Page 56 - All About History - Issue 38-16

The Weird World of Airships

1909 1914 18 1919
Birth of the Zeppelin A dark shadow is cast German airship

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was an aircraft At the start of the 20th century, the major world production resumes
manufacturer who pioneered rigid airship design powers had high hopes for dirigible technology
at the turn of the 20th century. His passion for and what it could bring to the war effort. Initially Germany’s surrender in World War I was finalised
lighter-than-air travel was kindled in the crucible employed in a support role by both sides in by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This
of the American Civil War when, serving as an the conflict, airships soon took on another role. forbade Germany from maintaining any airships
observational officer, he saw his first hot air Airships gave the world’s air forces a viable long- that could be used for military purposes and
balloon. His fervour would reignite years later in range strategic bomber that could stay airborne for stipulated that any airship still in service be
1891 when, aged 52, he resigned from the military hours at a time. It was the Germans who seized handed over to the Allied Powers. This presented
and devoted all his attention to airships. upon the idea, and from 1915, Zeppelins had a problem for the Zeppelin business, and their
His background as a soldier would robbed Britain of the protection that innovative new craft the LZ—120 Bodensee
see him push for his Zeppelins the English Channel offered and was repossessed and given to Italy to pay war
to have a military application were terrorising its citizens in reparations. The company even had to resort to
and he is reported to have a strategic aerial bombing manufacturing aluminium cutlery to stay afloat.
been dismayed when campaign. The deliberate The light at the end of the tunnel came when the
in 1909 the world’s bombing of civilians was company managed to secure a manufacturing
first passenger airline, unheard of before this and contract with the US and built the LZ 126, which
Deutsche Luftschiffahrts- public outcry was fierce. A was flown over to be delivered in August 1924.
Aktiengesellschaft floating bag of extremely Ecstatic crowds awaited its arrival and President
(DELAG), or German flammable gas may not Coolidge called it an ‘Angel of Peace’. This success
Airship Transportation seem like the best asset breathed new life into the Zeppelin Company,
Corporation Ltd, was to use as a bomber, but with the Locarno Treaties easing the restrictions
launched. While still in its during the early missions of airship construction in Germany.
infancy, the company focused they were actually quite The Zeppelin Company went on to build one of
more on sightseeing, taking difficult to destroy. Until a special its most famous ships in 1928: the Graf Zeppelin.
passengers on pleasure tours around type of ammunition was created This huge vessel was more than three times the
the German countryside. As interest in that combined explosive and incendiary length of a Boeing 747 and the largest airship ever
Zeppelins grew, DELAG would carry more than rounds, bullets were just as likely to pass straight built at the time. The Graf Zeppelin became the
34,000 passengers on over 1,500 flights between through a Zeppelin’s gasbag than ignite it. This flagship for the Zeppelin Company, making trips
1910 and 1914. Despite having landing fields and heyday would be short lived, however, as aircraft to Jerusalem, Britain, Egypt and the Arctic, and
hangars located all across Germany, DELAG technology was improving at astonishing speed. made DELAG the first airline company to offer
was prevented from implementing a regularly By the end of the war, airships became obsolete transatlantic trips from Europe to South America.
scheduled intercity service by the outbreak of in an offensive capacity but were maintained in Even though fixed-wing aircraft technology was
World War I. Even with this setback, thousands of reconnaissance roles, and had heralded the way fast improving, the popularity of the Graf Zeppelin
people had been exposed to airship travel. for a new type of warfare: mass civilian bombing. kept airships firmly fixed in the public’s mind.

After completing
Many early Zeppelins 590 flights the Graf
were built in the classic Zeppelin was scrapped
‘cigar’ shape for fighter plane parts

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