Airships have been an important part of modern aviation since Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin envisioned the first such craft in 1874. Zeppelin's design, which involved a rigid framework that supported the outer envelope or skin, meant that an airship could be made much larger and support more load than a simple gas-filled blimp. Unfortunately Zeppelin could not obtain helium (only available from sources outside Germany, it was embargoed because of Hitler's armed buildup) and risked the use of flammable hydrogen.
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机译：自费迪南德·冯·齐柏林伯爵（Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin）于1874年构想出第一艘此类飞艇以来，飞艇就一直是现代航空的重要组成部分。齐柏林飞艇的设计涉及支撑外壳或蒙皮的刚性框架，这意味着飞艇可以做得更大，支持更多负载比简单的充气飞艇要高。不幸的是，齐柏林飞艇无法获得氦气（只能从德国以外的来源获得，由于希特勒的武装积累而被禁运），并冒着使用易燃氢的危险。
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