Zeppelin Blitz

by Neil Storey

  L-13 then turned north-west, circled in the direction of Southwell and thence round to the south-east again, being heard between Whatton and Bingham, east of Nottingham, at about 10.40 p.m. Near Whatton another flare was thrown, lighting up the whole country. The commander of the Zeppelin was evidently very uncertain as to his whereabouts. It is not impossible that he imagined himself to be much further to the north-west than he really was. He seems to have decided, in the face of the strong northerly wind and snow, to run direct for Belgium, instead of attempting to return to Germany across the North Sea.

  In order to lighten his ship, he determined to get rid of most of his bombs at once on any objective which might present itself, and so used his flares. Obtaining no result from them, he nevertheless began to unload at once. Going slowly south-east, at 11.15 p.m. he dropped thirty-two incendiary bombs which fell harmlessly in open fields between the village and church of Sproxton. Next, at 11.30 p.m., fourteen HE bombs were dropped in grass and arable fields in the angle formed by the Thistleton, Market Overton and Greetham–Market Overton roads in the parish of Thistleton, 8 miles north-east of Oakham. No damage whatever was done. These bombs were heard at Norwich, 85 miles away!

  L-13 then circled back north-west and, at 11.45 p.m., dropped a single HE bomb at Edmundthorpe, which also had no harmful effect. She then resumed her south-easterly course, which she now pursued to the Kent coast. Gathering speed, she was heard at Yaxley at midnight. She passed over Cambridge at 12.20 a.m. and Saffron Walden at 12.33 a.m., flying now very fast with the northerly breeze behind her. She passed some miles east of Dunmow at 12.45 a.m., south of Witham at 12.55 a.m., south of Maldon at 1.03 a.m. and then was over Burnham at 1.13 a.m., apparently going out to sea. She turned south, however, and was off Shoeburyness at 1.25 a.m., making a wide circle just inland of the coast. Here, two rounds were fired at her by a 3in AA gun, until the traversing gear jammed, no more rounds could be fired and L-13 disappeared behind a cloud. The searchlights were neither needed nor used.

  L-13 crossed the Thames estuary, and appeared off Sheerness at 1.30 a.m. She hovered by Sheerness for about ten minutes at a height of about 9,000ft, dropping four explosive bombs at Ripley Hill Marshes and Danley Farm near Minster-in-Sheppey, without result. She was fired at by AA guns at Sheerness, standing bows to the wind almost motionless in the searchlight beams for over five minutes, under heavy, but useless, fire from the 6-pdr guns, which at that time constituted the only AA armament of the fortress.

  The Zeppelin then made off over Harty Ferry, where she was fired at by a heavier piece, a 3in 20cwt gun; one of its rounds probably hit her. She headed at once south-east, and disappeared from sight. At Faversham, at 1.55 a.m., three rounds from a 6-pdr Hotchkiss were fired at her. One of these also was thought to have hit. She passed slowly over Canterbury, apparently drifting with engines cut off, at 2 a.m. and, when over Adisham, dropped a small fan-driven oil pump.

  She was heard at Sibertswold at 2.10 a.m. and went out to sea in the neighbourhood of Deal at 2.25 a.m. At 3.10 a.m. she was seen going east in mid-straits by the SS James Fletcher. Her behaviour when crossing the Channel appeared somewhat erratic, and she drifted for about twenty minutes after passing offshore, but eventually found her bearings and finally made it to Belgium.

  31 March/1 April 1916

  Seven Zeppelins left their sheds in north Germany around noon on 31 March. Two of the seven (L-9 and L-11) developed defects and had to turn back when they were north-west of Terschelling. The remaining five continued on towards their objective of London.

  Two of the Zeppelins were sighted by a Lowestoft minesweeper at 6.50 p.m., and at 8 p.m. the Admiralty ordered two destroyer divisions out from Harwich, one off Cromer and the other off Lowestoft to deal with any Zeppelins that may have been brought down.

