Bomb New York ??

[Barrett]

Dang, that's real Douhet end-of-the-world stuff. Imagine what Spielberg and ILM could do with that concept!
I'd imagine that the supercharged LePeur ship would've been hastened into production as a counter to Zeps but probably not soon enough to make a big difference.

WOW

Can anyone further speculate as to why they did not carry this out? It seems like a gimme.

Could someone have been so insightful as to foresee that the U.S would have just increased their involvment?

Great posts guys, thanks.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Kory Clark:
After the loss of Peter Strasser on the L70 on 6 August 1918, he was the head of the German Naval Airship Division, the offensive heart went out of Airhip Division. A new dynamic leader was needed.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Vigilant]

The SE5a had a ceiling of 22,000 ft. I expect we could have sold you some on lend-lease or something similar When the R-34 made the crossing in July 1919 it needed continuous radio fixes and weather reports. Without these, I should think the German loss rate would have been grim.

Vig.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Vigilant:
* There are a couple of problems here,
1. while negotiations were taking place, 1 to 2 years, I don't think the Airship Division were going to wait.
2. After we got the drawings, we would scratch ourselves and a year later we would start building them. (Remember the US D.H.4).
3. The British R-34 was copied from the L49 which forced landed in France on 20 October 1917. This illustrates the capability of the earlier "u" types which only had a useful lift of 87200 lbs., a service ceiling of 20,000 ft. and full speed endurance of 7600 miles, with 5 engines, the 240 PS Maybach HSLu. The "x" types had a better engine, 245 PS Maybach MbIVa high altitude engine, and the useful lift of 112700 lbs and a service ceiling much higher than the service ceiling of the S.E.5a. Also they carried oxygen for the crew members.
*The problem is at that time we did not have any aeral defenses, because we had the Atlantic Ocean between the US and Europe, we felt we did not need any aerial defenses. *If we had the defense against air attack, we would not know they here until the bombs exploded. Then we would have responded, by which time they would be on their way back to Germany. *
The problems for the airship crews would have been weather and engine failures. By 1918, the 245 PS Maybach MbIVa engines were quite reliable, but 8000 miles is long haul. They could have cruised on 5 of the 6 engines, and rested the engines in turn. Also they had the capability to repair engines in flight.
In regard to navigation, the German used radio stations in Germany to locate their position by triangulation. In addition, they could have used celestial navigation just like the steam ships.
If the German Airship Division had decided to try this in a Squadron action, they would have been very likely successful. They may have not all made the attack, however some of them would have been successful and made it back to Nordholz or Ahlhorn Airship Bases. *Had it been done, it would have caused reaction like Pearl Harbor!
* * * * * * * * * * * *Blue skies,
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *Dan-San

[Tailspin]

Assuming the weather is favorable and the airships successfully raid New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington (6 ships in total, 2 hitting New York and 2 hitting Philadelphia because they're bigger cities in 1918 and have major Naval Shipyards): I submit that there would be several reations. First, the political structure in the US would demand that a Home Defence Force be established to keep the Germans from doing it again. Secondly, the Air Service, particularly Colonel Mitchell, would clamour for a strategic bombing campaign to retaliate against Germany. Thirdly, Admiral Mahan and his supporters in the U.S. Navy would increase the volume of their platform to take the war to the German Navy, possibly bring about the conversion of several American aircraft carriers or a risky plan to steam the battle ships into harms way against the High Seas Fleet (with or without the British - these were a fairly zenophobic cast of characters).
I doubt the Wilson administration would permit the navy to act foolishly. (I hope not, my paternal grandfather was a Machinist Mate on an American destroyer). I do believe they'd allow Mitchell to retaliate. I also believe that the Home Defense squadrons would be established, the Germans would never come again, and all those planes would be diverted from the war effort.

While I have no doubts as to the vehemence of an American reaction to New York or Boston being raided, I doubt Admiral Rodman would have taken the American squadron out to challenge the High Seas Fleet by it's lonesome. And aircraft carriers may have been a little to adventurous for the U.S. navy of the time. But the American public would have been HOWLING for some response, definetly!

Would anyone have any idea of where to point me to find some specs on the Poll Triplane? I know it was covered in The German Giants, but I haven't seen that book in close to twenty years.

[Tailspin]

By all accounts, Admiral Rodman was a practical guy. By many accounts, Admiral Mahan was not. (He, who advocated sticking to large fleets of Pre-Deadnoughts and wanted the war taken to the enemy battle fleet at all costs, was somewhat contreversial). I agree that the Wilson Administration would not recklessly send the navy to Heligoland. The airplane was forced upon the Black Shoe Navy as it was. I wonder if this hypothetical raid would have accelerated the process?

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Tailspin:
What are the "several American carriers" you mentioned? I am quite curious.

Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Barrett]

The US Navy didn't have an aircraft carrier until conversion of the collier Jupiter to USS Langley in 1922. In 1918 the only aircraft carrier afloat was HMS Furious, a hermaphrodite battlecruiser with "flying off" deck over the turrets and around the superstructure.
Ironically, up to 1917 the world leader in shipboard aviation was Russia, with more and better seaplane tenders than anyone!