Assailed by AA guns and explosive and incendiary bullets, or broken by crash landings, the crumpled wreckage of shattered Zeppelins became ever more commonplace as the Great War progressed. However, as Ian Castle describes, only one was destroyed by firing squad.
WAR IN THE AIR: THE ZEPPELINS
The First World War was a time of significant advancement in how wars were fought. Previously, conflict had been restricted to land or sea, but at the dawn of the 20th Century, war took to the air. In 1914, when flight was still in its infancy, and aeroplanes were but flimsy structures of wood and fabric, it seemed to many that the proven technology of airships would come to dominate the air.
At the beginning of the war, several nations possessed airships – although none could compare with the Zeppelin airships developed by Germany; they appeared destined to play a major role in the coming conflict. Indeed, of all the airships flying in 1914, there is no doubt that the giant rigid airships developed by a former German Army officer, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, were the dominant force.
After his first airship flew in 1900, Zeppelin faced numerous trials and tribulations along the way, but his determination in the face of adversity earned him the support of the German people who saw in his work a demonstration of the nation’s technical superiority. His Zeppelin airships became an iconic source of national pride as they flew serenely over Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the German military kept a close eye on developments until, in 1909, the army purchased two Zeppelins for evaluation. Considering the value that airships could bring in a scouting role for the fleet, the German navy then bought their first Zeppelin in 1912.
When war broke out in August 1914, the army had ten rigid airships: nine Zeppelins and a single Schütte-Lanz (a rival firm to Zeppelin). The navy, however, had only one at that time. Both services, though, were awaiting delivery of more.
These rigid airships were a remarkable advancement in aviation, their sheer size would stop people and traffic in their tracks whenever one appeared. Zeppelin airships were the largest aircraft ever to fly, and the firs
