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Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airship
Rigid airship

A rigid airship was a type of airship in which the Envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships....
s, specifically of the Zeppelin
Zeppelin

For the English rock group, please see Led Zeppelin. For other meanings please see Zeppelin .A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based on designs he had outlined in 1874, designs he had detailed in 1893, and that were reviewed by committee in 1894, which h...
 type. The company was founded by Count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
 Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand von Zeppelin

Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf von Zeppelin also called Count Zeppelin) was a German aircraft manufacturer, the founder of the Zeppelin Airship company....
. 'Luftschiffbau' is a German word meaning building of airships.

History
Count von Zeppelin had been building various guidable rigid airship prototypes from as early as 1899.






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Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airship
Rigid airship

A rigid airship was a type of airship in which the Envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships....
s, specifically of the Zeppelin
Zeppelin

For the English rock group, please see Led Zeppelin. For other meanings please see Zeppelin .A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based on designs he had outlined in 1874, designs he had detailed in 1893, and that were reviewed by committee in 1894, which h...
 type. The company was founded by Count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
 Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand von Zeppelin

Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf von Zeppelin also called Count Zeppelin) was a German aircraft manufacturer, the founder of the Zeppelin Airship company....
. 'Luftschiffbau' is a German word meaning building of airships.

History


Count von Zeppelin had been building various guidable rigid airship prototypes from as early as 1899. For the first few years, finance for the research was supplied by the count himself, by private donations, and even a lottery. With the growing success of each flight, public interest also grew. In 1908, the 'Zeppelin LZ 4' crashed during a high profile test flight. The failure was somewhat serendipitous, in that it caused a flood of public support. The ensuing donation campaign collected over 6 million German marks which was used to set up both 'Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH' and a Zeppelin foundation.

Luftschiffbau Zeppelin manufactured many Zeppelin
Zeppelin

For the English rock group, please see Led Zeppelin. For other meanings please see Zeppelin .A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based on designs he had outlined in 1874, designs he had detailed in 1893, and that were reviewed by committee in 1894, which h...
 airships for both civilian and military use over the next few decades. However, with the rise of the Nazis
Nazism

Nazism, officially National Socialism , refers to the ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Workers? Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945....
 in 1933, focus shifted to 'heavier than air' aircraft, due to their military superiority (though Zeppelins were used in a number of major propaganda campaigns to great effect). By the onset of World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, demand for the Zeppelins had waned. In fact the last active vessels (LZ 127 and LZ 130) were decommissioned early in the war and salvaged for their precious aluminium
Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....
.

V-2 rocket production

In the Autumn of 1941, Zeppelin Airship Construction Ltd had accepted contracts to produce V-2 rocket propellant tanks and fuselage sections. By August 17, 1942, the Allies had suspected the Zeppelin Works (as well as the Henschel Raxwerke
Raxwerke

Raxwerke was a major locomotive supplier based in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. During World War II, the company also produced lamps for Panzer tanks and Anti-aircraft warfare....
) were involved with the V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket

The V-2 rocket was the first ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight, the progenitor of all modern rockets....
, and on July 25, 1943, Duncan Sandys
Duncan Sandys

Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys Order of the Companions of Honour Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative Party governments in the 1950s and 1960s....
 reported that Friedrichshafen photos depicted rocket firing sites like Test Stand VII
Test Stand VII

Test Stand VII was the principal V-2 rocket testing facility at Peenem?nde and was capable of static firing of rocket motors up to 200 tons thrust....
 at Peenemünde
Peenemünde

Peenem?nde is a village in the northeast of the Germany part of the Usedom island. It stands near the mouth of the Peene river, on the easternmost part of the German Baltic Sea coast....
. Previously in June 1943, allied bombing of Operation Bellicose
Operation Bellicose

The Operation Bellicose strategic bombing in World War II targeted the Nazi Germany Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and the La Spezia, Italy, naval base and was the first use of shuttle bombing in World War II and the second use of a Operation Chastise....
 hit the Zeppelin V-2 facility, and production was subsequently moved to the Mittelwerk
Mittelwerk

Central Works was the underground WWII rocket and aircraft factory operated by the government CentralAdditional Nazi Germany plans for V-2 rocket production at the Operation Bellicose and the Kaiserwald concentration camp Salaspils#World War II near Riga were never fulfilled....
.

Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH still exists as of 2005, and is a major shareholder in the company ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH which is developing and producing the Zeppelin NT
Zeppelin NT

Zeppelin NT is a class of airships being manufactured since the 1990s by the German company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH in Friedrichshafen....
.

See also

  • List of Zeppelins
    List of Zeppelins

    This is a complete list of Zeppelins constructed by the original Germany Zeppelin companies from 1900 until 1938. Other types of rigid airships that are also sometimes referred to as zeppelins are not included....


External links

  • in Friedrichshafen
    Friedrichshafen

    Friedrichshafen is a town on the northern side of Lake Constance in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the Bodensee district in the States of Germany of Baden-W?rttemberg....
  • — The original company, now developing the Zeppelin NT