  L-15, under Kapitänleutnant Joachim Breithaupt, made the Suffolk coast in company with L-13 shortly before 8 p.m., one south of Southwold and the other north of Aldeburgh. L-15 was leading, and came in over Dunwich at 7.45 p.m., dropping two HE bombs in the sea as she came. She dropped a petrol tank and an incendiary bomb at Yoxford, to no effect, at 7.50 p.m., and passed Sweffling at 7.55 p.m.

  At 8 p.m. she showed a flare at Framlingham and, flying fast, passed Wickham Market at 8.05 p.m. She proceeded between Bealings and Grundisburgh, east of Woodbridge, at 8.15 p.m., and on to Ipswich where, at 8.20 p.m., she dropped two HE bombs and one incendiary near the docks. One fell into the water, others badly damaged two small houses, killing three people and injuring two.

  L-15 kept on at a speed of 35–40mph east of Manningtree, passing Wherstead at 8.25 p.m. and Stratford St Mary at 8.35 p.m. At Colchester, at 8.45 p.m., a single HE bomb was dropped, causing no casualties and only slightly damaging the glass roof of a printing works in Hawkins Road, besides breaking a few cottage windows nearby.

  L-15 passed on east of Witham at 9 p.m. and across Essex to Pitsea, where the Zeppelin commander was able to see the course of the Thames and turned his vessel south-south-west, passing over Orsett and keeping the river on his port beam. The Zeppelin was picked up by the Perry Street searchlight, and the Dartford AA guns opened fire immediately, at a range of 6,000 yards and an estimated height of 8,000ft. She was also observed by an aeroplane, piloted by Lieutenant C.G. Ridley, which fired about twenty rounds and gave chase, but lost the Zeppelin in the darkness.

  Other searchlights at Erith, Dartford, Abbey Wood, Purfleet and Plumstead now illuminated L-15 and, at 9.40 p.m., the guns at Purfleet, Abbey Wood, Erith, Erith Marsh, Southern Outfall, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Marsh began to deliver heavy fire. L-15, in attempting to elude this bombardment, turned northwards and, at 9.43 p.m., dropped twenty explosive and twenty-four incendiary bombs on Rainham. These fell on open fields, and did no damage at all.

  Just as the Zeppelin was crossing the Rainham–Wennington road at 9.45 p.m. she was hit by a shrapnel shell from Purfleet which made a large rent in her side, damaging three gas cells. As he admitted in his examination after capture, this injury determined Kapitänleutnant Breithaupt to make off at once, and he went promptly north-east over Upminster.

  As she passed to the west of Brentwood at a height of 9,000ft, L-15 was overtaken at 9.55 p.m. by a BE-2c aeroplane from Hainault Farm, piloted by Second Lieutenant Alfred de Bath Brandon. He climbed above the airship, which could no longer rise owing to her loss of gas, and dropped some explosive darts without apparent result. The pilot then boldly passed along the side of the Zeppelin in order to get to the rear of it, at the same time coming under rapid machine gun fire from the crew. After an unsuccessful attempt to drop an incendiary bomb and more darts on the Zeppelin, he lost sight of his quarry and, being unable to locate her again, turned back to his aerodrome. The attack took place as L-15 was passing over Ingatestone at about 10.05 p.m., and at the time the airman lost her she had altered her course and was heading due east for the coast.

  If the commander of L-15 had at first entertained the idea of returning to Germany, he had now ascertained the serious nature of the injury which his craft had suffered, and consequently altered his course with the intention of making for Belgium. In order to lighten the ship as much as possible and enable her to rise, he threw overboard two machine guns and all other movable objects, all of which landed in fields at Stock, South Hanningfield and Woodham Ferrers.

  Having picked up the River Crouch, he followed the left bank and passed Althorne at 10.25 p.m. At this point his wireless operator sent the first of two messages to their fellow raiding airships as to the Zeppelin’s injuries. Then, between Burnham and Southminster and after circling twice over Foulness as if undecided whether to risk leaving the land, or perhaps in order to try his ship’s steering powers, he attempted to cross the sea.

  Kapitänleutnant Joachim Breithaupt, commander of Zeppelin L-15.

