The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division

This book is an all-inclusive report on a subject in WWI that is considered by many just a curiosity: the combat record of German airships or Zeppelins. The bombing of England by airships triggered a sequence of events that led directly to WWII. The unbelievably inaccuracy in navigation and aiming with the primitive systems of WWI caused an apparently undiscriminated bombing of civilian houses and buildings, with loss of property and human lives, children included, contributing heavily to the formation of the stereotyped picture of the "bloodthirsty Huns" attached to Germans. This was one of the causes of the hatred for Germany and Germans (whose echoes are evident even today) that influenced the hard sanctions imposed to Germany with the Versailles Peace Treaty, in turn causing the crisis of post-WWI Germany, the collapse of the Weimar Republic, the Birth of the Nazi Party and the tragedies that followed.The actions of the airships bring a tribute to the bravery of their airmen: to fly an airship was already Dangerous in peaceful times, to fly it over an enemy country with no assistance from the ground and the air defences trying to shoot you down at any cost was extremely Dangerous, and in the last years of WWI, practically suicidal. Notwithstanding this, volunteers from the German NAvy and Army never lacked and they kept pressing their bombing raids even when they were sure of never coming back.The book is stuffed with pictures and blueprints of the period. It does not address technical (engineering) matters about airships if not incidentally, it is a narration of the combat activities of the German airships in WWI.

A thorough and informative history of the first real strategic air campaign in history by the zeppelins of the German Navy against Great Britain during the First World War. Long before B-52 attacks against North Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s and raids by thousands of USAAF and RAF heavy bombers against Germany and the B-29 attacks against Japan, attacks by individual lighter than air rigid airships almost accomplish what later never could; terrorizing the civilian population of a powerful country such as Great Britain to the point of hysteria.Fortunately for Britain, which was totally unprepared against the attacks by the airship that could fly well above the range of its guns and sircraft, the German Navy suffered serious losses to the worst enemies of all air forces; weather and 'pilot error.'If you have any interest whatsoever in airships, World War I aviation or the development of strategic bombing; this book is a 'must read.'

This esoteric work is a gem for the history buff as well as for the airship enthusiast. The photos alone make the book worthy enough to justify the effort of cracking open one's wallet. The information on the airships - or should I say "big slow explosive aerial targets" - and the intrepid units that flew them appears to be well-researched. If only all the world's power-hungry aggressors put so much effort into doomed ideas like the airship, we'd live in a more peaceful, albiet smokier, world.

Best book on the market for a deep dive into the complete history of Germany's naval zeppelins.

Excellent book coving in detail the development, design and history of every Zeppelin used by the German Navy in WWI. This is the book to get if you want the facts!

Large text, hundreds of beautiful photos and diagrams, and loads of operational history. An excellent companion to Gregory Smith's Zeppelin Raider wargame. Book is well worth the price and highly recommended.

Wonderful book, beautifully bound, filled with details and lavishly illustrated. A great read for war buffs and Zeppelin fans alike.

Absolutely great collectors book, includes amazing set of historical documents: flight logs, orders, some schematics, many rare photographs, and in depth exploration of the subject. Should be very valuable source for anyone interested in the usage of German airships during the Great War.

I first read this book some 40 years ago and had fond memories of it.After a visit to the Deutsche Soldatenfriedhof at Cannock Chase and the graves of the SL11, L32, L31 & L48 my interest was renewed.This is a relatively expensive book - however in my opinion it is the definitive book available on the Zeppelin and it's service with the Naval Airship Division. Fully illustrated with fantastic photographs, it tells the history from early beginnings right through the war. The appendices list mission details and final outcome for each craft.If you are remotely interested in Zeppelins buy this book. Just wish there was a similar treatise for the Army Zeppelins

Great book on world war one Zeppelins mainly covers German Naval Airship Division which was the main arm in using Zeppelins as bombers over the UK main land as well as general reconnaissance over sea and land.

Particulary liked the photos of the structures of the airships. The text is a lot less than the first edition, but this is balanced out by the multitude of pictures

Great amount of information on a subject not that well published.