The Great War, as it was called, was thought to have been the war to end all wars. Great nations battled each other on the fields of Europe, taking a huge toll in both treasure and lives. Now that peace has once again been restored, the victor nations settled down to the detailed minutia of how to put their affairs back into order.

As part of the final settlement, Germany was to pay war reparations. The victor nations, England, France, Italy and the United States each claimed a share of the prize. Germany was stripped of her navy and land forces, and had its fleet of zeppelin airships divided amongst the allied nations.

In very short order, the majority of these 'war prize' zeppelins were lost. Airship crashes due to mismanagement and poor stewardship claimed most of the captured air fleet. Both the Americans and British were keen to build their own airships, but these too were lost, due to accidents and a general lack of piloting knowledge.

As the allied nations continued to lose airships to pilot error and mismanagement, a new threat appeared - the airship pirate.

This new threat, coupled with the allies general lack of knowledge of effective airship use, forced the League of Nations to take drastic steps: the recommissioning of the German Zeppelin Fleet.

The League of Nations realized that they had little or no power to combat the growing menace of air piracy, and came up with a solution. To ease the pressure on Germany to fulfil it's war reparations bill, a sizeable portion of that bill would be cancelled; in return, the German government would recommission its zeppelin fleet in an anti-piracy role. Outfitted with an internation crew drawn from member nations, and commanded by experienced zeppelin officers, these new "anti-pirate" zeppelins would become the League's most effective solution to the growing piracy problem.

Zeppelin officers who learned their craft during the Great War, now find themselves once again among the clouds. Patrolling commercial routes, engaging and destroying pirate airships, these veteran officers wear the Zeppelin Cross. This award consists of an Iron Cross, with the year that cross was awarded, backed by a silver wreath of oak leaves and acorns. The "W" from the days of the Kaiser is now replaced by the "W" of the Weimar Republic, a now peaceful member of the League of Nations. Worn on the left breast pocket, as with past Iron Cross awards, the wearer is easily identified as one of the veteran guardians of international peace and commerce.

As efforts against air piracy increase, so did the need for the League of Nations to recognize those service members who served aboard the zeppelins to protect society and free commerce. The Airship Service Badge, worn on the right breast pocket, has three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Normally awarded for time in service, these simple wreaths tell a story of long endured hardships away from home and loved ones.