The Zeppelin P Class was the first Zeppelin
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
type to be produced in quantity after the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Twenty-two of the type were built as well as twelve of a lengthened version, the Q Class. They were used for many of the airship bombing raids on the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in 1915-16, for naval patrol work over the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
and
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
and were also deployed on the eastern and south-eastern fronts.
Design
The P class was an enlarged version of the preceding
M class. On 5 August 1914 the Zeppelin company put forward a proposal to the German Navy Ministry for a design based on
LZ 26. This had been started as a passenger carrying craft for
DELAG
DELAG, acronym for ''Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft'' (German for "German Airship Travel Corporation"), was the List of airlines by foundation, world's first airline to use an aircraft in revenue service. It operated a fleet of zepp ...
and was the first Zeppelin with a
duralumin
Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''.
Its use as a tra ...
framework, and also had the strengthening keel inside the hull structure. The proposed design was larger, with the volume increased from and a fourth engine was added. As well as being larger, allowing a greater range and bomb load, the P class introduced enclosed crew accommodation: the gondolas of the first M class Zeppelins were open.
The P class had a more streamlined hull shape than previous Zeppelins, with only 60 m (197 ft) of the overall length being parallel sided. Power was initially provided by four
Maybach CX six cylinder engines. Later examples were fitted with four
Maybach HSLu engines. The framework was divided into sixteen bays, with an intermediate frame between each of the principal wire-braced ring frames to reduce lateral loads on the triangular section longitudinal girders, of which there were 17, the uppermost of which was doubled to form a W-section girder. The 16 gasbags were usually made from three layers of
goldbeater's skin
Goldbeater's skin is the processed outer membrane of the intestine of an animal, typically cattle, which is valued for its strength against tearing. The term derives from its traditional use as durable layers interleaved between sheets of gold s ...
on a cotton backing, but shortages meant that sometimes heavier rubberised cotton was used instead. Automatic pressure relief valves were placed at the bottom of the gasbags: there was no trunking to carry vented hydrogen to the top of the craft and waste gas simply diffused upwards in the space between gasbags and the covering, whose top surface was left
undoped to allow the hydrogen to escape. Some gasbags were also fitted with a manually operated manoeuvering valve at the top.
[Robinson 1973, pp.96-100] The ship was controlled from the forward gondola, which was divided into two structurally separate sections in order to avoid transmission of engine vibration to the crew accommodation: the small gap between the two sections was faired over with fabric. The forward section was divided into three compartments, with the control area at the front; aft of this was the radio compartment, and then the officer's rest area, the windows of which had a machine-gun mounting either side.
[ The engine compartment contained a single engine driving a propeller at the rear through a reduction gear. The aft engine gondola carried three engines arranged in line, the aft engine driving a propeller at the back of the gondola and the other two driving a pair of propellers mounted either side of the hull. These were reversible to aid manoeuvering during mooring. As in the forward gondola, a machine-gun mounting was fitted either side. Further defensive armament consisted of a single machine gun in a small cockpit at the stern behind the rudders and a gun position mounting two or three machine guns on top of the hull, which was reached by a ladder from the forward gondola. The bomb load was slung from the keel girders, the bombs being electrically released from the control car.][
In late 1915, faced by increasingly effective defensive measures, Zeppelin introduced the Q class. The hull was lengthened by , increasing volume to and the operating ceiling by about . Many of the existing P class airships were similarly lengthened.
]
Service history
P and Q class Zeppelins were operated by both the German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
and the Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
. Although the bombing raids are their best known activity, the majority of the flights made by the naval craft were patrols over the North Sea and the Baltic. The class was obsolete by 1917 and most of the craft that had not been lost to accidents or enemy action had been dismantled by the end of September 1917. The last survivors were LZ 50 (L 16), which had been relegated to training duties and was wrecked at the Nordholz base on 19 October 1917. and LZ 46 (L 14), which carried out 42 reconnaissance missions and 17 attacks on Britain. It survived the war and was destroyed by its crew on 23 June 1919.[Robinson 1971, p.385]
The first P class Zeppelin constructed was LZ 38, assigned to the Army and first flown on 3 May 1915. After a series of raids on the East coast of England, it became the first airship to bomb London on 31 May 1915, dropping of bombs on the eastern suburb of London, killing seven people. A consequence of this raid was that reporting restrictions were introduced in England. Formerly press coverage contained detailed accounts of the location of bombing raids: after this, only generalised locations were published. It carried out five raids on England, before it was destroyed when its shed at Evere
Evere (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). On 1 January 2006, the municipality had a total population of 33,462. The total area is which gives a population density of . In common with all of Brussels' mu ...
was bombed on 7 June 1915.
LZ 40 (L 10) was the first P class flown by the Navy, and bombed London on 4 June 1915. It took part in five raids and made eight reconnaissance flights: on 3 September 1915 it was struck by lightning and crashed in flames in the North Sea near Neuwerk
Neuwerk (; (''Archaic English'': New Werk or Newark) is a tidal island in the Wadden Sea on the German North Sea coast, with a population of 32. Neuwerk is located northwest of Cuxhaven, between the Weser and Elbe estuaries. The distance to t ...
