First World War tech: Zeppelins

First World War tech: Zeppelins

When a German aristocrat Brigadier General Ferdinand Zeppelin retired from the army in 1891, he devoted himself to the study of aeronautics.

His proposals to the government for a lighter-than-air flying machine were rejected in 1894, but nevertheless he would invest all his money into a company producing airships.

By 1898 Zeppelin had constructed his first airship.

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Credit:

Narrator:

Chris Kane

Animation:
Daniel Turner

Artwork:
Daniel turner
Victoria Volodina

Music Credit

Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner

Pictures: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

[steppebro]

Imagine growing up on a farm or in a small village your entire life and then being conscripted into the army to find yourself having to fight these colossal extraterrestrial looking flying machines

[thetruegungingingayearsa]

WW1: giant beast that should be feared
BF1: *_F r e e D a m a g e_*

[ordersquamata]

Such beautiful machines...



Until they crash on your base, on fire.

[TheakkerB]

"After the war, Zeppelins were used for civilian transport. UNTIL..."

[engineercentral]

The enemy is being reenforced with an airship

[hungtruong]

I'm supposed to be playing Battlefield 1 today, but this one Zeppelin keeps kicking my ass.

[allenrivera]

"The enemy is being reinforced with an airship"

[Simplehistory]

"The crew numbered nineteen. One body was found in the field some distance from the wreckage. He must have jumped from the doomed Zeppelin crew From a contemporary illustration, 1915 airship from a considerable height. So great was the force with which he struck the ground that I saw the imprint of his body clearly defined in the stubbly grass. There was a round hole for the head, then deep impressions of the trunk, with outstretched arms, and finally the widely separated legs. Life was in him when he was picked up, but the spark soon went out. He was, in fact, the Commander, who had been in one of the gondolas hanging from the airship. . ." MacDonagh, Michael, In London during the Great War; the diary of a journalist (1935)

[Sir_Slice]

Blackburn: "Woah, We got trouble"
Wilson: "Oh no, don't you be getting any ideas!"
Blackburn: "You did say you wanted a medal didn't ya?'

[scouttf]

A zeppelin flying out of a black cloud of smoke would be both badass and terrifying

[UgandanAirForce]

used for civillian transport after the Hindenburg

[justanotheryoutubechannel]

Zeppelins were huge, beautiful and incredible creations and I’d love to see these things make a return as civilian transport. They wouldn’t be very useful for air travel like a plane, but as a “air cruise ship” they could be awesome.

[DavidAWA]

Whenever one side was losing, a Zeppelin would magically appear to reinforce that side. It rarely turned the tide of battle and soldiers often referred to it as the Welfare Blimp.

[alucard]

*me controlling the airship*

Anti air planes: allow us to introduce ourselves

[battleshipfleet]

Zeppelins were extremely durable especially in the beginning stages of ww1 since they had such a high service ceiling and were so dense with hydrogen it was hard to make them spark with a severe lack of oxygen. also planes couldn't reach the Zeppelins at the altitude at which they bombed at the beginning of the war. towards the later half of ww1 yes they did suffer from incendiary bullets and planes that could actually get up to that altitude.

[GenericAnomaly]

The night winds are humming
My engines are thrumming
Swift as a spark
Through the night and dark
I am silently speeding
Hovering grim and grey
Over my human prey
Sowing the deadly seeds in dearth
Unto the condemned Earth
Where great nations lie bleeding.

Ship, without sails am I
Bird, without wings am I
Lord of the Gales am I
Terror of Kings am I
I am the Zeppelin

The cities are sleeping
Their searchlights sweeping
Into the skies
I advance, I arise
Where the distance grows vaster
See where the skies grow red-
Lit by the bombs I shed
Stealthy and swift
I fling them my gift,
Death and disaster

Mark well the flight of me.
Ships! Have care at me.
Shrink at the sight of me!
Cities! Beware of me!
I am the Zeppelin.

[benberkebile]

2:01 I guess Zeppelins were Ver-done after that

[MrDoogz]

The Empire State Building has a zeppelin docking station as when building, people thought zeppelins would replace planes.

[CaptainrdGaming]

That moment when you hear ride of the valkryies playing, you know that Simple History just got real!

[MikeGubisch]

Pretty crazy how intimidating it would be seeing one of those slowly creep into the battlefield