ABSTRACT
The German push into France was halted in September before it reached Paris, and a defensive stalemate ensued for most of the war–a stalemate punctuated primarily by the German successes in Serbia, Rumania and Russia, the Austro-German advance into Italy, and the final Allied breakthrough in 1918. The German program to produce and convert airships for military purposes was drastically accelerated at the start of the war as new contracts severely taxed the capabilities of Count Zeppelin and other airship builders. As the war continued into 1915 and military stalemate on the Western front became obvious, more insistent demands for an air assault on London were forwarded to the Kaiser's headquarters from the German military services. The German military plans for an air offensive against Britain were based, in part, on the physical results hoped for in terms of destruction of factories, armories, and docks.
