Pages 1 and 2.
Historical:
At least at first, zeppelin fleets were launched with great fanfare. I think they stopped doing so, as foreign agents would become aware of impending raids, but it has been years since I did research on this topic and cannot say with certainty.
Imagery:
The person speaking to the crowd is the historical figure, Kovettenkapitan Peter Strasser. He was the naval commander of all the zeppelin raids. (The Army had their own zeppelins, but it was mainly the navy that conducted the raids and had the most zeppelins.) Strasser deeply believed that zeppelins would be key to winning the war. Whether or not he ever made speeches at the launch of the zeppelin fleets, I truly do not know. One of the initial intentions of this project was to be educational, so his character was intended to give exposition for readers, that are unfamiliar with the history of zeppelin warfare and to establish the particular point in the war the story takes place at.