dobriennm wrote:PeterZ wrote:Consider that Zeppelin raids against cities without electric lighting would be much safer. There would be no way to concentrate the massive amounts of lumens searchlights would need to be effective against derigibles at night. The same applies to bombng fixed defenses.
Actually, limelights don't need electricity and provide very bright light.
See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limelight
Problem is not searchlights by themselves; problem is coordinating anti-air action. Without telergaph & telephone, any kind of echeloned AA defense (like Britain build in World War I) would be quite impossible, and coordination between batteries & searchlights would be problematic.