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The Golden Days of the Zeppelin
A Zeppelin was a rigid airship developed by German Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin in the late 1800s. The vessel had a light alloy skeleton surrounding hydrogen-gas filled balloons known as “gas bags.” It was powered by an internal combustion engine and guided by complex navigational “fins.” The bottom of the structural frame held a compartment for passengers, crew and storage.
Zeppelins were the first means of commercial air travel. They were flown commercially in 1910 by the German company Delag. By 1914, Zeppelins flew more than 1500 flights and carried 34,000 passengers. Early Zeppelins reached 400 feet in length and traveled up to 50 miles an hour.
At the start of World War I, Germany used Zeppelins for reconnaissance and bombing raids over England. They targeted military sites but errant bombs landed on homes and businesses. Between 1915 and 1916, Zeppelin raids on England killed 474 people and wounded 1416. The civilian deaths had little military impact but the presence of huge, bomb-dropping dirigibles over the city struck fear in all Londoners.
Zeppelins had one fatal flaw. Because they were filled with hydrogen gas, they were flammable. As the war progressed, London installed searchlights and high-caliber anti-aircraft guns. They developed incendiary bullets that could ignite the hydrogen. By 1917, the British became proficient at…
