins were adapted by removing one of the engines.[94] The improved safety was offset by the extra strain on the airship crews caused by altitude sickness and exposure to extreme cold and operating difficulties caused by cold and unpredictable high winds encountered at altitude.
The first raid of 1917 did not occur until 16–17 March: the five Zeppelins encountered very strong winds and none reached their targets.[95] This experience was repeated on 23–24 May. Two days later 21 Gotha bombers attempted a daylight raid on London. They were frustrated by heavy clouds but the effort led the Kaiser to announce that airship raids on London were to stop; under pressure he later relented to allow the Zeppelins to attack under "favorable circumstances".
On 16–17 June, another raid was attempted. Six Zeppelins were to take part, but two were kept in their shed by high winds and another two were forced to return by engine failure. L 42 bombed Ramsgate, hitting a munitions store. The month-old L 48, the first U class Zeppelin, was forced to drop to 13,000 feet (4,000 m) where it was caught by four aircraft and destroyed, crashing near Theberton, Suffolk.[96]
After ineffective raids on the Midlands and the north of England on 21–22 August and 24–25 September, the last major Zeppelin raid of the war was launched on 19–20 October, with 13 airships heading for Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool. All were hindered by an unexpected strong headwind at altitude. L 45 was trying to reach Sheffield, but instead it dropped bombs on Northampton and London: most fell in the north-west suburbs but three 300 kg (660 lb) bombs fell in Piccadilly, Camberwell and Hither Green, causing most of the casualties that night. L 45 then reduced altitude to try to escape the winds but was forced back into the higher air currents by a B.E.2e. The airship then had mechanical failure in three engines and was blown over France, eventually coming down near Sisteron; it was set on fire and the crew surrendered. L 44 was brought down by ground fire over France: L 49 and L 50 were also lost to engine failure and the weather over France. L 55 was badly damaged on landing and later scrapped.[97]
There were no more raids in 1917, although the airships were not abandoned but refitted with new, more powerful, engines.
1918
There were only four raids in 1918, all against targets in the Midlands and northern England. Five Zeppelins attempted to bomb the Midlands on 12–13 March to little effect. The following night three Zeppelins set off, but two turned back because of the weather: the third bombed Hartlepool, killing eight and injuring 29.[98] A five-Zeppelin raid on 12–13 April was also largely ineffective, with thick clouds making accurate navigation impossible. However, some alarm was caused by the other two, one of which reached the east coast and bombed Wigan, believing it was Sheffield: the other bombed Coventry in the belief that it was Birmingham.[99] The final raid on 5 August 1918 involved four airships and resulted in the loss of L.70 and the death of its entire crew under the command of Fregattenkapitän Peter Strasser, head of the Imperial German Naval Airship Service and the Führer der Luftschiffe. Crossing the North Sea during daylight, the airship was intercepted by a Royal Air Force DH.4 biplane piloted by Major Egbert Cadbury, and shot down in flames.[100]
Technological progress
Zeppelin technology improved considerably as a result of the increasing demands of warfare. The company came under government control, and new personnel were recruited to cope with the increased demand, including the aerodynamicist
The pre-war M-class designs were quickly enlarged, to produce the 163 metres (536 ft) long duralumin P-class, which increased gas capacity from 22,500 to 31,880 m3 (794,500 to 1,126,000 cu ft), introduced a fully enclosed gondola and had an extra engine. These modifications added 610 m (2,000 ft) to the maximum ceiling, around 9 km/h (5.6 mph) to the top speed, and greatly increased crew comfort and hence endurance. Twenty-two P-class airships were built; the first, LZ 38, was delivered to the Army on 3 April 1915.[103] The P class was followed by a lengthened version, the Q class.
