Airship travel 1909

                              

From rigid airships like Z1 to dirigibles like "CLOUTH Airship"

 

 

Deutsches Luftschifffahrt-Museum

   Flughafen Butzweilerhof  Slideshow

 

The first ascent of a manned balloon in Germany took place on 3 October 1785 in Frankfurt am Main. [3] The Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, introduces a series of ballooning demonstrations on German soil, making the balloon travel widely known in the German Reich. [4]

In the following the history of the beginnings of the balloon and airship in Cologne until 1912 is sketched. Starting from the end of the 18th century. This chronological demolition closes with the founding of the military air station "Butzweilerhof" in 1912. The focus of the description is on the aircrafts "Lighter than Air" and the related events within the cathedral city. Especially the "Freiballon" (no scaffolding errection) is up to the beginning of the 20. century the only aircraft of importance; Airships or airplanes - later dominant - have not yet been fully developed, as there is still a lack of suitable propulsion for these aircrafts. The beginning of the "Motorfliegerei" (engined objects) in Cologne with the aircraft "heavier than air" is largely excluded in the context of this consideration. That chapter in Cologne's history of aviation requires a separate presentation, as it is just as complex as event-driven and flight pioneers, like this one, which is to be described here.

This presentation is mainly based on the documents and records compiled and archived by the Butzweilerhof Foundation in Cologne [5] In addition, general literature on the history of aviation as well as corresponding documents from archives are used to round out the picture.
 

II. Civil and military balloon and airship

II. 1 Civilian balloon and airship

The first attempt to conquer Cologne in Cologne, which however remained unsuccessful, is handed down for the year 1785. When Jean-Pierre Blanchard arrives in Cologne on October 21, 1785, on his round trip through the German Empire, the latter sends a request to the city to be allowed to rise in the Rhine metropolis with his balloon. The Cologne City Council rejected Blanchard's request: the city fathers argue that it is presumptuous against God's mercy to do such things. [6] The city of Cologne issues a start ban and allows the trained mechanic and engineer only a public presentation of his balloon. With the approval of the balloon ascent two and a half weeks earlier, the City Council of Frankfurt a. Main was more open-minded than the cathedral city. [7]
The refusal of Cologne's mayor of the Cologne may be due to the fact that the balloon was regarded as a symbol of enlightenment and technical progress, some even as a sign of revolution and upheaval. The predominantly bourgeois conservative population and the cathedral city, which is concerned with peace and order, probably want to distance itself from these political dimensions. [8]

Despite this concern on the part of the city, balloon climbs can not be completely removed from the surrounding countryside of Cologne or the Rhineland. [9] In May, June and July, 1788, the Land Physician of the Monheim Office, Georg Haffner, opened a balloon of his own design in Deutz. [10] Haffner announced his plan in advance by means of a newspaper. [11] Only after clearing out some concerns of the archbishop of Cologne and Elector Maximilian Franz, a Deutzer Amtmann (civil servand) - Deutz was then still a neighbor city of Cologne [12] - with permission of the Cologne Stadtherren Haffner_'s permission for his balloon demonstration. [13] Further balloon ascents from Haffner, whether without or with human occupation, seem to have stopped. According to Haffner's departure from Deutz, there are several letters of complaint which the aeronauts are alleged to be in breach of payment. [14]

Like the Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard, the "balloonist of the first European aviation enthusiasm" [15], Georg Haffner is one of the few professional aviators at the end of the 18th century in Europe. He belongs to the group of showman aeronauts, who follow the example of Blanchard and run the ballooning professionally from genuine enthusiasm. Often they have to finance the construction of their balloons themselves from the revenues of their performances. At this time, only a few people are allowed to ascend. The balloonists call themselves 'aeronauts' or to German 'Luftschiffer'; As "captains" they "ride" in the "air sea" and dress in marine uniforms.

