What was the problem with the Zeppelin?

Answer 1

The Germans tried to use the Zepplin as a type of air warfare, dropping bombs with it. However, it didn't work becasue it moved too slowly and was shot down too easily.

Zeppelins were used for raiding many things and used for many other things

Answer 2

At the beginning of the war Zeppelin airships ruled the sky; this was partly because in 1914 there were no guns that shot 'up' into the sky (as there were no aircraft there were no anti-aircraft guns) and partly due to the lack of an effective threat to the airships from aircraft (the airplanes of the were little more than kites and carried no weapons. )

The Zeppelin however had two major problems. as they worked with maps that were drawn from images 'on the ground' the actual landscape rarely matched; hence airships were prone to getting lost and would often bomb the wrong targets. In addition dropping bombs was no easy thing, winds tended to blow the bombs off targets and accuracy was more a matter of luck.

As the war progressed howitzers were modified to fire a shell into the air which exploded in mid air. the Zeppelins simply climbed higher and started bombing at night. This brought its own new problems, it was extremely cold at high attitudes and Zeppelins lacked their own oxygen supply. As well the target got farther away thus making bombing accuracy even harder and targets were even harder to find at night.

Beginning in 1916 airplanes became more heavily armed and began to pursue the Zeppelins but the machine guns they used were often quite ineffective. A plane could unload its entire ammo gun into a Zeppelin and simply cause a bunch of tiny holes, which thanks to the Zeppelins great size were hardly noticed. In fact the first Zeppelin to be brought down by an aircraft was done by a pilot who used a hand grenade. Eventually came the invention of the tracer round, which was a bullet that actually caught fire when it left the gun, these bullets could ignite the hydrogen in the Zeppelin.

All in all the Zeppelin was ineffective except as a Propaganda weapon. more people died of bus accidents in London than from Zeppelin attacks. Even Zeppelin themselves recognized this fact, by the end of the war they were manufacturers of bomber airplanes.

Answer 3

Answer 1: Zeppelins were inflated with Hydrogen gas, which is very explosive. 2: Slow airspeed. 3: Zeppelins had an advantage of altitude early in the war, but airplanes were being developed that could reach their altitude.