Zeppelin L 48
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin · Germany · first flew 1917 · bomber
Zeppelin L 48 was a German naval airship of the R-class series, one of the so-called 'height-climbers' designed to operate above the ceiling of British home-defence fighters during bombing raids on England.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 6 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 196.4 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- rigid airship of the R-class (height-climber) series
- six Maybach engines in external gondolas
- length approximately 196 m — among the longest Zeppelins built
Characteristic Zeppelin rigid airship outline: tapering cylindrical hull nearly 200 m long, multiple engine gondolas slung below the hull, large cruciform tail fins, and a main command gondola under the nose. The R-class ships are slimmer in proportion to length than earlier types.
Specifications
- The Zeppelin L 48 has a length of 196.4 m (644 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 23.9 m (78 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 103 km/h (64 mph).
- Typical crew: 19.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Commissioned in early 1917, L 48 belonged to the R-class Zeppelins that used lightweight construction and high-compression engines to reach operational altitudes above 5,000 metres. On 17 June 1917 it was shot down over Suffolk by British aircraft equipped with incendiary ammunition — one of the first height-climbers to be destroyed — proving that the altitude advantage was not absolute. Only three of the 19-man crew survived.
Variants
L 48 was part of the R-class series; sister ships included L 41 through L 61 with minor detail differences.
Where you'll see it
Operated by the German Imperial Navy's airship division for raids on England in 1917 before its destruction in combat over Suffolk on its second operational bombing sortie.
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