In the course of the 19th century, Balloon demonstrations are gaining popularity by famous and less prominent aeronauts. In addition to the events in well-known amusement centers in front of an 'upscale' public, the balloon also plays an attractive role in the annual markets and national festivals. By enriching the previous flight program, parachute jumps and night trips, the conditions for an increased and wider publicity of the balloon are created. Initially it is mainly foreign aviatics who perform balloon demonstrations in Germany: "Germany did not have balloons in the 19th century either of international reputation. "[16]

Accordingly, numerous climbs are also taking place in Cologne mainly by French and English aeronauts. The aeronauts Sinval and Guerin could have organized such demonstrations in Cologne in April and May of 1808. In the Cologne newspapers "Gazette Française de Cologne" and "Der Verkündiger", they are often advertised. [17] In this, they announce their intention to get a balloon, from which Monsieur Guerin will then jump with a parachute.
At the beginning of May, 1847, the Englishman Charles Green [18] gave a guest performance in the cathedral, where he carried out two ballooning competitions. [19] During his stay, Green presents his balloon with an improved parachute for sightseeing. Green is one of the most famous and successful aeronauts of the 19th century. In his self-designed 'Royal Vauxhall balloon' he succeeded on 7th / November 1836 a spectacular journey from London to the Duchy of Nassau.
In March, 1878, Gustave Landreau, an aviatist from Brussels, asked the Cologne police chairman to be allowed to rise in the city together with his colleague, Palont, on May 15 and 19, 1878. [20]
A remarkable personality of the Cologne balloon history of the late 19th century is Maximilian Wolff. The learned bookbinder master is one of the founding members of the "German Association for the Promotion of Air Navigation", founded in Berlin on September 8, 1881, the oldest organization of aviation-inspired people. [21] In 1889 Wolff was again found in Cologne as an engineer and executive director of the "Ballon-Sport-Club Cöln, founded 1888". In 1890, he founded the "Verein zur Förderung der Luftschiffahrt, Cöln" as a counterpart to the Berlin predecessor and became the chief editor of the collection "Das Luftschiff" [22]. Since the 1880s, the Aeronaut has been running a permanent attraction in the Riehler "Golden Corner" (Goldenes Eck) [23] by balloon flights with passengers, which make it well known across the borders of Cologne. Thus, Wolff uses his practical knowledge in the field of air shipping to earn money.

Spectacular is the performance in the late evening of June 10, 1889, during the "General Exhibition for Household Supplies and Food" in the Riehler "Golden Corner". [24] On an approximately 50 m long rope his balloon 'Hohenzollern' draws a "compilation of different fireworks bodies", according to the report of a Cologne newspaper [25]. At some altitude Wolff ignites numerous colorful light-bulbs that illuminate the sky above Cologne.
Two days earlier, Wolff had a misfortune in the course of the "International Sports Exhibition" [26] taking place there at the same time: his balloon 'Colonia' burst during filling, the smaller one was launched in a hurry with the name 'Schwalbe'. About a year later, on July 7, 1890, Wolff once again passed a mishap, this time with more serious consequences: On a trip from Cologne to Bensberg, his balloon 'Stollwerck' is captured during the landing by a sudden wind breeze. This ripped one of the eight agricultural workers who helped with the landing, the passenger Peter Schmitz, who is still in the basket, among other things, President of the Blue Spark, as well as Wolff himself. Shortly afterwards, the farmhand crashes and is seriously injured, Peter Schmitz and Wolff can later leave the balloon uninjured. Following these events, the authorities are accused of neglecting the lives of their passengers. [28]

Obviously, the spread of this type of balloon accident, which is the subject of numerous articles of the time, [29] sensitizes the population. The authorities are increasingly demanding that similar investigations should be avoided in the future. On May 19, 1894, the Cologne police chief received a letter in which he was warned not to grant permission to a balloon lift in Cologne to the aeronaut Robert Feller, Ferrel. [30] According to the author of the letter, Feller is jeopardizing his passengers because of his drinking habits. What specific measures are being taken is not known; A year later, Ferrel is again to be found in his professional career in the Riehler "Golden Corner". [31] Here, "Captain" Ferrel appears together with the well-known air bailiff "Miss Polly". "Miss Polly", which is called Luise Giese née Schleifer, belongs to the few (besides the well-known Frankfurt parachute artist and balloonist Käthe Paulus) women in this trade. [32] Since both women appear in matry costumes and bear the artist name "Miss (with two 's') Polly" or "Miss (with 'ß') Polly" and are thus only to be distinguished by their different notation, they are frequently confused. Both aeronauts are in the Rhineland, and they are also offered engagements in numerous cities abroad.

