War Ships

[xenith]

"The Low Down Thing That Plays The Low Down Game"

I bought this card for the caption as much as anything.

Posted in Kent, 14 December 1916. Now, I wonder if it's possible to identify which low down thing it is.

Comments

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

Bombing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

I s'pose I could have mentioned this is part of my zeppelin postcard collection? :)

I was wondering which particular species. Most like, it's from DELAG's commercial passenger service prior to WWI, either Hansa



or Viktoria Luise

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you significantly more than I do on that topic. I was just working the title. Seems to me that it's a Zeppelin on a bombing run in WWI which would match up with the curious handle. A low flying dastardly deed doer. I didn't realize that civilians were bombed by dirigible.

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

I never realised airships were used by the military (except maybe a bit of informal surveillance) until I was watching a documentary on airships a couple of years ago. The early years of airships, including the commercial passenger services, seems to get overshadowed by later events. I also didn't know there bombing raids during WWI. I assume it's remembered in places where it happened, but for all the films, books, articles written on WWI, zeppelin raids are just overlooked or ignored.

Anyway, this card (sanctioned by the Official Press Bureau) would seem to be a bit of government propaganda that isn't quite what it seems. I don't know if it's noticable in my scan, but the gondola (in the middle light beam) is shown here as dark with white 'markings', whereas on the other photos it's light with dark markings. It's a negative, and the light beams have probably been added too. An early bit of photo shopping, probably using some convenient image taken elsewhere.

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

That all seems like a reasonable analysis. It's not like they probably stood out so you could take such a nice picture from a very high church steeple, etc..

I don't think the Zeppelin raids lasted too long. Too fragile and slow for war. Expensive way of doing that business once countermeasures were implemented.

Zepplins

[edsed.livejournal.com]

I'm fascinated by these flying machines! Your postcard suggests they're incredibly long.(Though having checked the wikipedia entry one of your other correspondents provided verifies this.)

Alan Bond (I think) had one in Sydney in the 1980's and they were testing it at Randwick Racecourse, next to where I worked on the 8th floor of the library building. I got a good look at it as it flew past close to my level once.

I keep wondering if they'll make a comeback when we run short of aviation fuel?

And I just loved that scene of the Zepp docking with the Empire State Building in Captain Sky and the World of Tomorrow.

Re: Zepplins

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

That would be cool to see!

They do seem to be making a comeback.

These have a webcam but it seems to not be working right now. (http://www.zeppelinflug.de/seiten/D/service_webcam.htm)