Zeppelin “L-70” Naval Airship Entering Largest Shed at Friedrichshafen. Winter of 1918.
Naturally the first airship was ordered by the Deutsche Luftschiffahrt A. G. (“DELAG”)—the German Airship Transportation Company—which had a paid in capital of 3,000,000 marks ($714,000.00) subscribed by a number of public spirited men solely to start a Zeppelin passenger and mail service. It was planned to employ larger ships than those with which Zeppelin had convinced the public, to secure greater lifting and carrying capacity. These ships developed rapidly.
Military Value Proved by Commercial Operation
They attracted attention among the military authorities who had decided that the Zeppelins offered advantages over the existing types of observation aircraft, that they were in no way difficult to handle in the air or on the ground and, in fact, were better adapted to military purposes than others previously built. A deciding factor in favor of the Zeppelins was the ease with which they could be put into their sheds after each flight. The Government, accordingly, ordered three airships built and equipped for military service. Their performance was kept secret but they were accepted and obviously performed equally as well as their contemporary commercial craft.
There was the Zeppelin “Sachsen” which flew to Vienna from Baden-Baden in less than eight hours. This commercial flight led the German army to buy three more military ships of the “Sachsen” type.
Activities Early in the War
The Navy followed suit and in October, 1912, bought the L-1 ([Plate 6]), for experimental and training purposes in connection with the fleet. The L-1 carried 706,200 cubic feet (20,000 cubic meters) of Hydrogen and proved its worth on its trial flight from Friedrichshafen, thence north over Germany to Helgoland in the North Sea, thence to the Baltic, side trips here and there, and finally to the airship harbor at Johannisthal where it was to be stationed. The flight lasted 34 hours.
| Year | Builder's Designation | |
| 1900 | LZ-1 | |
| 1908 | LZ-5 | |
| 1913 | LZ-18 | |
| 1915 | LZ-40 | |
| 1916 | LZ-62 | |
| 1917 | LZ-104 African Ship | |
| 1918 | LZ-113 Last of War Types | |
| 1919 | LZ-120 “Bodensee” and “Nordstern” |
Development of the Zeppelin from 1900 to 1919.