The Cologne-based manufacturer Franz Clouth made an important contribution to both the Cologne and the general development of aviation as well as the urban industrialization process with his company "Franz Clouth Rheinische Gummiwarenfabrik Cöln-Nippes". At the end of the 19th century, the company, which was founded in 1862 and has been producing rubber products of all kinds, is dedicated to the manufacture of balloon materials and complete balloons, as well as the development and construction of a dirigible like "CLOUTH Airship. [36] As early as 1908, the airship 'Clouth I' undertook his maiden voyage over Nippes. For the development and construction of the airship about one and a half years were required, all parts except the engine were custom made of the company Clouth. For the construction of 'Clouth I', 1907 the probably first architectural testimony of a - in the broadest sense - air transport architecture in Cologne: a 45 m long, 29 m wide and 17 m high airship hall was erected on the factory premises in Cologne-Nippes Corporate balloons and the airship later served as a "home port." [37] In 1909 the Cloudsche Luftschiff could be visited at the "Internationale Luftschiffahrts-Ausstellung" (ILA) in Frankfurt/Main, next to constructions of Zeppelin, Parseval and Ruthenberg. During the numerous ascents during the exhibition visit, it turned out that the control of the airship had to be modified. Several provisional changes had already been made in Frankfurt, but only after the return to Cologne the airship received a completely revised control system. The ship gained considerable maneuverability. At the 1910 World Exposition in Brussels, the airship also undertook a trip, where it completed several round trips and was awarded the prize for airships by the flight committee of the exhibition. [38] In total, the 'Clouth I' had carried out more than 40 trips, covering almost 2.000 kilometers; This fact proved the operational safety and usability of this type. A second airship was never developed, as the company Clouth is beginning to withdraw from the area of ​​air shipping as early as 1910. [39](interest of military directed more into upcoming aeroplanes). In addition to the construction of their own airships, there were also some balloons from the Clouthian production, which have entered into the history of aviation and pioneered. [40]

The art of ballooning spreads at the beginning of the 19th century. Within and outside Europe. The downside, however, is that it was soon dominated mainly by fairgrounds with their public ascents in open-air pools and less by inventors who were concerned about technological advances. In most cases ballooning was carried on by adventurers or members of the fairground, but "a certain amount of authenticity had always adhered to their actions." [41]The exception to this, however, was France and England, where private ascents were increasing and professional amateurs often accompanied them or replaced by them [42].
In the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries, this changesd At this time, the balloon changed from a mere sight-seeing object to a sports device, the development of the aerial sport "in the sense of a broad sport accessible to everyone" [43]. Members of the upper social strata were now also discovering their practical interest in ballooning. The American James Gordon Bennett made an important contribution to the development of this sport. As a newspaper publisher, "on a constant search for a headline for his paper" [44], he was financially supporting the development of aviation. 1906 started in Paris the international "Gordon-Bennett-race" for Freiballons named, after him and successively took place annually, with an overwhelming success.

The effect of this air transport event was reflected in the form of a wave of founding new clubs for airship. [45] Through the introduction of a balloon license, the organization of competitions and balloon races as well as the issuing of competition rules, these clubs contributed to the establishment and popularity of ballooning. The first association in the Rhineland was the "Niederrheinische Verein für Luftschiffahrt" (NVFL), founded on 15 December 1902. [46]

The founding of the "Cölner Aero-Club" took place in Cologne on 6 November 1906 at the Kattenbug 1-3 building, but it was already at the first general meeting on 15 January 1907 the club was renamed "Cölner Club für Luftschiffahrt e. V." (CClL) . [47] The most important goals of the association were the establishment of airship in educated circles as well as the exercise and maintenance of the aerial sport. The founding members of the association were personalities from the domains of economy, culture, society and the military. The founding initiators included Dr. Cornelius Menzen, Hans Hiedemann, Dr Otto Nourney, and a number of members of the "Cologne Automobile Club". At the end of 1907 the CCfL already had 270 members. Among them were well-known names such as Clouth, Greven and Stollwerck; With 47 members, the officers form the largest professional group within the club. In 1908, the former student director of the Cologne College of Trade and co-founder of the Cologne University, Prof. Christian Eckert, took over the association presidency. In 1910, the Cologne club recorded 700 members.On February 9th, 1907, the first balloon launch of the club took place in Deutz. All further ascents were from the youth playground at the Lindentor, the site of today's Aachener Weiher. The 7.750 m² area was equipped with 36 filling stations. [48]

