This blind child-like faith has been responsible for the establishment
and development of the Zeppelin factories. At Friedrichshafen the
facilities are adequate to produce two of these vessels per month, while
another factory of a similar capacity has been established at Berlin.
Unfortunately such big craft demand large docks to accommodate them, and
in turn a large structure of this character constitutes an easy mark
for hostile attack, as the raiding airmen of the Allies have proved very
convincingly.

But the Zeppelin must not be under-rated. Magnificent performances have
been recorded by these vessels, such as the round 1,000 miles' trip in
1909, and several other equally brilliant feats since that date. It
is quite true that each astounding achievement has been attended by an
equally stupendous accident, but that is accepted as a mere incidental
detail by the faithful Teutonic nation. Many vivid prophecies of the
forthcoming flights by Zeppelin have been uttered, and it is quite
probable that more than one will be fulfilled, but success will be
attributable rather to accident than design.

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."

CHAPTER IV. AIRSHIPS OF WAR

So much has been said and written concerning t