Although the Zeppelin is the main stake of the German people in
matters pertaining to aerial conquest, other types of airships
have not been ignored, as related in another chapter. They have
been fostered upon a smaller but equally effective scale. The
semi-rigid Parseval and Gross craft have met with whole-hearted
support, since they have established their value as vessels of
the air, which is tantamount to the acceptance of their military
value.
The Parseval is pronounced by experts to be the finest expression
of aeronautical engineering so far as Teuton effort is concerned.
Certainly it has placed many notable flights to its credit. The
Gross airship is an equally serviceable craft, its lines of
design and construction closely following those of the early
French supple airships. There are several other craft which have
become more or less recognised by the German nation as
substantial units of war, such as the Ruthemberg,
Siemens-Schukert, and so forth, all of which have proved their
serviceability more or less conclusively. But in the somewhat
constricted Teuton mind the Zeppelin and the Zeppelin only
represents the ultima Thule of aerial navigation and the means
for asserting the universal character of Pan-Germanism as well as
"Kultur.
Pages:
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64