In July 1916 Luftschiffbau Zeppelin introduced the R-class, 199.49 metres (654 feet 6 inches) long, and with a volume of 55,210 m3 (1,949,600 cu ft). These could carry loads of three to four tons of bombs and reach speeds of up to 103 km/h (64 mph), powered by six 240 hp (180 kW) Maybach engines.[104]
In 1917, following losses to the air defences over Britain, new designs were produced which were capable of flying at much higher altitudes, typically operating at around 6,100 m (20,000 ft). This was achieved by reducing the weight of the airship by reducing the weight of the structure, halving the bomb load, removing the defensive armament and by reducing the number of engines to five.[105] However these were not successful as bombers: the greater height at which they operated greatly hindered navigation, and their reduced power made them vulnerable to unfavorable weather conditions.
At the beginning of the war Captain Ernst A. Lehmann and Baron Gemmingen, Count Zeppelin's nephew, developed an observation car for use by dirigibles.[106] This was equipped with a wicker chair, chart table, electric lamp and compass, with telephone line and lightning conductor part of the suspension cable. The car's observer would relay navigation and bomb dropping orders to the Zeppelin flying within or above the clouds, so remaining invisible from the ground.[107][108] Although used by Army airships, they were not used by the Navy, since Strasser considered that their weight meant an unacceptable reduction in bomb load.[109]
End of the war
The German defeat also marked the end of German military dirigibles, as the victorious Allies demanded a complete abolition of German air forces and surrender of the remaining airships as reparations. Specifically, the Treaty of Versailles contained the following articles dealing explicitly with dirigibles:
- Article 198
- "The armed forces of Germany must not include any military or naval air forces ... No dirigible shall be kept."
- Article 202
- "On the coming into force of the present Treaty, all military and naval aeronautical material ... must be delivered to the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers ... In particular, this material will include all items under the following heads which are or have been in use or were designed for warlike purposes:
- [...]
- "Dirigibles able to take to the air, being manufactured, repaired or assembled."
- "Plant for the manufacture of hydrogen."
- "Dirigible sheds and shelters of every kind for aircraft."
- "Pending their delivery, dirigibles will, at the expense of Germany, be maintained inflated with hydrogen; the plant for the manufacture of hydrogen, as well as the sheds for dirigibles may at the discretion of the said Powers, be left to Germany until the time when the dirigibles are handed over."
On 23 June 1919, a week before the treaty was signed, many Zeppelin crews destroyed their airships in their halls in order to prevent delivery, following the example of the Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow two days earlier. The remaining dirigibles were transferred to France, Italy, Britain, and Belgium in 1920.
A total of 84 Zeppelins were built during the war. Over 60 were lost, roughly evenly divided between accident and enemy action. 51 raids had been made on England alone,[N 1] in which 5,806 bombs were dropped, killing 557 people and injuring 1,358 while causing damage estimated at £1.5 million. It has been argued the raids were effective far beyond material damage in diverting and hampering wartime production: one estimate is that the due to the 1915–16 raids "one sixth of the total normal output of munitions was entirely lost."[110]
After World War I
Renaissance
Count von Zeppelin had died in 1917, before the end of the war. Hugo Eckener, who had long envisioned dirigibles as vessels of peace rather than of war, took command of the Zeppelin business, hoping to quickly resume civilian flights. Despite considerable difficulties, they completed two small passenger airships; LZ 120 Bodensee (scrapped in July 1928), which first flew in August 1919 and in the following months transported passengers between Friedrichshafen and Berlin, and a sister-ship LZ 121 Nordstern, {Scrapped September 1926} which was intended for use on a regular route to Stockholm.[111]
However, in 1921 the Allied Powers demanded that these should be handed over as war reparations as compensation for the dirigibles destroyed by their crews in 1919. Germany was not allowed to construct military aircraft and only airships of less than 28,000 m3 (1,000,000 cu ft) were permitted. This brought a halt to Zeppelin's plans for airship development, and the company temporarily had to resort to manufacturing aluminium cooking utensils.[112]
Eckener and his co-workers refused to give up and kept looking for investors and a way to circumvent Allied restrictions. Their opportunity came in 1924. The United States had started to experiment with rigid airships, constructing one of their own, the
Under these circumstances, Eckener managed to obtain an order for the next American dirigible. Germany had to pay for this airship itself, as the cost was set against the war reparation accounts, but for the Zeppelin company this was unimportant. LZ 126 made its first flight on 27 August 1924.[114]
On 12 October at 07:30 local time the Zeppelin took off for the US under the command of Hugo Eckener. The ship completed its 8,050 kilometres (5,000 mi) voyage without any difficulties in 80 hours 45 minutes.[115] American crowds enthusiastically celebrated the arrival, and President Calvin Coolidge invited Eckener and his crew to the White House, calling the new Zeppelin an "angel of peace".