First of all, the first balloon flights had to be undertaken together with other balloon clubs and their ballooning centers, such as the Mid-Rhine and Airships Association (Ballon 'Coblenz' or Ballon 'Barmen'). On April 6, 1907, the first club-like balloon, christened in the name of 'Cologne', had premiere. On April 28, 1907, Hans Hiedemann was the first Cologne balloonist to receive the ballooning license. In the following years, Hiedemann became a successful balloon driver, he was ranked third in the Gordon-Bennett race in St. Louis / USA on 21 October 1907. Since the winner of this race, Oscar Erbslöh, was also a member of the CCfL, the Cölner Club could celebrate one of its greatest triumphs in the first year of its existence. At the same time the association demonstrated its high level. At a similar event a year later, in 1908, in Berlin-Schmargendorf - "the largest Luftsportvereinigung, which Germany had experienced up to now" [49] - Hiedemann had a misfortune with his rider, Dr. Niemeyer Glück: The balloon drivers in Hiedemann's balloon 'Busley' made the second-longest route with the second longest journey back, but the two aeronauts between Norway and Scotland had to be on the high seas; Only after 26 hours were they saved by a ship. Since the competition jury evaluated only landings, the merit of the two Cologne residents was therefore  disregarded. [50]

The CCfL soon had a large number of both, large and small airships and small airships, which participated in numerous competitions and exhibitions. In 1909, the Cologne club had numerous balloons; Including five aerostats from Cologne-based Clouth - 'Clouth I to V', all of which were available to the club. [51] Since its foundation until 1914, the CCfL had recorded a total of 616 balloon flights. How committed the members of the CCfL were, is shown by the fact that the Cologne club already in the second year of its existence, in 1907, had the meeting of the "German Luftschiffer-Verband" (DLV), founded 1902 in Augsburg byall aviation clubs. The CCfL was included in DLV as the tenth club. [52]

For Cologne, the CCfL, founded in 1906, was the decisive starting point and basis for a subsequent decades-long history of ballooning and aerial sports in the city. The general aviation industry in Cologne found a concrete form of organization: "... as one of the most active airships in Germany, [the CCfL] carried out numerous ballooning trips that represented great sporting activities and also served scientific exploration of the atmosphere." [53] Its members helped the sport at the beginning of its development to an immensely great popularity within Cologne. The practical exercise of the aerial sports initially covered open-air pools and airships. The impression of the new sport was so substantial and so enthusiastic about the citizens of the cathedral that the events of the Cologne Club on the balloon-lift-platform in front of the Lindentor always became events with a folk festivity. In the aftermath, the CCfL proved to be the organizer of important sporting events.

                                                    Cologne 1910

One of the highlights of the early history of ballooning was undoubtedly the "Internationale Ballonwettfahrt" (International Balooning Competition) organized by the Cologne club on June 27 and 29, 1909. Two Belgian and one Swiss balloons were part of this biggest international competition before the First World War. The program of the first competition provided a balloon fox hunt with automotive tracking. 35 gas balloons started to pursue the balloon 'Busley' with the balloon leader Hans Hiedemann. A red 'belly band' characterized his vehicle as a "foxballon". On the journey on June 29, 34 balloons took part. During the preparations for the start, the Luftschiffer was supported by the Airspeaker division stationed in Cologne. Despite the rainy weather, there were thousands of people on the grounds around the festival grounds. The ascent place itself is less frequented by the spectators: participation in the event was prohibitive for the majority of the population because of the high entrance fees. [54] The proceeds from the tickets sold did not cover the 16,000 marks raised by the CCFL for the event. For these and other reasons, the response to the event in the press was rather subdued. [55]

The "Internationale Flugwoche" from September 30 to October 6, 1909, was the second major sporting event of the year in Cologne. The event, which was also the "most important sporting event in the field of aviation in 1909," [56] took place on the Rennbahn (racecourse) in Cologne-Merheim, [57] today's Weidenpesch. For the first time it was possible for the Cologne population to experience the new form of flying technology, the motorfliegerei (engine diven flying Objects), directly. The interest in the event was correspondingly large. During the event, French pilots with their French constructions dominated. Famous aviation pioneers and art aviators, such as Louis Bleriot, Léon Delagrange and Louis Paulhan, showed their avid skills, including Blériot, a new speed record. [58] Airships, where an entry was given to numerous public at the same time, were highly frequented. Experience with such events had existed since 1909. [59] The places used by the first pilots for such events were meadows or flat terrain, so the flat lawn area of ​​the Cologne horse race track was particularly suitable for take-off and landing operations. [60] The already mentioned dominance of French airplanes with French constructions had the following reasons: At this time, France used considerable financial resources for aircraft development and established itself as an air force in the prewar years. Unlike in Germany, aviation was mainly focused on the construction of airships, especially the zeppelins. Industry and, in particular, the military (apparently) underestimated the capabilities of the aircraft and refrained from investing accordingly. Germany was only trying to reach the level of French aviation in the coming years. [61] The resulting aircraft-related backlog was initially compensated in modest terms by the involvement of private aircraft builders, as was the case in Cologne also by Franz Clouth and later his sun Maximilian Clouth.

