Zeppelins were originally named after Count von Zeppelin, a retired German army officer. He developed his design, and flew his first airship in 1900. The airship was made up of a large balloon, filled with hydrogen, which is lighter than air, to make it go upwards. Underneath the balloon, is a “gondola” or cabin, which contains the controls. The Zeppelins could have four Mercedes engines of 200 horse power each, and its direction and height could be controlled, by vertical rudders and horizontal elevators, to a much greater extent than an ordinary balloon in which only the height can be controlled by the use of ballast.
Count von Zeppelin persuaded the Kaiser to buy his air ships. They were successfully tested before June 1908, and the Kaiser was informed of this. The first Zeppelin was bought in 1909. By the outbreak of war in 1914 the Germans had seven Zeppelins. With the deadlock of trench warfare, Germany started to attack British towns from the air. The victims were mainly on the east coast of England – King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Hull, in 1915. On 4th April 1915 there was a Zeppelin raid over Northumberland, the most northerly county in England.
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