Britain's Airship Program: Royal Navy vs. the Royal Air Force after World War I 1919-1930

Abstract

In the aftermath of the first aerial bombing raids of London by German zeppelins, the military utility of a dirigible seemed practicable in the 1920s. Like Germany, Britain manufactured numerous rigid and non-rigid airships during the war and by war’s end, operated a significant fleet of seventy-three non-rigid and three rigid airships whose primary function were long patrols to counter the U-boat threat. 1 The British did not view the airship as a strategic bomber as the Germans but Britain’s military planners saw them continuing their naval reconnaissance role as well as serving as a strategic troop transport and communication link for her vast global Empire. The continuation of the British airship program came to highlight the difficulties of country’s dire postwar financial condition and the interservice rivalry between the recently formed Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy in the 1920s. The airship program became a victim to the inability to balance these conflicting needs. Sir Frederick Sykes, Controller-General of the Department of Civil Aviation in a speech before the London Chamber of Commerce just after the armistice in November 1918 stated that the airship had numerous advantages over the airplane and how it could enhance the military and commercial transportation system of the British Empire. 2 During this session, Sykes cited the wartime mission of the German Zeppelin L59. In November 1917, the L59 left from Jamboli, Bulgaria, carrying twelve tons of ammunition to re-supply the German troops fighting in German East Africa. The L59’s commander, Kapitanleutnant Ludwig Bockholt, abandoned the mission when he received a radio message indicating that the troops that he was to assist had already surrendered. Although the mission failed to deliver the supplies, the flight was a significant accomplishment. The zeppelin remained aloft over four days and flew 4,198 miles nonstop. The zeppelin demonstrated its heavy lift capabilities over vast