ports in Germany. Many hangars and workshops
in Germany today were put up by the company using specially patented
construction methods. In all some twenty-four complete airship harbors
have been built from start to finish by this organization, which is
under the management of Mr. Milatz and his staff of experts varying
between 20 and a hundred members.

Zeppelin Production of Airplanes

In 1916, the airship building personnel conducted experiments with
airplanes made of airship duralumin girders covered with fabric. The
object was to secure a plane which would meet the technical requirements
of aerial photography. Though their activities were devoted to the
airship building programme, the engineers managed to produce an
experimental machine of that type. On its first trials, it proved so
superior to existing types that the army urgently requested early
delivery of a number of machines. There was little time to do the work,
however, and at the end of the war only twenty had been completed. They
were destroyed, afterward, under the terms of the Versailles treaty.

[PLATE 38: "DELAG" Passenger Zeppelin "Bodensee".]

There were other airplane enterprises organized by Count Zeppelin, which
remain today leaders in their respective fields. Zeppelin was the first
person to conceive of the giant all-metal flying boats (Plates 21 and
22), and all-metal airplanes.

The Zeppelin-Dornier Metal Monoplanes

He organized a small group within the parent company,
Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin, in 1912. It was the first concern exclusively
engaged in all-metal airplane construction. Today the great plant of
Dornier Metallbau G.M.B.H. at Seemoos, near Friedrichshafen is noted the
world over for its remarkable development in heavier-than-air craft,
which are named Dornier, after the manager and chief engineer. From the
first Count Zeppelin placed at the disposal of Claude Dornier ample
funds with which he was able to follow utterly new and original methods
in developing all-metal planes on a strictly scientific basis.

It had never been done before. The plant in six years developed from a
small experimental workshop to one of the largest in the world. At
Seemoos there are located a great hangar, office buildings, workshops,
turntables, slips and other facilities for landing and withdrawing the
huge Dornier flying boats. Another great factory was erected at Lindau
in 1918 but has not been used for reasons of economy.

[PLATE 39