Technology of World War I
Zeppelins
Zeppelins were named after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The name itself brings about thoughts of giant passenger ships voyaging across land and sea. The unforgettable period in which these giant airships were in use has passed away, but will never be forgotten. Just sixty years later (today), zeppelins have returned. The Zeppelin LUFTSCHIFFECHNIK has built a new airship called the LZ NT07, in which is now being tested.
Zeppelins in Motion
The most successful raid was one made on London by the Zeppelin L13 controlled by 32 year old Lieutenant Heinrich Mathy. The raid took place on September 8, 1915, killing twenty-two (22) and causing one half million pounds of property damage. This one raid alone accounted for almost two thirds of all Zeppelin damage/raids inflicted on England. About a year later Lieutenant Mathy was killed on October 1, 1916 during a raid on London when his L31 was brought down by a British fighter.
The largest Zeppelin (LZ 98) raid took place on September 2, 1916. Sixteen airships set off to attack London from Poland. Out of these sixteen launched, amazingly, thirteen reached their targets.
The largest disaster was an accident which took place on January 5, 1918; a fire destroyed five Zeppelins and four hangars at the airship base at Ahlhorn. This was a setback for the German airship program.
The British then faced the attacks of Zeppelins with the new invention of incendiary bullets which were meant to ignite the hydrogen bags inside the hull of the airship. This airship was called the height-climber. The rigids on this airship were capable of reaching twenty thousand feet (20 000) in altitude. The crew became miserable because of the cold, and the need for bottled oxygen due to the capability of the extreme altitude brought forward by the airship.
During the entire year of 1915, not a single German raider was lost to the enemy fire. Although, a few did die due to the accidental death, and the highly explosive hydrogen gas in which kept up the Zeppelins. The fact that they can fly high-altitudes of ten thousand feet (10 000) kept them safe from enemy attacks.
By 1916, advances in design increased the speed of rigids to fifty-six miles per hour (mph). By this time the Zeppelin company wasn’t the only company producing these airships; The Schutte - Lanz works were responsible for the appearance of rigid airships (the sleek profile with the intregal rudder and tail fin).
The German Naval Airship Service made a total of one hundred and fifty-nine (159) raids over England killing five hundred and fifty-seven (557) people and seven million five hundred thousand dollars worth in damages ($7, 500, 000). Not much good was involved in this.
Sadly, another tragedy occurred; on March 8, 1917, the great Count Ferdinand died of pneumonia, at the age of seventy-eight.
Finally, on August 5, 1918, Peter Strasser, chief of the Naval Airship division was driving the German airship (height - climber L70) when it was shot down over the English Channel. This event marked the end of the airship.
German Zeppelin song:
German Version
Zeppelin, Flieg,
Hilf uns im krieg,
Flieg nach England,
England wird abgebrannt,
Zeppelin, Flieg.
English Version
Zeppelin, Fly,
Help us win the war,
Fly against England,
England will be burned,
Zeppelin, fly.
A School Link Article. Courtesy of Carla De Fazio, LCCHS, March 10, 1999 .
