One of the more unusual combat aircraft to be involved in warfare is the lumbering blimp. Although lighter-than-air craft were used in the First World War, notably the dreaded Zeppelins, it might seem strange to find the slow, vulnerable blimp on the war front in the Second World War. Yet the airship proved to be a valuable asset to our country's defense.

One hundred and thirty-four K-type blimps were delivered to the Navy and were used for convoy escort, minesweeping and night patrols. In the Mediterranean Sea, blimp squadron ZP-14 flew low over the water and located enemy mines which were reported and destroyed by surface vessels. Blimps were ideally suited for this operation because of the excellent view afforded by the position of the gondola. The model depicted by this kit represents a K-type blimp from ZP-14 and carries a rare example of "nose art" on a blimp.

In the role of convoy escorts, the unobstructed view enabled the blimp crews to spot the telltale wake of a submarine periscope and alert the escorting warships to direct an attack on the intruder. But do not think that these slow flying blimps were harmless. There were several attacks on U-boats from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico resulting in more than a few sinkings. It was not unusual for the attacking blimp to return with damage from the resisting U-boat. The sunken U-boat off of Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts was sunk by K-25 on August 25, 1944 as were several others. By mid-1943, operational flights along the U.S. coastline were all but continuous. One U-boat captain reported "Every time I raised my periscope, an airship was there." The docile craft also earned a reputation for achieving several successful search and rescue operations. Over 1,000 sailors and airmen were rescued by blimps during WWII.

Built by Goodyear, the K-type airships were constructed of rubberized fabric encompassing a pair of "balloonets" which had a capacity of 420,000 cubic feet of nonflammable helium gas. Power was obtained from a pair of conventional aircraft engines.