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| After his return to Germany he was appointed aide-de-camp of the King of Württemberg
and advanced to the post of a captain. In 1866 he took part in the Austro-Prussian War, in 1870/71 he fought in
the war between France and Germany. |
 Count Zeppelin 1866 |
In this war the name Zeppelin became well known in wider circles for the first time. Count
Zeppelin then led an adventurous reconnaissance mission behind the French lines.
 Illustration of the Schirlenhof event by Ernst Zimmer |
This event became known as the "Schirlenhof" event and was in later years often mentioned as an example for the Count's daring character. |
After the war Count Zeppelin served in different cavalry regiments in Strassburg, Ulm and
Stuttgart. In these years he was inspired by a lecture held in Strassburg by Generalpostmeister Heinrich von Stephan
entitled "Weltpost und Luftschiffahrt". An entry in his diary of 1874 indicates that he then reflected
for the first time on problems of airship construction.
| In the meantime Count Zeppelin had founded a family. In 1869 he had married Isabella Freiin von Wolff from Livonia. Their only daughter, Hella, was born in 1879 in Ulm. |  Count Zeppelin and his wife Isabella |
In 1885 Count Zeppelin was appointed plenipotentiary officer of Württemberg in Berlin and moved with his family to the German capital. His critical views of the military structures and of the role of the states within the German Empire however did not find the approval of Prussian officials who defended Prussian supremacy.
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Count Zeppelin in a General's uniform around 1914 |
His mission as a diplomat of Württemberg in Berlin ended in 1890. He returned to military service as commander of a cavalry brigade in Saarburg. Disagreement in the evaluation of his command during autumn manoeuvres in 1890 led to his final resignation from military service after his promotion to a lieutenant-general. |