Given the designation ZR-3 USS Los Angeles and refilled with helium (partly sourced from the Shenandoah) after its Atlantic crossing, the airship became the most successful American airship. It operated reliably for eight years until it was retired in 1932 for economic reasons. It was dismantled in August 1940.
Golden age
With the delivery of LZ 126, the Zeppelin company had reasserted its lead in rigid airship construction, but it was not yet quite back in business. In 1926 restrictions on airship construction were relaxed by the
Another two years passed before 18 September 1928, when the new dirigible, christened Graf Zeppelin in honour of the Count, flew for the first time.[116] With a total length of 236.6 metres (776 ft) and a volume of 105,000 m3, it was the largest dirigible to have been built at the time. Eckener's initial purpose was to use Graf Zeppelin for experimental and demonstration purposes to prepare the way for regular airship traveling, carrying passengers and mail to cover the costs. In October 1928 its first long-range voyage brought it to Lakehurst, the voyage taking 112 hours and setting a new endurance record for airships.[117] Eckener and his crew, which included his son Hans, were once more welcomed enthusiastically, with confetti parades in New York and another invitation to the White House. Graf Zeppelin toured Germany and visited Italy, Palestine, and Spain. A second trip to the United States was aborted in France due to engine failure in May 1929.
In August 1929, Graf Zeppelin departed for another daring enterprise: a circumnavigation of the globe. The growing popularity of the "giant of the air" made it easy for Eckener to find sponsors. One of these was the American press tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who requested that the tour officially start in Lakehurst.[118] As with the October 1928 flight to New York, Hearst had placed a reporter, Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay, on board: she therefore became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by air. From there, Graf Zeppelin flew to Friedrichshafen, then Tokyo, Los Angeles, and back to Lakehurst, in 21 days 5 hours and 31 minutes. Including the initial and final trips between Friedrichshafen and Lakehurst and back, the dirigible had travelled 49,618 kilometres (30,831 mi).
In the following year, Graf Zeppelin undertook trips around Europe, and following a successful tour to Recife, Brazil in May 1930, it was decided to open the first regular transatlantic airship line. This line operated between Frankfurt and Recife, and was later extended to Rio de Janeiro, with a stop in Recife. Despite the beginning of the Great Depression and growing competition from fixed-wing aircraft, LZ 127 transported an increasing volume of passengers and mail across the ocean every year until 1936. The ship made another spectacular voyage in July 1931 when it made a seven-day research trip to the Arctic.[119][N 2] This had already been a dream of Count von Zeppelin twenty years earlier, which could not be realized at the time due to the outbreak of war.
Eckener intended to follow the successful airship with another larger Zeppelin, designated LZ 128. This was to be powered by eight engines, 232 m (761 ft) in length, with a capacity of 199,980 m3 (7,062,100 cu ft). However the loss of the British passenger airship R101 on 5 October 1930 led the Zeppelin company to reconsider the safety of hydrogen-filled vessels, and the design was abandoned in favour of a new project, LZ 129. This was intended to be filled with inert helium.[121]
Hindenburg, the end of an era
The coming to power of the
On 4 March 1936 LZ 129 Hindenburg (named after former President of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg) made its first flight. The Hindenburg was the largest airship ever built. It had been designed to use non-flammable helium, but the only supplies of the gas were controlled by the United States, which refused to allow its export.[123] So, in what proved to be a fatal decision, the Hindenburg was filled with flammable hydrogen. Apart from the propaganda missions, LZ 129 was used on the transatlantic service alongside Graf Zeppelin.
