Figure 1.--s.

It was Count Zeppelin in Germany that built the first rigid structure lighter-than-air craft. Here was primarily concerned with military applications. His Zeppelins were used unsucessfully in World War I, but found some commercial success until the cartratrophic Hindenburg disaster. The related non-rigid blimps proved to have greater military value. They were used by the British as barage balloons during the Battle of Britain (1940). There real importance was the use by the American Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic (1942-45).

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917)

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917) was born in Konstanz, Baden (1838). His name became virtually synonamous in Europe with rigid, lighter than air craft or dirigibles. (The non-rigid craft are known as blimps. He was an officer in the Prussian Army who fought in the Austro Prussian War (1866) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). He also was a military observer with the Union Army during the American Civil War (1863). It was during the Civil war that he first worked with baloons. He developed working derigibles in the early 20th century. The first Zeppelin prototype flew in 1900. Count Zeppelin actively promoted his Zeppelina and convinced the German military that they had potential military applications.

Terminology

The Germans called the Zeppelins "silberne Zigarren" (silver cigars).

First Craft

Zeppelins were the lighter-than-air dirigibles invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The LZ1 made its initial flight at the turn of the 20th century from a floating hangar on Lake Constance, near Friedrichshafen in Southern Germany, on July 2, 1900 before the first flight of an airplane by the Wright Brother in 1903. The Zeppelins were used for both commercial and military purposes.

World War I (1914-18)

Zeppelin's LZ-3 was commissioned by the Germany Army as the Zeppelin Luftschiff 1 (1909). The Germans deployed quite a considerable force during World War I--115 Zeppelins. They were used for both reconnaissance and bombing. Some were even used to raided Britain. They proved to be vulnerabile to attack and unsafe in rough weather. They proved easy targets for the improved fighters that appeared during the War as well as artillery fire. The Germans essentially discontinued the use of Zeppelins for active combat during the Verdun campaign (1916). By that time the Allies were deploying high performance aircraft that were easily shooting the Zepplins down. The Germans introduced models that could reach higher altitudes, but this reduced their ability to hit targets. The mounting losses of Zepplins and the superior performance of fixed-wing aircraft caused the Germans to withdraw the Zepplins from active service (1917). Count von Zepplin also died (1917).

Commercial Service

The reputation of the Zepplins were tarnished during World War I when they were used to bomb English cities. After the War, the Zepplins were used for aerial excursions in Germany. They proved so successul that regularly scheduled passenger flights began across the Atlantic to Brazil and the United States. In demonstration flights, the Graf Zeppelin traveled to the Arctic and to Palestine, and also circumnavigated the globe. The U.S.Navy acquired a Zeppelin as part of its own dirigible program. Zeppelins logged in over a million miles of passenger travel without loss of life. The passengers traveled in luxury accomodations. We do have an account about the American Zeppelin children who rode aboard the Graf Zeppelin. The Zeppelins were the height of luxury for 1930s tavelers. Large rigid airships, however, had some inherent weaknesses. The Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst was essentially the end of the use of these craft for commercial transport. The Hindenburg conflagration resulted from using hydrogen rathar than helium. But there wee other weakenesses. Large rigid airships were dangerous in bad weather. This was shown in the loss of two U.S. Navy rigid airships. Thus they were not suitable commercial tansport.

Literature and Filns

Zeppelins have featured in a number of books and films. A popular children'ds book is Five Children and It. A Hollywood film was made about the Hidenberg disaster (1975).

Zeppelin Caps

The huge, graceful Zeppelins captured the public imagination. Many boys at the time were captivated by them. Thus some boys wore caps based on those of the crew, although we have not noted very many of them.

Blimps

The related non-rigid blimps proved to have greater military value. They were used by the British as barage balloons during the Battle of Britain (1940). There real importance was the use by the American Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic (1942-45).

Modern Zeppelins

A German reader tells us that some new smaller Zeppelins were built in the 1990s. We do not yet know anything about them.

Individual Experiences

The Germans used the Zeppelins in World War I, but the results were disappointing. After the War they were used as a early form of commercial aviation. They achieved some commercial success, until the Hindenburg disaster. We note Ernest Fischesback, the 15-year old cabin boy on the Graf Zeppelin, in 1929.

Created: June 28, 2003
Last updated: 10:51 PM 1/25/2008