One of the first Cologne flight pioneers in this area was Arthur Delfosse. Since 1902, the Cologne-born self-constructions had been built, the flightability of which, as usual, did not initially go beyond a few hops. This year, the first air leaked on the Mülheim heath. In addition to Arthur Delfosse, Bruno Wernbgen, Jean Hugot and others, who were particularly meritorious in the field of motorfliegerei, and who therefore occupied a special position within Cologne's aviation history. [62]
The "International Ballonwettfahrt" and the "Internationale Flugwoche" from 1909 undoubtedly represented the highlights of Cologne's history of aerial sports. The number of a total of 69 ascents during the balloon contest underpined the position of the open-air pool as a traditional aircraft and put it at the center of Cologne's sporting interest. At the same time, the "Internationale Flugwoche", with the demonstrations of the first Motorflieger, began the start of further such flights in the city of Cologne. From this point on, the Motorfliegerei enjoyed a growing popularity within the cathedral city. This enthusiasm could be seen in an event in 1911. The "Grand Schaufliegen" (air display) in Cologne on 19 June this year was a pure motor-flying event. The venue was like two years earlier the race track in Cologne-Merheim. The decking was also the eighth day stage of the "1. German Round Trip - 'B. Z. - Preis der Lüfte '. [63] This Cologne event did form part of the largest motor flight event of this kind before the First World War. Now also a few Kölner Flieger were represented, above all Bruno Wernberg impressed with his successful flights. In the same year the Frenchman Adolphe Pégoud organized another flight day at the same place; The cologne people came to thousands.

The terrain of the horse racing track in the north of Cologne represented a provisional place for such events. Since the balloon drivers with the terrain at the Lindentor already had an ascent space tailored to their needs, the Cologne Motorflieger intended to set up a suitable place for their aerial sports activities. The search for such an airfield began as early as 1908. For the time being, this project failed at the military authority, which, up to that point, had not been able to make a decision because of the fortress character of the cathedral city [64].
In 1910, some of Jean Hugot's flight experiments took place on the farm of the Butzweiler farm. By and by, other Cologne flyers use the good take-off and land characteristics of the area and, as Hugot before, had permanent shelters for their aircraft.
The first serious attempts on the part of the city administration to set up an airfield permanently in Cologne took place in 1911. Although the area around the still existing agricultural enterprise of the Butzweiler Hof was planned as a future landing and launching place, the final accommodation of the airfield was planned. This body was in no way decided. [65] In the autumn of the year, the CCfL negotiated with the city about the leasing of a larger urban land property north-west of today's Cologne district of Volkhoven, in order to set up an airfield there. Meanwhile, however, the German military had also become aware of the military importance of the aircraft and would use it harshly in the upcoming world war I.

II. 2 Military ballooning and airships

The first direct testimony of a balloon rose in Cologne was the ink drawing by Franz Xaver (?) Laporterie [68] entitled "View at the Hahnenpforte on June 29, 1795, since the French balloon is omitted". The drawing shows the area before the Hahnentor. In the foreground of the picture are the outer walls of the city fortification in Cologne, in the right half of the picture a part of a fortress tower is visible. From the city, a path leads out into the open terrain. On this, in the presence of a large group of spectators, a tethered balloon is released. Beneath the actual balloon, the gondola of the balloon is recognizable in the form of a gondola, in which three persons can be seen. Further spectators are at the beginning of the road and on the outer walls of the fortified walls.
The event of the French balloon flight, which marked the beginning of the manned airship in Cologne, was confirmed by another source: this was a letter from a Balthasar Kourt dated 15 July 1795 to the imperial city of Cologne under French administration. [69] In this, Kourt demanded reparation for the damage that arose in the field caused by the abandonment of a balloon.

