Dart, that is not limited to "flight sims". IE I learned s**t loads from WII tanks, ballistics and penetration when I was playing WWIIOnline.

I think they would be more confused and wonder what Led Zepplin and Blimps have in common ??


Wheels

Hello,

not those 2 i mentioned :), i'd say compared to what you payed they are a bargain.

Greetings,
Catfish

Zeppelins are a wonder! I wrote up a history when I released the Zeppelin L-11 for FS-WWI (3d model by Mossie). Here it is:



The L-11 enjoyed a successful career, serving as a fighting machine, a trainer and as a camouflage experiment. Thanks to the Zeppelin, Germany gained superiority at the front in 1916 for three months. However, losses continued to be high for Germany. Many airships were famous for being shot down by English aviators or for failing to return due to a storm or other distressing reason. The number of Zeppelins lost due to military action and bad weather during the war was seventy-seven. During its unusually long and successful three-year career the L-11 accomplished many of its expected roles, such as scouting, bombing and as an airship trainee before finishing its career with honors at the Hage hangar in November 1917. The L-11 made its first flight on June 7, 1915. It was built at Lowenthal and sent to and commissioned at its first base at Nordholtz. The airship was 536.4 ft. long with a diameter of 61.35 ft. Its gas capacity was greatly increased from the earlier Zeppelins to 1,126,700 ft. This increase in gas lift saved 35,050 lbs of lift and all this power was contained in 16 gas cells. The L-11 was powered by four Maybach C-X engines of 210 hp each. Each engine had a four bladed-laminated wood propeller. The L-11 could reach a maximum speed of 57.7 mph/h giving an endurance of 2700 miles. In normal conditions it could go as high as 10,500 ft with a crew of 18.

The L-11 was the first Zeppelin built at the new Lowenthal plant, and like the L-10 they were known as the 'P' class Zeppelins. They were an improvement over the others in size and craftsmanship. The crew was made up of a commanding officer, an executive officer and a warrant quartermaster-navigator. There was also a warrant engineer, a sail maker to look after the gas cells, a crew to man the elevators, rudders, radio, and machinists for the four Maybach engines. There was usually a two-shift watch. All Zeppelins were of aluminum construction and covered by doped cloth. But the real controversy today is the real color of the airships. The L-10, 11, 12 etc, were a somewhat grey color. The reason is due to the cotton fabric used for camouflage purposes. The fabric had an imprint of light blue dots and often lines as well. This gave the airship an overall garish-blue look. The canvas was stitched to the girders and then covered with fabric strips glued to them to protect and reinforce the seams. These strips were sometimes lighter or darker than the canvas, and when you consider the weathering effect, gave the overall color. The L-11 was one of only a few which retained its initial grayish color. Wear and tear took its toll on the airships, and they had to be patched with new canvas several times. Therefore different colors would be seen covering large areas. At one time the L-11 spent some time as a training ship and carried a white band around its nose to denote its purpose.

When L-11 was ready for action on June 15, 1915, during one of its first raids an engine malfunctioned and the L-11 had to return home. This was a poor start to its career. However, the L-11 made a commanding comeback in the Battle of Jutland and other naval actions. This is considered the peak of the L-11's career, commanded by Horst Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar. This battle marks an important page in the history of flight, in that for the first time in history an airship took part in a major naval engagement. Aerial navigation was almost non-existent, but the Zeppelins, even for reconnaissance purposes, carried powerful long-range wireless made by the prestigious firm, Telefunken. When the raids to England started in 1915, the Navy's High Command established stations at Nordholtz and Borkum to direct and help their Zeppelins. The wireless made by Telefunken was constantly being improved and sometimes two models in one month were sent to the field to be used in the airships of the army and navy. The Zeppelins patrolled and scouted with great success, and complimented the duties and performance of the German Navy's Minesweeper flotilla. There were always an average of 12 to 15 airships commissioned in constant flights to prevent the British from laying mines in the German shores and waters in the North Sea. The British often came in the night to prevent being seen by the Zeppelins, or during fog or in the mornings when the airships were prevented from flying. But when the day came or the weather improved the airships came to detect the mines, clearly seen from above at a short distance. If only a few mines were present they would be destroyed by machine gun fire. Otherwise, when the mines were laid in rows, the Zeppelin would drop a buoy with a flag at the end of the row as a marker and then would radio the minesweeping flotilla, and help them perform their duty by staying in the air as a lookout. Sometimes the airship would land in the sea next to the Flotilla and take aboard an officer so he could get an idea of the position of the mines, and then return him to his vessel. All this was done only if the sea was calm. Also the Zeppelins carried sea anchors which, when dropped into the sea, helped the airships gain a quiet repose over the sea by counteracting the wind and sea movement. By doing this, ballast tanks in the cars, as good as boats, were filled with water. This would counterbalance the increasing lift produced by the air flowing between the airship and the sea. When the job was done, all they had to do was to drop ballast to make the Zeppelin take-off. During this effort the ship could be maneuvered using its propellers and rudders. This mine clearing operation would happen day after day and was the reason the British could not bottle the German fleet in the North Sea, and why the Zeppelin took precedence over all activities. The L-11 performed 31 scouting flights from a total of 394 flights in its entire career.