, Germany, with the loss of the entire 20-man crew.
On 8 September 1915 LZ 45 (L 13), commanded by Heinrich Mathy Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
, was the first Zeppelin to bomb central London, setting fire to textile warehouses to the north of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
and causing over half a million pounds worth of damage, around one sixth of all material damage caused by the bombing of Britain during the war.
LZ 47 (LZ 77) and LZ 49 (LZ 79) were deployed to Namur
Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namu ...
in order to carry out bombing raid on Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. LZ 49 (LZ 79) bombed Paris on the 29/30 of January, but was damaged by ground fire and was destroyed in a forced landing at Ath
Ath (; nl, Aat, ; pcd, Ât; wa, Ate) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, Irc ...
in Belgium. The Army Zeppelins were then used to support the German army in the early phases of the battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
. On 21 February, the first day of the German offensive, four of the six available Zeppelins set out to bomb the French supply lines. LZ 65 (LZ 95), the first Q class Zeppelin, was badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire and was destroyed in a crash landing at the base in Namur. The P class LZ 47 (LZ 77) was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Revigny
Revigny () is a commune in the Jura department in the administrative region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
Geography
The Vallière has its source in the southern part of the commune; it flows north through the commune in the ste ...
, catching fire and killing the crew of 11, and LZ 58 (LZ 88) was forced to return to its base by squalls and snow showers.
On the night of 2 - 3 April 1916, LZ 46 (L 14) attacked the city of Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and its port town of Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
in the first ever air raid over Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, dropping 25 high explosive and 19 incendiary bombs. Thirteen people were killed and 24 injured in the attack. A number of buildings were damaged, the most severe being inflicted on a bonded warehouse in Leith which burned down. Two bombs came close to Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
and as a result the Regalia of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland (, gd, Seudan a' Chrùin Albannaich), informally known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, are the regalia that were worn by Scottish monarchs at their coronation. Kept in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle, they date from the ...
was subsequently moved to the castle vaults for safe keeping.
The Army airships LZ 85 and LZ 86 were deployed to the Eastern front. LZ 85 made two successful attacks on Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
but during a third raid was damaged by fire from HMS ''Agamemnon'' on 5 May 1916 and came down in the Vardar marshes.[Robinson 1973, p. 113] The crew of 12 were captured. The framework was salvaged and, partially reconstructed, put on display near the White Tower in Salonika.[.]
LZ 51 (LZ 81) was deployed on the Balkan front, and was used to transport diplomats across hostile Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
to Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
on 9 November 1915. Subsequently, it made two attacks on Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
: it was eventually brought down by ground fire near Turnovo in Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
on 27 September 1916.[
]
P-class airships
;LZ 38: (military serial no. - LZ 38) Imperial German Army
;LZ 40: (military serial no. - L10) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 41: (military serial no. - L11) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 42: (military serial no. - LZ 72) Imperial German Army
;LZ 43: (military serial no. - L12) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 44: (military serial no. - LZ 74) Imperial German Army
;LZ 45: (military serial no. - L13) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 46: (military serial no. - L14) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 47: (military serial no. - LZ 77) Imperial German Army
;LZ 48: (military serial no. - L15) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 49: (military serial no. - LZ 79) Imperial German Army
;LZ 50: (military serial no. - L16) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 51: (military serial no. - LZ 81) Imperial German Army
;LZ 51A: (military serial no. - LZ 81) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 51
;LZ 52: (military serial no. - L18) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 53: (military serial no. - L17) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 54: (military serial no. - L19) Imperial German Navy
;LZ 55: (military serial no. - LZ 85) Imperial German Army
;LZ 56: (military serial no. - LZ 86) Imperial German Army
;LZ 56A: (military serial no. - LZ 86) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 56
;LZ 57: (military serial no. - LZ 87) Imperial German Army
;LZ 57A: (military serial no. - LZ 87) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 57
;LZ 58: (military serial no. - LZ 88) Imperial German Army
;LZ 58A: (military serial no. - LZ 88) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 58
;LZ 60: (military serial no. - LZ 90) Imperial German Army
;LZ 60A: (military serial no. - LZ 90) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 60
;LZ 63: (military serial no. - LZ 93 ) Imperial German Army
;LZ 63A: (military serial no. - LZ 93) Imperial German Army - converted from LZ 63
Specifications
Notes
References
*Cole, Christopher and Cheesman, E. F. ''The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914–1918''. London: Putnam, 1984. .
*Robinson, Douglas H., ''Giants in the Sky'' Henley-on Thames: Foulis, 1973
*Robinson, Douglas H., ''The Zeppelin in Combat'' Henley-on Thames: Foulis, 1971 (3rd ed)
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Zeppelins
1910s German bomber aircraft
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Military airships of World War I
1915 in Germany
Aircraft first flown in 1915