Decisively determined by Ferdinand Graf (Count) von Zeppelin, using airships is carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. The development of "dirigibles", so-called Zepplin airships. On July 2, 1900 the Count of Zeppelin succeeded in a controlled trip with the 128 m long airship 'LZ 1', which he designed. A new path in aviation is being pursued. The journeys that had so far been made with the balloons were random flights. Only the invention and the use of the gasoline engine allowed the controlled, no longer spherical, but streamlined airships a controlled movement through the airspace. The 'LZ 1' was followed by further rigid airships by Count Zeppelin. In May 1906 he submitted an offer to the German Ministry of War to sell his entire airship production to the state. In particular, he emphasized the advantages of the airship in mobilization by means of an attached study. [74] The Luftwaffe disaster of the LZ 4, in August 1908 in Stuttgart-Echterdingen, did not mean the end of German airships. On the contrary, in a few months, more than 7 million marks were donated to the progress and the technical development of the airship of citizens by a national enthusiasm. The high sum of this "Zeppelinspende" (Zeppelin Donation) showed that in this time the Graf Zeppelin could be certain with his invention of a large support in the population.

On the initiative of the CCfL, the city of Cologne was asked to provide Zeppelin, the first German city, with an airship hall with technical facilities. [75] The Cologne citizenship in 1908 corresponded to the efforts of the Cologne citizenship in the form of a financial participation in the newly founded German airship A. G. in Frankfurt am Main (DELAG), [76] the world's first air transport company. The purpose of the company was to carry out scheduled air transport with airships: "These ships should not, of course, carry out regular traffic, for example by rail, but were intended for occasional amusement trips ..." [77] Although Cologne is concerned with the integration of the airship ship into the DELAG-Luftverkehr ", the" majority of the members of the DELAG Supervisory Board meeting of 28 February 1910 decided in favor of Düsseldorf. "[78]
In the late summer of 1909, the Zeppelin fever reached the cathedral city. On the 5th of August, LZ 5, arriving from ILA in Frankfurt on Main, arrived in Cologne at about 11.30 am. [79] "The enthusiasm of the Cologne people, who have never seen a zeppelin, knows no bounds: already in the early morning countless people make their way to Bickendorf ... Also in other places, for example, in front of the cathedral or on the hill near Müngersdorf Many Cologne to see the 'flying cigar' at the approach. The Cologne 'Pänz' even gets schulfrei. "[80] Before his landing in Bickendorf, the 136 m long LZ 5, personally controlled by Count Zeppelin, traveled twice the towers of the Cologne Cathedral and presented itself to the citizens of Cologne. At the Landeplatz in Cologne-Bickendorf a huge, cheering crowd received Count Zeppelin and his team. A memorandum on an oriel of Herwarthstr. 31, where Graf Zeppelin spent the night, still recalls this visit.

The journey from 'LZ 5' on 5 August 1909 served its transfer to a military advance command, which was located since April 1909 in the fortress Cologne and / or in Cologne-Bickendorf and prepared for the handover. The airship was given the military designation 'Z II'; as an army ship, it was to take over mainly reconnaissance and observation tasks.
In the same month, the four months of construction work on the airship landing stage and the airship port were under the auspices of the military construction authority. Between the present Venloer Straße and the Ossendorfer Weg an airship hall was built. The construction work was carried out by Gustavsburg Pottgen, the building contractor based in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, at the Gustavsburg factory in Mainz, the machine factory and bridge building "Augsburg-Nürnberg AG". [81] 83] Buildings for teams and workshops were built in the immediate vicinity of the hall. In the course of the construction work at the airship port in Cologne-Ehrenfeld a hydrogen gas station of the municipal gas works, which served the refueling of the airship.

The airship hall of the Cologne airship harbor was designed as a 'driving and rescue hall'. It corresponded to the hall plan and type of a so-called 'fixed, single-nave longitudinal hall' and had a single hall opening at the head of the building, although such a hall should 'be better equipped with gates on both gables' [84]. The fact that the military decided for this type of hall can be explained as follows: The construction of Längshallen (long halls) is the simplest and cheapest compared to the "other" halls. The longitudinal hall was therefore the most common and usual form of the airship hall. "[85]
The buildings of the airship ship can be summarized as follows: In the exterior, the airship hall was a long, elongated, rectangular building. It was 152 m long and 50 m wide, the hall opening had a clear height of 27.5 m. On both sides there were low, lateral extensions along the entire length of the hall with a piled roof. Two- and three-part windows with upper round edges were used as the exposure of this hall area, in which some of the workshops were located. The entrance into the hall was also possible via wing doors, also round-arched. Large, rectangular windows were cut into the side walls and the roof slopes (of the elevated hall area) of the actual hall. The roof was similar to the shape of a mansard gable. Three triangular roof superstructures had been drawn in as three-seater roof trusses along the roof. [86]

The hall had a steel structure as a support with the advantage of an overall smaller outer dimension compared to halls of wood or reinforced concrete and a smaller wind attack area. The hall lining consisted of large interconnected metal tracks.
The hall gate was a combined swivel and swing gate, that was a folding door [87], which was inserted into a rectangular steel frame in front of the hall by means of guide rollers. The combination of an internal swivel and an external turntable was a technically sophisticated design. The drive of the hall gate mechanism took place exclusively at the bottom of the inside of the rotary door, the swinging door ran by itself. The passing airship thus received adequate wind protection. Thus the most important task was to "open and close the halls in a short time for the entry and exit of an airship" [88].