On 6 May 1937, while landing in
Despite the apparent danger, there remained a list of 400 people who still wanted to fly as Zeppelin passengers and had paid for the trip. Their money was refunded in 1940.
Graf Zeppelin was retired one month after the Hindenburg wreck and turned into a museum.
Graf Zeppelin II was assigned to the
After the beginning of the Second World War on 1 September, the Luftwaffe ordered LZ 127 and LZ 130 moved to a large Zeppelin hangar in Frankfurt, where the skeleton of LZ 131 was also located. In March 1940 Göring ordered the scrapping of the remaining airships, and on 6 May the Frankfurt hangars were demolished.[128]
Cultural influences
Zeppelins have been an inspiration to music, cinematography and literature. The 1930 movie
Zeppelins are often featured in
In 1968, English rock band Led Zeppelin chose their name after Keith Moon, drummer of The Who, told guitarist Jimmy Page that his idea to create a band would "go down like a lead balloon."[N 3][132] Page's manager Peter Grant suggested changing the spelling of "Lead" to "Led" to avoid mispronunciation. "Balloon" was replaced with "Zeppelin" as Jimmy Page saw it as a symbol of "the perfect combination of heavy and light, combustibility and grace."[citation needed] For the group's self-titled debut album, Page suggested the group use a picture of the Hindenburg crashing in New Jersey in 1937, much to Countess Eva von Zeppelin's disgust. Von Zeppelin tried to sue the group for using her family name, but the case was eventually dismissed.[133][132]
Modern era
Since the 1990s Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, a daughter enterprise of the Zeppelin conglomerate that built the original German Zeppelins, has been developing Zeppelin "New Technology" (NT) airships. These vessels are semi-rigids based partly on internal pressure, partly on a frame.
The Airship Ventures company operated zeppelin passenger travel to California from October 2008 to November 2012[134] with one of these Zeppelin NT airships.[135]
In May 2011, Goodyear announced that they would replace their fleet of blimps with Zeppelin NTs,[136][137] resurrecting their partnership that ended over 70 years ago. Goodyear placed an order for three Zeppelin NTs, which then entered service between 2014 and 2018.
Modern zeppelins are held aloft by the inert gas helium, eliminating the danger of combustion illustrated by the Hindenburg. It has been proposed that modern zeppelins could be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.[138] Zeppelin NTs are often used for sightseeing trips; for example, D-LZZF (c/n 03) was used for Edelweiss's birthday celebration performing flights over Switzerland in an Edelweiss livery, and it is now used, weather permitting, on flights over Munich.
See also
- Airship hangar
- Buoyancy compensator (aviation)
- Lane hydrogen producer
- List of airships of the United States Navy
- List of Schütte-Lanz airships
- List of Zeppelins
- Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen
References
Notes
- ^ The figures given total 54. While A. Whitehouse in The Zeppelin Fighters (1966) gives figures of 5,907 bombs dropped, 528 people killed, 1,156 wounded in 208 individual sorties.
- ^ Koestler was the only journalist on board. He describes the preparations and the voyage itself in detail in his autobiography.[120]
- ^ Other versions have said The Who bassist Entwistle made the comment.
Citations
- ^ Eckener 1938, pp. 155–157.
- ^ a b Dooley 2004, p. A.187.
- ^ a b c Dooley 2004, p. A.190.
- ^ Cole and Cheeseman 1984, p. 449.
- ISBN 978-1-74104-125-5.
- ^ "A New Generation of Airships Is Born". The New Yorker.
- ^ Grossman, Dan (2009). "The Hindenburg's Interior: Passenger Decks". Airships.net.
- ISBN 9780801886348.
- ^ Dooley 2004, p. A.183.
- ^ Robinson 1973 p.13
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 15.
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 18.
- ^ Robinson 1973 pp.15-6
- ^ Dooley 2004, p. A.193.
- ^ Dooley 2004, p. A.191.
- ^ "Die Ausführung des Zeppelin'schen Luftschiffes" (in German). Die Welt (Vienna), Issue 22, 3 June 1898, p. 6. Retrieved: 11 March 2012.
