Biber, Jörg Luftschiffe über dem Balkan 1915 bis 1918

Experiences of precision mechanic Paul Biber as an airshipman with the Royal Saxon Airship Troop No. 14



Relatively little is known about the war in the Balkans, although the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 is regarded as the trigger for the First World War. The main theatres of war were in other areas. Only those interested will know that German airships were also used in this war over the Balkans. However, an overview with detailed statements on the individual activities over the Balkans with the neighbouring areas of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean has so far been sought in vain.

This book aims to close this gap. Many researched original documents, documents and photos provided by experts as well as the well-preserved documents of Paul Biber have been included. Paul Biber, the author's father, was an airshipman with the Royal Saxon Airship Troop No. 14 - LT 14 from 1914 to 1916 and moved into the new airship harbour in Timisoara (then southern Hungary) in October 1915. The many photos and notes in his album formed a good basis for the resulting book, which provides a comprehensive look at the activities of airships over the Balkans from the arrival of the first airship - LZ 81 - in Timisoara on 2 November 2015 to the last voyage of L 59 from the airship port of Jamboli (Bulgaria) to Malta in April 1918. All important missions of the airships from the airship harbours of Timisoara and Jamboli are listed.


By including pictures and notes from the book ORIENT ADVENTURES OF THE AIRFORCE 1914 - 1918, it was possible to demonstrate the perspective of the opposite side in an exemplary manner. On the other hand, LT 14 was the first airship troop to be presented with its extensive work tasks and special commands on the airship, and its entire deployment period was documented.