For the "Zeppelin" Fans

[Olham 164]

For Wels/Catfish, and other Zeppelin fans.

 

Sometimes, life shows unexpected coincidences. Now, that I am interested in WW1 aircraft, I find an article

in my native hometown paper, about a look-out post on the island of Norderney.

A photograph showed a heavy machine gun and a telescope on a platform, on top of a huge sand dune. I read,

this guard had to observe the sky above the north sea, to look out for English "Zeppelins" and so to guard the

Luftschiffhafen Hage.

I hadn't even known, England had such airships. And I hadn't known, there was a "Zeppelin" base in Ostfriesland.

After some research, I found something about the base. I saw, that the hospital, where I was born, had been a

part of this former airship base. Peculiar feeling...

 

During WW1, Hage was an important Luftschiffhafen (airship base) of the Kaiserliche Marine. Two such bases

where built in Ostfriesland; the other was in Wittmundhafen. Altogether, the Deutsche Marine (German Navy)

built 15 such bases.

 

The base at Hage had 4 big Luftschiffhallen (airship hangars); each was 184 m long, 34 m wide and 28 m high.

The base was built from November 1913 to April 1914. After the war, in the 1920s, they got destructed again.

Up to 9 Luftschiffe where based in Hage.

The "Zeppelins" where used for long range reconnaissance of enemy fleet movements, and also for bombing raids

of land based and Naval targets.

 

For start and landing of a "Zeppelin", many hands where needed. The tail end was held by 25 men, port and starbord

side both needed 25 men again; the remaining cables and ropes got handled by 45 more men. It needed almost 200 men

to start and land a Luftschiff safely.

Hage had about 660 groundcrew men; also, there where 30 fighter aircraft with pilots for defense of the base.

 

One picture shows a Luftschiff over my hometown Norden; the windmill still exists there.

 

 

http://www.pilotundluftschiff.de/Hallehage.htm

Edited June 21, 2009 by Olham

[Hauksbee 103]

What wonderful things we find when we start poking around in our parents past. Good to have you back, Olham.

Edited June 21, 2009 by Hauksbee

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Amazing coincidence!

[Olham 164]

Do you know anything about English kinda Zeps, Widowmaker?

[Hasse Wind 46]

Fascinating stuff. You never know what you may find when you dig into history - places and areas you thought you knew like your own pockets may well hold secrets and little-known stories like in this case.

 

Edit: Wikipedia has some info about Entente airships: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship#World_War_I

Edited June 21, 2009 by Hasse Wind

[Rickitycrate 10]

Very interesting stuff Olham. If they were flying the Zeps today maybe you and I could find work handling the lines.

 

For start and landing of a "Zeppelin", many hands where needed. The tail end was held by 25 men, port and starbord

side both needed 25 men again; the remaining cables and ropes got handled by 45 more men. It needed almost 200 men

to start and land a Luftschiff safely.

Hage had about 660 groundcrew men; also, there where 30 fighter aircraft with pilots for defense of the base.

 

Would beat what I'm doing now.

[Olham 164]

Yep, tough times, Rickity! I'm earning very little recently; but so are many colleagues.

But we will come out the other end!

And until then, we find comfort in our crates. (Well - maybe comfort isn't really the right word - Lol!)

[Rickitycrate 10]

well now I don't know about you but I got a wicker ass goin on over here

[Olham 164]

What is a "wicker ass" ?

[Rickitycrate 10]

It's the pattern in my backside after sitting long hours in my crate. The seat is made from wicker. Historically speaking that is. So you might say my virtual ass.

[Olham 164]

Oh me oh my - I looked up "wicker" - what crate are you flying?

Perhaps you want to change to an Albatros? Surface of the seat: padded leather - very comfortable!

So, I can't complain. Make about three or four sorties per day; sometimes they are tough enough to

make me tired really. Maybe I'm getting old? No - I won't get old! Lol!!

[Check Six 2]

The seating might have been more comfortable if you were sitting on a parachute. Pity the brass hats didn't think it quite the right thing to do. Abandon my aircraft!!!! Not unless she was on fire Sir!!!

 

Nice Pics by the way Olham. You're quite lucky that the RNAS didn't hop over and level your airship sheds, and damage your beautiful hometown. Nice to hear the windmill is still there. Hope they keep looking after it.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Steve Drew

[Olham 164]

Two pictures of soldiers on the above mentioned watchpost dune on the island of Norderney.

[Rickitycrate 10]

I wonder my friend if in discovering the info in this thread you now feel even closer to the events in our wonderful sim? I would wonder if you have a relative that was a pilot or mechanic or soldier in the trenches during the Great War. You are not so far removed from the history. Even I have made minor attempts to look for my family names in Squadron rosters and so forth. My people came from Britain and Germany, the midwest and east coast of U.S.. So far no luck but I am kind of excited for you to maybe identify even more with interest and love of BH&H. I know I would.

[Hasse Wind 46]

I would wonder if you have a relative that was a pilot or mechanic or soldier in the trenches during the Great War. You are not so far removed from the history.

 

I believe many forum members here are related at least to some people who served either in WW1 or WW2 or both. They were such huge conflicts that it was practically impossible not to have some part in them if you were a young (or not so young) man back then. I know my family had plenty of war veterans, though none of them are alive today.

[Olham 164]

Yes, my dad's father had been an infantery soldier, but I don't know where exactly.

He was sent home after a forward attack, in which both his arms had been shot through by machine gun fire.

There was also a far away relative, a pilot named Jeschonnek, but I don't know more about him, except that

he was a high ranking officer in WW 2.

My mother's dad was too young for WW 1, and too old for WW 2 - lucky man!

[Hasse Wind 46]

My mother's dad was too young for WW 1, and too old for WW 2 - lucky man!

 

He was indeed lucky, because during the last months of the Third Reich the Volkssturm was recruiting men who could be over 60 years old at worst. I guess he was able to stay under their radar, so to speak.

 

All of the vets that I know about in my family served in the army during WW2, most of them in infantry, but one was a medic and another an artilleryman.

[Olham 164]

I guess he was able to stay under their radar, so to speak.

 

No, he died from cancer in 1942. Maybe, "lucky man" wasn't really the right word...

Which nationality are you?

[Rickitycrate 10]

Some how it seems my family have not been engaged in combat. My father sufferred polio when 18 and was a farmer. I do remember my uncle Bill flying off to Germany in the early 60's for U.S. Army service. I was at the airport for his departure and I was impressed by the large transport that he was on. I was 4 or 5 at the time.

[Hasse Wind 46]

Which nationality are you?

 

I'm a hodgepodge of nationalities actually. I was born in Estonia into a family who are descendants of Germans who migrated to the Baltic area centuries ago. There are also Russians and 'original' Estonians in the family tree. But I'm now living in Finland where I went in the 90s and have been a citizen for 11 years now. I've also lived in Germany for a couple of years, but decided to stay in Finland mostly for cultural and language reasons.

[Olham 164]

Finland - land of thousand lakes. Must be beautiful in summer.

I hope you'll keep on flying my side, at least with one of your pilots.

I feel like a minority here.