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 13
- ^ a b c Dooley 2004, pp. A.197–A.198.
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 25.
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 26.
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 35.
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 38.
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 14
- ^ a b "Germany's Airships". Flight: 1076. 30 October 1914.
- ^ "The German Airship Incident". News. The Times. No. 40178. London. 5 April 1913. col B, p. 8.
- ^ a b Robinson 1971, p. 15
- ^ ""WIRIGHT SEES NO HOPE IN ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP"". The New York Times. 5 September 1909. p. 21.
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 57.
- ^ "The Wreck of the Deutschland". News. The Times. No. 39312. London. 30 June 1910. col D, p. 8.
- ^ "German Airship Disaster". News. The Times. No. 39587. London. 17 May 1911. col E, p. 10.
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 331
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 62
- ^ Robinson 1971, p 21.
- ^ a b Robinson 1971, p. 25
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 378.
- ^ a b Boyne 2002, p. 256.
- ^ a b Robinson 1973, p.85
- ISBN 0-333-30516-7p.175. Tuchman implies it was the first ever air raid.
- ^ a b Robinson 1973, pp.86-7
- ^ Madison 2005, pp. 45–46.
- ^ Tilford 1996, pp. 13–15.
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 94
- ^ March, Francis A. (1919). History of the World War. Philadelphia: The United Publishers of the United States and Canada. p. 419.
- ^ "Air Raids Again". Editorial. The Times. No. 41078. London. 1 February 1916. col A, p. 8.
- ^ a b Robinson 1973, p. 113
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 126
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 248-53
- ^ a b c Lehmann Chapter VI
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 83-4
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 81-2
- ^ Robinson 1971, p 350
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 233-5
- ^ Robinson 1971, p.241
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 243–4
- ^ "The Brock Bullet Claim" (PDF). flightglobal.com. Flight Aircraft Engineer Magazine. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ISBN 0-370-30021-1p. 286
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 55-6
- ^ Cole and Cheesman, 1984, p. 24
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 67
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 51–55.
- ^ Cole and Cheesman, 1984, pp. 56-8
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p.60
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 77
- ^ Cole and Cheesman pp. 64-7
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 68
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 384.
- ^ Cross 1991, p. 35.
- ^ Robinson 1971 p. 109
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 117
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 73
- ^ Boulton, 2000, p. 106.
- ^ "Damage in the Raid." The Times, 5 February 1916, p. 7.
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 83–5.
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 128
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 129–30
- ^ Cole and Cheeseman, p. 110
- ^ Cole and Cheeseman 1984, pp118–20
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984 p. 122
- ^ Robinson 1971 p. 137
- ^ McLean, David (14 April 2014). "Lost Edinburgh: Zeppelin Air Raid of 1916". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 124
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 132–4
- ^ Cole and Cheesman, p. 139
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 145
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p.149
- ^ "Leefe Robinson: The man who shot down a Baby Killer". BBC News. 3 September 2016.
- ^ Robinson 1971 pp 172–9
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 179
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp.167–8
- ^ Cole and Cheesman, pp. 174–6
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp.180–1
- ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 182.
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 389
- ^ Robinson 1971, p.208
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 198.
- ^ Cole and Cheesman, pp 250-4
- ^ Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 345-6
- ^ Robinson 1971, p. 308
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 308-13
- ^ Smith 1991, p. 34.
- ^ University of Constance. Gefahren und Strapazen der Luftschiffeinsätze Archived 4 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine, upper platforms with machine-gun positions
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp. 89-90
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp. 95-100
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp335–6
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp.127–8
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp. 93-4
- ^ Lehmann, The Zeppelins
- ^ de Syon 2001, p. 104.
- ^ Robinson 1971, pp. 68-9 (fn)
- ^ Liddell Hart 1934, p. 76.
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp. 257-8
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 259
- The Outlook, Volume 129, 7 September 1921, pp. 14–15. Retrieved: 30 July 2009.