On 10 August 1915 the L-11, under the command of Kapitan-Leutnant von Buttlar Brandenfels, and together with the L-10, departed on a raid against England from their base at Nordholz, joining the L-9 and L-13 that took off from Hage. Peter Strasser, the German Naval Airship Division's commander until he was killed when his Zeppelin was shot down in 1918, commanded the incursion aboard L-10. At 20:30 Strasser sent orders instructing each airship to break formation at 21:45 and attack London independently through the west before turning north. Von Buttlar in L-11 reached what he thought was Harwich before a naval battery at Lowestoft fired at him. As the attack was from heavy artillery, the L-11 had to climb higher, and with their mission accomplished, von Buttlar turned for home. It was later said the bombs fell at sea. The mission failed to reach London and was a complete fiasco for the L-11. Again, on August 12, the L-11 and three other Zeppelins embarked on a raid to England. The L-11, again with von Buttlar in command, only managed to reach some miles west of The Helder over the Dutch coast because of foul weather. The storm reached the Zeppelin when it was over the Dogger Bank tossing the airship from side to side. The L-11’s firm construction held off the rain as it came down over its canvas in torrents. Suddenly a Saint Elmo’s fire appeared over the machine guns. It is reported that the lookouts at their posts had haloes around their heads and looked like angels managing the Zeppelin. This is the time when a good commander shows his fiber, as von Buttlar did, taking charge of the situation. He gripped the Zeppelin's direction wheel firm in its position while he shouted orders from his command car. Keeping a cool head, he maintained his ship below the 'pressure height' to avoid the hydrogen escaping from the valves, which could be ignited from the electrical discharges and cause the airship to be blown to pieces. A well commanded ship and the firm resolution of the brave crew saved the L-11. The Zeppelin later landed safely at dawn and safely entered its hangar. All the crew and staff enjoyed a well-deserved 12-hour rest. August 17, 1915 again marked another raid for the L-11, together with L-10. The order of command was simply to attack London, according to the weather of course. The L-11 arrived at Ashford in Kent and then von Buttlar released his bombs. Perhaps the weather was not good, or von Buttlar himself thought he was actually over London. The L-11 continued its flight north and eventually reached Faversham. A gun battery was nearby with a searchlight to protect a gunpowder factory, but the electricity was shut down because of the fear the searchlight would attract the Zeppelin to the factory. Von Buttlar dropped his bombs in a field. The sister ship L-10, under the command of Wenke, went through the London suburbs of Wanstead and Leyton and caused great devastation to the railroads. On September 3 the L-10, under the command of Kptlt. Klaus Hirsh, went down, killing all twenty crew members. This crew was the first naval personnel to die in the war. The next in the line of attacks over England by the L-11 came on October 13, 1915 when it left Nordholz in the company of L-14 and L-15, joining L-13 and L-16 from the Hage base. The initial flight was at 2,600 ft. in overcast weather conditions. The squadron was commanded by Mathy. The L-11 was a bit delayed coming up at the rear, and at 21:30 came under machine gun fire and jettisoned her bombs over Horsttead, Colishall and Great Hautbois. Breithaupt, commanding L-15, did much damage over London, including blowing up a mobile battery, killing its gunners, and going into the heart of London creating havoc despite being under heavy fire. Five airplanes came to attack L-15 but she climbed higher and the airplanes had to return to their aerodromes - their plans to bring L-15 down had been a failure. All the Zeppelins had success in this raid, which turned out to be one of the worst bombings of London by the Zeppelins. The Zeppelins returned home under heavy fog but landed safely. Only the L-15 ran into trouble, failing to find its base and crash landing. She escaped serious damage and was later repaired. The L-11 would take apart in many other missions in its career.

During September 1916, the L-11 changed commanders twice. First was Kptlt. Hollander on the 12th and then Kptlt. D. R. Blew on the 19th. L-11 saw its last days out as a trainer ship where future crews and airship commanders were to be taught the art of flying and working efficiently under difficult conditions. The L-11 was decommissioned on August 5, 1917 and kept inoperative until it was dismantled on November 24, 1917. This ended the brilliant career of a Zeppelin that was never beaten during its hazardous life.

REFERENCES:

The Story of the Zeppelin L-11. José Florez
The Zeppelin in Combat. A History of the German Naval Airship Division- 1912-1918. Douglas H. Robinson.
The Zeppelin in Combat. Third Edition. Douglas H. Robinson.
Giants in the Sky. A History of the Rigid Airship. Douglas H. Robinson.
The Zeppelins. Cap. Ernst Lehmann & Howard Mingos.
The Achievement of the Airship. Guy Hartcup.
Airships. An Illustrated History. Henry Beaubois & Carlo Demand.
Globos y Dirigibles. Juan Maluquer.
Kapitan-Leutnant Horst Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar und Brandenfels, first commander of the Zeppelin L-11.

Zeppelin is a Clasic Rock band
A Blimp is the Fat Lady in spandex getting a Super Jumbo size big Gulp at 7-11.

Hello ArgonV,

thanks, nice to see there are some that are also interested in Zeppelins ! I was contacted over at the aerodrome forum, from a relative of Buttlar-Brandenfels, living in England today. Fascinating stories, really.

Thanks for posting this !

@Jason
B.t.w. the books from Rimmell i mentioned are not expensive at all, don't know how i got this impression:
http://www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk/zeppelin-vol1-17-p.asp
and
http://www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk/zeppelin-vol2-277-p.asp

It's 25 pounds each, so not really expensive, with all those plans an research, most never published before, and if not in context with all this information.

Greetings,
Catfish

LOL, no. Just a big gas bag (like me I suppose)

I've ridden in it (the gondola) and it's so slow they don't even have seat belts

HT

Those are really good prices! Thanks Catfish. I will have to get those! And you're welcome about sharing a bit of history. Zeppelins really are amazing in my eyes.

Ok guys admit it,,you just want to play that Zep scene from "Flyboys" in ROF.