The Zeppelin

Hi! I am new on the Aerodrome and I must say it is the best WW1 site I have ever seen!

Now to my question: How was the Zeppelin, or airships in general, used in the war? I know the were used for strategic (terror) bombing, but were they also used for tactical strikes?

[Ross_Moorhouse]

Hi and welcome.

One was used in an abortive attempt to get supplies to West Africa to the beleaguer German forces. I can't for the life of me remember which one though. I do know.. Just too early in the morning for the grey matter to matter.

[FrankHipper]

That's the L59 you're thinking of Mr. Moorhouse.

Zeppelins were used as naval scouts, as well. Not with much success, though.

[Tailspin]

Airship attacks were strategic raids. The assigned tatgets were military, docks, factories, railroad yards,etc. Of course, the accuracy of these bombing raids wasn't very good and many civilian targets were hit, but that was also the case for fixed wing strategic bombing by both sides. An airship was like a boxer with a glass jaw - one hit in the wrong place and it blew up. The Germans relegated them to maritime reconnaissiance, where the defences were less. (In WW II the US Navy tried to keep the lighter than air craft away from the Luftwaffe, too).

[Volker_Nemsch]

Hello gollummen!

Welcome to the Aerodrome Forum!


I found a website concerning the use of Zeppelins during WW1. Maybe it is of some help for you. I´ll try to find some more information today ...

http://www.ch2bc.org/zepplins/zeppelin6.htm

[Vigilant]

In 1914 Zeppelins saw limited service in the tactical role. On 21Aug14 Z7 and Z8 bombed French troop concentrations in Alsace with a total of 660 kg of bombs. Both were hit by ground fire: Z7 was ordered to circle the target area at 2,500 ft. by the staff officer in command; and Z8 suffering some friendly fire, which is ridiculous since large airships were an almost exclusively German asset!

Following disasterous early losses in 1914, Zeppelins were relegated to strategic night bombing and coastal work.

BTW does anyone know what the 'policy difference' was that led Graf von Zeppelin to end his association with the Army in 1915? Was it to do with these losses? TIA.

Vig.

[Barrett]

I've not looked at the histories lately, but Zeppelin was a retired army general who did not get along with The Establishment. He was not a Prussian and therefore felt (perhaps justifiably) that his career was stunted due to parochialism. Anyway, he became more influential in naval circles than the Old Boy Network in his own service.

[Vigilant]

You are of course right, Barrett. It was the Navy not the Army. The passage I was thinking of appears in William H Longyard's WHO'S WHO IN AVIAION HISTORY:

"Von Zeppelin himself was an able airship pilot, even into his seventies. After a Zeppelin exploded killing twenty-eight men in 1915, he became embroiled in a policy dispute with the Naval Office which resulted in him turning his back on his own creation."

I was wondering if anyone knew the details of the dispute. Having re-read the passage now, I assume it was to do with safety issues.

Vig.

Thanks everybody!

It have been most informative