Zeppelin Staaken

[John Wagenseil]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjpBS0su6o

Almost century old footage of a Zeppelin Staaken preparing for take-off and in flight.
One segment of the film shows its post war use as a passenger plane.
There is also footage of the Zeppelin Staaken sea plane.
In spite of the fact that these were huge airplanes, they were still just big box kites, since they could be pushed around by relatively small ground crews.
(A model of the Zeppelin Staaken is available on E-Card models.)

[papermodelfan]

Wow - thanks for that, John. What year do you suppose this is - 1918 - 1920 or so? I see that the little nose wheel served only to prevent nose-overs, not part of regular landing or takeoff. Glad to see the airliner version.

[John Wagenseil]

Originally Posted by papermodelfan

Wow - thanks for that, John. What year do you suppose this is - 1918 - 1920 or so? I see that the little nose wheel served only to prevent nose-overs, not part of regular landing or takeoff. Glad to see the airliner version.

My guess is around 1920-21, by the mid 1920's the Allied Disarmament Commission had rounded up and destroyed just about everything they could find that had war making potential.

(The Germans managed to keep a few things hidden away including a running captured Mk 4 tank, which they used when filming "Stosstrupp 1917" in 1934. The end of the movie shows the terror and hopelessness of being on the receiving end of a mass tank attack.)

[John Wagenseil]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2ifo6xD5Ic

I just stumbled across this 1917 German WW1 training film.
One could roll up a sheet of paper to model the wire clearing device, and there is a model of a Maxim machine gun available on the internet.
What was demonstrated here was very different from the tactics used by British General Haig: " Line up in neat large formations, march slowly across no-mans land, and hope for the best".

[papermodelfan]

In the Staaken film, the plane flies over the Telegrafenberg of Potsdam, at 7'59". The observatory buildings are clearly visible, that still exist there as part of the Potsdam Astrophysics Institute. Notably absent - except as a blank spot is the distinctive Einstein Tower, which was built there, very near the other observatories. Construction was between 1919 and 1921. So maybe its absence dates the film to no later than 1919, as you suggested. The Einstein Tower, by the way, would be a wonderful topic for a paper model, wouldn't it?

[cbg]

wow. . .three tractors and two pushers. . .

imagine being an engine mechanic on one of these. . ! am guessing 1918/19, since wartime latin/balkan cross is still present, but am not an expert.

short take-offs and landings a plus, I see.
cbg