- ^ "U.S. Zeppelin on Trial". News in Brief. The Times. No. 43743. London. 29 August 1924. col A, p. 9.
- ^ "U.S. Zeppelin on Trial". News. The Times. No. 43784. London. 16 October 1924. col E, p. 14.
- ^ "Largest Zeppelin". News. The Times. No. 45002. London. 19 September 1928. col F, p. 14.
- ^ "The Zeppelin Flight". News. The Times. No. 45025. London. 16 October 1928. col A, p. 16.
- ^ Swinfield 2012, p.237
- ^ Swinfield 2012, p. 239
- ^ Koestler, Arthur. Arrow in the Blue 1952, pp. 275–300.
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 283
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 282
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 285
- ^ Robinson 1973, pp 291-294.
- ^ Robinson 1974, p. 294
- ^ Robinson 1974, p. 295
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 295
- ^ Robinson 1973, p. 296.
- JSTOR 541516.
Raymond Quevedo (Atilla the Hun) and Hubert Raphael Charles (The Lion) to travel to New York to make recordings. From that session comes Atilla's "Graf Zeppelin,"
- ^ "By Calypso Our Stories Are Told". Trinidad & Tobago Entertainment Company. 27 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
In Graf Zeppelin Atilla sang, "One Sunday Morning ... because the Graff Zeppelin which had come to pay a visit to Trinidad".
- ^ Hanson, Andrew. "Pinkner and Wyman: the Evil Geniuses behind Fringe." Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2010. Retrieved: 17 June 2011.
- ^ a b Grimes, A. C. (31 March 2020). "The Truth About How Led Zeppelin Got Their Name". Grunge. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Kemp, Sam (21 February 2022). "The Danish countess who made Led Zeppelin change their name". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "AIRSHIP VENTURES HAS CEASED FLIGHT OPERATIONS" Airship Ventures, Sunday, 13 January 2013. Retrieved: 28 April 2013.
- ^ "The Zeppelin returns to L.A. skies, after 80 years." LA Times, 24 November 2009. Retrieved: 21 January 2010.
- ^ "Goodyear and Zeppelin: Together again after 70 Years." airships.net, 3 May 2011. Retrieved: 26 February 2012.
- ^ Page, Lewis. "Goodyear blimps to be replaced by German Zeppelins: Revival of 1930s flying Cloudbase partnership." The Register, 4 May 2011. Retrieved: 26 February 2012.
- ^ N.A. Hydrogen key to revival of modern-day zeppelins, Winnipeg conference hears. Canadian Press, The [serial online]. n.d.:Available from: Newspaper Source Plus, Ipswich, MA. Accessed 10 December 2015.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-52177-799-5.
- Boyne, Walter J. et al. Air Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ISBN 1-57607-345-9.
- Castle, Ian. London 1914–17: The Zeppelin Menace. Oxford, UK: Osprey, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84603-245-5.
- Cole, Christopher and Cheesman, E. F. The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914–1918. London: Putnam, 1984. ISBN 0-370-30538-8.
- ISBN 1-56619-390-7.
- de Syon, Guillaume (2001). Zeppelin! Germany and the Airship, 1900–1939. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6734-7.
- Dooley, Sean C. "The Development of Material-Adapted Structural Form." Part II: Appendices, THÈSE NO 2986. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 2004.
- Dürr, Ludwig. – 25 Years of Zeppelin Airship Construction, Lulu online publishing, 2013.
- Eckener, Hugo, translated by Leigh Fanell. [1] Count Zeppelin: The Man and His Work. London: Massie, 1938 – (ASIN: B00085KPWK) ( extract pp. 155–157, 210–211).
- Lehmann, Ernst A. (1927). The Zeppelins. The Development of the Airship, with the Story of the Zeppelin Air Raids in the World War. trans. Mingos, Howard. New York: J. H. Sears.
- Liddell Hart, B. H. A History of the World War 1914–1918. London: Faber & Faber, 1934.
- Madison, Rodney (2005). "Air Warfare, Strategic Bombing". The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social and Military History. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 45–46. ISBN 1851094202.
