Zeppelin AirshipZeppelin Airship airplane model. When World War I started in 1914, the German armed forces had several Zeppelins, each capable of travelling at about 85mph and carrying up to two tons of bombs. With military deadlock on the Western Front, the Germans decided to use them against towns and cities in Britain. The first raid took place on the eastern coastal towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn, on 19 January 1915. Mahogany wood: Length 14 inches.