Heroes of the Air - German Aeronauts

"Den deutschen Luftschiffern 1914 - 1918" Monument for the German aeronauts

Today I am addressing the subject of the extinct guild of aeronauts, thanks to my friend Ayla who pointed me to the topic by pointing her finger at the moss-grown monument right in front of the St. Johannis basilica in Neukölln. As a result I took two quick photos - and on this page they are!

What a venturous fellow, what a bold heroic face struck in stone ... 

Now, what sinister story is there, hidden amongst the almost impermeable thicket behind the monument?

On July 4, 1900, the gentle reader may have caught an article published in the New York Times announcing the halfway successful airship trial by Count von Zeppelin, which had taken place on the evening of July 2 (see article).

Fifteen years later another article was published in the same paper, this time reporting about "the spectacular Zeppelin raid on London on Sept. 8".

Not so funny: Zeppelin's airships were used to drop bombs in World War I (read full original article from NY Times). The article is truly worth a read as it involves many eyewitness accounts!

Being extremely easy targets and susceptible to gusts of wind, Zeppelins turned out not to be very useful as bombers after all.