THE NEW ZEPPELINS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2752, 22 April 1916, Page 3

THE NEW ZEPPELINS

WAR MANOEUVRES OVER LAKE CONSTANCE. The renewed activity of German airships revives interest in what is going oil at the birthplace of Zeppelins on Lake Constance. The Swiss "St. Gallos Tagblatt" lias an interesting ai'ticlo on the subject, although it is nob without signs of pro-German inspiration. Tho writer says that,' even if one could not get into the actual area of the huge yards and workshops, enough is to be seen from the Swiss banks of the lake, and he asserts that every week either one or two airships are completed for service.- The finished Zeppelin moves off its staples and is brought to the largo "harbour" for airships near the town; front here it makes its trial flights. Meanwhile work goes oil uninterruptedly at two other uew_ airships, which grow in magic fashion, l'rom tho Jlaybach Motorenfabrilc, which is attached to the Zeppelin yards, one hears (says the writer) tho incessant roar of airship motors undergoing their tests; and when the cold north wind across the lake it bears the mighty buzzing and rushing sound right away ever the houses on the Swiss side. »

The test trials, it seoms, aro no longer mere distance trials, but purely and simply war manoeuvres. The form and dimensions of the Zeppelin have altered considerably from the original types. The latest models are much longer and thinner—more fish-shaped— than before, and the two cars hang lower from the body of the airship, apparently without, the usual connection between them, unless a passage has been built into the gigantic body itself. The cars are armoured, and each carries at least six machine-guns and a cannon or two, besides special apparatus for bomb-throwing, and for the discharging of air-torpedoes. The point of the new model shows a metallic gleam up to about_ a fifth-part of the whole length, and it seems that the Zeppelin Company has acquired the Schoop metal-spraying procoss, and probably uses it to reinforce the front part of the envelope. The_ battle manoeuvres are very interesting. One, can'see (says a Swiss writer) that the: Zeppelins . have increased their speed capacity, are mora easily dirigible,_ and have improved con-, siderably their . ascending powers Machine-gun'exercise cg-n be seen and heard, and also experiments with.smok•ng gases, which envelop tho airship suddenly in. an extensive .cloud of mist. If there is any mist or fog about, then the airship can suddenly disappear in . the most mysterious fashion. In the_ night manoeuvres the invisible Zeppelin flashes its searchlights and drops flare bombs which light lip tha darkness of the" lake in a ghostly way for several minutes. As regards the much-talked-of air-torpedoes, naturally nothing is seen of them, but, from hints that leak out, they seem to the writer to be a most important weapon of air warfare. It is said that experiments nave just heen successfully concluded. The newest Zeppelin that the writer saw ■ was labelled L Z 95, and he concludes from, the fact that there is another series labelled only L, that the number of German' airships is well over one hundred. As for losses, the total so far cannot, he says, be placed at more than fifteen. Workshops for the repair of damaged Zeppelins exist in Potsdam, the Rhineland, and Belgium.