The entire building complex of the airship harbor ran as a spatial separation from the surrounding terrain, a fencing in the form of a wall. Since the airship was only a hall opening to the entrance and exit was available, approximately one kilometer away from the hall a device for anchoring the airship was installed. The ship could be installed there in the event of an unfavorable weather situation, in order to drive it into the hall. In August 1909 the "Reichsluftschiffhafen Cöln" [89] was opened and used as a Zeppelin airport for military purposes. The first order of the Lufschiffer battalion No. 1, which was now stationed in the Cologne Reichslufthafen, was followed two years later by further units. On October 1, 1911, both the seat of the staff and the 1st Company of the newly formed Battalion No. 3 battalion were transferred to the cathedral city. The unit was provisionally lodged at Bocklemünd, Fort IV of the Prussian fortress ring around Cologne. [90] In the following years, an air raid barracks was built at Frohnstraße 190 in Cologne-Ossendorf. Many air traffic controllers joined the CCfL as active members. Between the Luftschiffer battalion and the Cologne club, close contacts were soon established, which meant that "in the early years" a successful civil-military cooperation had been practiced "[91]. The friendly cooperation had the advantage for the association, for example, that the CCfL balloons may have been filled free of charge with the light gas discharged from the airship.

The unit, which had been renamed "Luftschiffer-Abteilung" since 1887, served as a model for the Luftwaffe battalions, which were soon to be established, and the later Lufschiffer battalions. "[190] Between 1909 and 1912, Autumn airship maneuvers took place. [93] In addition to the Zeppelin airships, which were part of the rigid construction, there were also the semi-armed airships of Major Hans Gross with the designation 'M' as well as the non-rigid impact airships with the designation 'P', which were designed by Major August von Parseval . [94] The aim of these maneuvers was the field trial of the military airships of all three types of construction. Above all it was about the determination of the achievable maximum height. Observed were the test journeys of emissaries of the military commission of the Prussian army administration.
One of the largest airship maneuvers was in Cologne from 25 October to 20 November 1909. [95] The three military airships 'Z II', 'M II' and 'P II' as well as the private airship 'P III' completed journeys of various kinds: speed, low and high rides as well as formation, relay and night drives. During the entire duration of the maneuver, the airship hall in Cologne-Bickendorf was surrounded by spectators and rapporteurs from domestic and foreign newspapers. The last maneuvering of all four airships together took place on 6 November 1909 over Cologne.

The spring maneuvers of 1910 began on the 7th of April. In addition to the military airships 'Z II', 'M II' and 'P II', the Cologne airship 'Clouth' and the 'Erbslöh' airship from Leichlingen also participated as guests. In the course of the maneuver 'Z II' stranded on 24 April 1910 near Weilburg a. d. Lahn and was destroyed by a storm on the ground. It had torn itself out of its anchorage the day before. The resulting damage to the airship was irreparable. After a total of 16 journeys (2478 km) 'Z II' was scrapped. [96]
On November 23, 1911, the Zeppelin airfield 'Z II' [97] (LZ 9) transferred personally from Friedrichshafen to Cologne reached the cathedral city. The airship arrived with a considerable delay to the airship maneuver already taking place since the beginning of November. The military were disappointed by the results so far of the maneuvers, which also included the military airship 'M II'. Also the hope that the participation of '(replacement) Z II' would develop the airship maneuvers better was not fulfilled due to the bad weather; The maneuver ended in early December. In the opinion of the military, the successes were in no relation to the expectations. The airship '(replacement) Z II' was stationed in the fortress city of Cologne after completion of the airship maneuver.