- Robinson, Douglas H. Giants in the Sky: History of the Rigid Airship. Henley-on-Thames, UK: Foulis, 1973. ISBN 978-0-85429-145-8.
- Robinson, Douglas H. The Zeppelin in Combat. Henley-on-Thames, UK: Foulis, 1971 (3rd ed.). ISBN 0 85429 130 X.
- Smith, Peter J. C. (1991). Zeppelins over Lancashire. London: Neil Richardson. ISBN 1-85216-066-7.
- Schiller, Hans von. – The Zeppelin Book, Lulu online publishing, 2017.
- Stephenson, Charles. Zeppelins: German Airships, 1900–40. Oxford, UK: Osprey, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-692-5.
- Swinfield, J. Airship: Design, Development and Disaster. London: Conway, 2012. ISBN 978 1844861385
- Tilford, Earl H. Jr. (1996). "Air Warfare: Strategic Bombing". The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 13–15. ISBN 0-81533-351-X.
- Willmott, H.P. First World War. London: ISBN 978-0-7195-6245-7.
Further reading
- Althoff, William F. USS Los Angeles: The Navy's Venerable Airship and Aviation Technology. Sterling, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2003. ISBN 1-57488-620-7.
- Archbold, Rich and Ken Marschall. Hindenburg: An Illustrated History. New York: Warner Books, 1994. ISBN 0-446-51784-4.
- Brooks, Peter. Zeppelin: Rigid Airships 1893–1940. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2004. ISBN 0-85177-845-3.
- Griehl, Manfred and Joachim Dressel. Zeppelin! The German Airship Story. London: Arms & Armour, 1990. ISBN 1-85409-045-3.
- Jones, H. A. (2009) [1931]. The War in the Air, Being the Story of the Part Played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force. Vol. III (Naval & Military Press ed.). London: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-414-7. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- McPhee, John. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed. London: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1992. ISBN 978-0-374-51635-2.
- Mowthorpe, Ces. Battlebags: British Airships of the First World War: An Illustrated History. London: Sutton Publishing, 1995. ISBN 0-905778-13-8.
Danish Post & Tele Museum Zeppelin articles
- Gøricke, Jan Hybertz (1 January 2006). "An Airborne Telegraph Station". Post & Tele Museum, Denmark. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- Iwersen, Malene (1 August 2006). "Fascination goes on". Post & Tele Museum, Denmark. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- Iwersen, Malene (1 January 2006). "The Airship is Coming!". Post & Tele Museum, Denmark. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- Iwersen, Malene (1 September 2005). "There is Something in the Air". Post & Tele Museum, Denmark. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- "Zeppelin Exhibition – An Online Exhibition About Zeppelins". Post & Tele Museum, Denmark.
- Steadman, Mark (1 May 2006). "The Goldbeater, the Cow and the Airship". Post & Tele Museum. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
Patents
- U.S. patent 0,621,195, "Navigable balloon". 14 March 1899. Ferdinand Graf Zeppelin.
- US 1217657, "Method of destroying aircraft", Filed 11 April 1916. Joseph A. Steinmetz.
- US 1449721, "Light weight girder". Filed 28 June 1920. Karl Arnstein.
- US 1474517, "Airship". Filed 19 August 1922; Issued 20 November 1923. Julius Erhardt.
- US 1724009, "Rigid airship with separate gas cells". Filed 27 November 1922; Issued August 1929. Hugo Eckener.
External links
- How did London civilians respond to the German airship raids of 1915?
- Zeppelin NT in the World and Technical Data (archived 20 December 2008)
- Airships.net – Illustrated history of passenger Zeppelins
- eZEP.de – The webportal for Zeppelin mail and airship memorabilia Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- Zeppelin Post Journal – Quarterly publication for Zeppelin mail and airship memorabilia
- Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH – The original company, now developing the Zeppelin NT
- Dark Autumn: The 1916 German Zeppelin Offensive
- Die deütschen Luftstreitkräfte im Weltkriege edited by Georg Paul Neumann 1920 [German][Books google].