Zeppelins: German Airships 1900-40 (New Vanguard)
by Charles Stephenson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charles StephensonIllustrator: Ian Palmer
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-07-25
ISBN: 1841766925
Number of pages: 48
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Book Reviews of Zeppelins: German Airships 1900-40 (New Vanguard)
Book Review: An excellent work at a reasonable price.
Summary: 5 Stars
All authors have to be selective, but given the size of the subject matter compressing it into 48 pages inevitably means a `potted history' that can only be brief. Within those terms however, Osprey have produced an excellent work at a reasonable price.
Here, in one compact volume, the basic history of the German Rigid Airship has been accurately recorded. Indeed it is obvious to the knowledgeable lighter-than-air student that a good deal of research has been carried out amongst the primary sources, as many errors that have appeared in secondary works over the years have not been reproduced.
The book starts off with a summery of the often-confusing numbering scheme that occurred when the airship entered into military or naval service. The numbering system differed between the Army and Navy with the former employing some very unusual practices.
We are then taken through the attempts to develop a practical airship, which, after numerous failures, was eventually successful. To provide competition for the Zeppelin Company, the Army fostered a rival in the form of the Schütte-Lanz Airship Company.
The next section sees the reader told of these gas filled giants being used during the First World War. This includes raids against London, being attacked by enemy aircraft and the development of other classes of Zeppelins.
The final part of the book, covers the development of airships after the war, with their civil use. This phase was effectively terminated with the destruction of the Hindenburg.
The text is succinct and readable whilst a series of well-chosen black and white photographs give good pictorial coverage. There are also a couple of maps, one of which, depicting the integrated air defences of London in 1918, has not appeared before in any other books covering similar subject matter.
The work is illustrated by a series of digital drawings in colour, by Ian Palmer, of individual airships, which are very accurate. He has also produced a series of action paintings: the shooting down of SL11; a `sub-cloud car' or `Spahkorb' in operation; and a defensive experiment showing the dropping of a fighter from underneath an airship. These are dramatic renditions and convey something that a photograph could never equal.
A useful appendix contains a table of all the airships, their specifications, and their fate.
This is not a book designed to take the reader through the technical aspects of the airship, which would require a work many more times the size. It is however a fine book that will give the "first timer" a good introduction to this fascinating aspect of aviation history, and as such is highly recommended.
Summary of Zeppelins: German Airships 1900-40 (New Vanguard)
On 2 July 1900 the people of Friedrichshafen, Germany, witnessed a momentous occasion - the first flight of LZ 1, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's first airship. Although deemed a failure, a succession of better craft (LZ2 to 10) enabled the Zeppelin to expand into the consumer market of airship travel, whilst also providing military craft for the German Army and Navy. The years of the Great War saw the Zeppelins undertake strategic bombing missions against Great Britain. This title covers the post-war fate of the Zeppelins, including the crash of the Hindenburg, and their use by the Luftwaffe at the beginning of World War II.Germany Books
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