The status of the cathedral city as a fortified city and at the same time as the location of a military airship port brought with it numerous problems for the general civil aviation and in particular for the interests of the civilian Cologne aviation. Since 1911, the Cologne fortress governor had prohibited the city from flying over and photographing the city. [98] The background of the prohibition was the fear that by enemy agents the terrain could be spied. For example, the airship 'Ersatz-Deutschland' (LZ8) on its journey to Düsseldorf on 12 April 1911 had to avoid the fortified city of Cologne. The Zeppelin passenger airships were not permitted to fly over and landings within the boundaries of the city. Cologne was thus excluded from the new lines of DELAG air transport. [99] The danger, however, that the CCfL would have to dissolve because of this prohibition did not exist. The fortress governor made a big concession to the members of the CCfL: In the fortress area of ​​Cologne they were still allowed to climb in the open air and on the airplane. [100] Thus, the exercise of the aerial sport within the cathedral city remained at least for the members of the CCfL. However, this exemption did not apply to private pilots or companies which operate the aviation business.
During the course of 1911/12 the German military leadership recognized the inadequate effectiveness of the airships as a weapon in the air warfare: "According to the present situation, airships can do some service in the war of leadership, less as a weapon than in the Enlightenment." ] At the beginning of 1912, the Ministry of War decided to accelerate the construction of the Army Air Force group. With a "national flight donation" the German citizens were called upon to support the development of the aircraft financially.

From 1911 onwards, the Cologne military administration looked back on the construction of a civilian airport and, in accordance with the plans of the Ministry of War, pursued the construction of a military air base. [102] 1912 between the city of Cologne and the Reichsfiskus a contract concluded, the lease and military use of a site at the Butzweiler Hof to 20 years. The site "is particularly favorable because it is directly adjacent to the military airship hall built in Ossendorf." [103] The military took over the installation of the rolling-field and the construction of the airfield facilities. The city ensured the creation of a tram connection. In order not to completely exclude a civilian use of the terrain, the CCfL encouraged, in agreement with the commander of the air base station, to carry out flight events on the pitch. [104]
On September 15, 1912, the foundation stone was laid for the military flying station "Butzweiler Hof". The military advance, which arrived on December 1, 1912, without airplanes in Cologne, began with the first work on the installation and construction of a military air station

III. Concluding remarks

The historical history of the conquest of the airspace can be clearly illustrated by the early history of aviation in Cologne; It proves to be very versatile, so the different facets of the balloon can be found, for example, as an attraction as well as a sports device; later it is the use of the airships for military purposes as well as the beginning of the motor-yachting.
As early as the 18th century, only a few years after the successful start of a Montgolfiere, the rise of a manned balloon can be demonstrated in Cologne. On June 29, 1795, a military observation balloon was opened by French troops at the gates of the city.
In the course of the 19th century, numerous balloon ascents took place in the cathedral city, such as by the airmen Sinval and Guerin in 1808 and 1847 by the famous balloon driver Charles Green. During this period, the French and English were the ones who visited the cathedral city and show balloon ascents. Spectacular balloon ascents took place at the end of the 19th century. In the so-called "golden corner" (Pub "Goldenes Eck") in Cologne-Riehl. As a permanent attraction, the Aeronaut Maximilian Wolff ran balloon flights with passengers for commercial purposes.
Around the turn of the 19th / 20th century, The "Cölner Aero-Club", the later "Cölner Club für Luftschiffahrt e. V." (Cologne's club for aviation) was celebrated in Cologne on November 6, CCfL). This laid the foundations for the development of aerial sports within the Rhine metropolis.

In addition, Cologne was an important impetus for the development of balloon and zeppelin technology: the Cologne-based company Clouth developed a steerable, motor-driven airship (Dirigible) in 1907. The airship hall built in this context can also be viewed as the first air traffic architecture in Cologne.
The year 1909, with the "International balloon competition" and the "International flight week", highlights the beginnings of Cologne's aviation history. This year, the citizens of Cologne was able to experience and admire aircraft for the first time at such an event. Venues Cologne's aerial sports activities were initially the site of today's Aachener Weiher as well as the horse racing course in today's Cologne-Weidenpesch.
In the same year, the military interests in aviation emerged in the fortified city of Cologne in the founding and installation of an airship harbor in Cologne-Bickendorf as well as the stationing of a military airship. The airship hall erected here was one of the very first architectural features of an air transport architecture in the Cologne city area and was also a remarkable engineering achievement of this time.
In the following years, Cologne was location of numerous airship maneuvers. Although the fortified character of the city was hampered by a further expansion of the city's aerial sports by flying and photographing bans, there was civil-military cooperation between the CCFL and the stationed battalion battalion; The inclusion of Cologne in a national airship network was prevented by the military regulations.