The operating sphere of the new balloons has extended from 100 to
1,200-1,400 kilometers. Secret trial trips of a fully equipped
Zeppelin like X 15, carrying a crew of twenty-four men, six
quick-firing guns, seven tons of explosive, have extended from
Stettin, over the Baltic, over Swedenburg in Sweden, recrossing the
Baltic and landing at Swinemunde, with enough gas, fuel, and
provisions left to keep aloft another thirty-six hours. The distance
all told covered on one of these trips was 1,180 kilometers. This
fact speaks for itself. The return distance from Helgoland to London,
or any midland towns in England, corresponds with the mileage covered
on recent trips. In the event of hostilities between England and
Germany, this statement needs no explanation. That is why I mentioned
that the latter-day Zeppelins were a powerful factor in bringing about
an amiable understanding between those two powerful countries. For
neither the historic wooden walls of Nelson's day nor the steel plates
of her modern navy could help England or any other nation against the
inroads of the monsters of the air.
The capacity of seven tons of explosive does not exhaust the resources
of this type of weapon. I have it on good authority that the new
Zeppelins can carry double that quantity of explosive if necessary.
As the size of these vessels increases, so does the ratio of their
carrying capacity.
Pages:
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251