  A second message repeating the state and location of the Zeppelin was sent at 10.50 p.m. The ship’s framework, however, was so severely tried by the collapse of the central bal
loons that it finally broke her back and she fell into the sea from a height of 2,000ft at Knock Deep at 11 p.m. The crew were rescued by two trawlers at about midnight. Only one man drowned. An attempt was made to tow the wrecked Zeppelin to ground, but this foundered off Westgate.

  The downed L-15 shortly before she sunk off Kentish Knock, 1 April 1916.

  L-13, the second ship of this group, under Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy, came in at Sizewell and passed over Leiston at 8 p.m., going south. Her first objective was Stowmarket, which she approached from the south-west at 8.45 p.m., dropping two flares, one of which landed at Badley. It had been claimed the Zeppelin had followed the 8.15 p.m. train from Ipswich. The searchlight and AA guns tried to locate her while she dropped twelve HE bombs very close to both the guns and works. Twenty-six rounds were fired by the 6-pdr AA guns without effect. The action lasted ten minutes, during which time the Zeppelin only came for a moment into the full beam of the searchlight. Her height during the attack varied from 6,000–7,500ft.

  The Zeppelin then sheared off westward, passed south of Haughley and round southwards to Finborough, returning to Stowmarket at about 9.15 p.m. She was again attacked, and was hit by a tracer shell. This was recorded at the time by the battery, and is confirmed by a copy of a message intended to be sent by wireless and written by the commander of the Zeppelin, which was picked up near Stowmarket next morning. It had evidently blown overboard before it could be given to the wireless operator. The message is translated:

  To Chief of the Naval Staff, High Seas Fleet, 10 p.m. Have bombarded battery near Stowmarket with success. Am hurt; have turned back. Will land at Hage about 4 a.m. L-13.

  The only damage done at Stowmarket was to the railway, the permanent way being torn up. No casualties were reported, except for a soldier who was slightly injured by a fragment of AA shell.

  The injury to L-13, whilst it did not disable her, was evidently sufficient to render a speedy return advisable. She dropped no bombs when hit, but passed on her course east-north-east and was over Stonham at about 9.30 p.m. She then dropped three large petrol tanks (which indicates that she was losing gas), and was not seen again until she was near the coast, flying very low.

  Sighting the headlights of the armoured cars of the RNAS Machine Gun Section, L-13 dropped eleven HE bombs and five incendiary bombs upon them at Wangford at 10.10 p.m., and a further seven HE and twenty incendiaries were dropped on the aerodrome at Covehithe at 10.20 p.m. No casualties were reported, and no damage done.

  L-13 was flying at the unusually low altitude of 2,000ft. Rising as the result of the loss of the weight of her bombs, she made full speed for Germany, reaching her shed at 2 a.m., after hugging the Dutch coast all the way back to base in consequence of her injury.

  L-14, commanded by Kapitänleutnant der Reserve Alois Böcker, and carrying Korvettenkapitän Strasser, approached the Norfolk coast shortly before 8 p.m., followed two hours later by L-16. L-14 passed the Would lightship at 8 p.m. and moved inland over Palling at 8.15 p.m., steering west and then south-west in a wide circle round Norwich. She found the Great Eastern Railway line at Tivetshall, which she followed past Diss and into Suffolk, and was over Sudbury at 10.30 p.m. Passing over the town from east to west, L-14 dropped her first bomb just after the church clock had chimed the half hour. A total of eight HE and nineteen incendiary bombs were dropped on the town, killing three men (one of them a soldier) and two women. One man was also wounded. An inn and two dwelling houses were demolished and glass was broken in a large number of houses.

  Obverse and reverse of one of the solid gold Wakefield Medals, presented to the gun crews involved in the shooting down of Zeppelin L-15 on 1 April 1916.

  It was noted that Sudbury was bombed almost immediately after Böcker had received the first wireless calls for help sent out by L-15 at 10.25 p.m., and it was by no means improbable that Sudbury suffered in consequence. The only other reason was that Sudbury was perhaps mistaken for Stowmarket.

  The Zeppelin proceeded south-west past Bulmer and Halstead to Braintree where, at 11.05 p.m., three HE bombs were dropped, causing seven casualties, four of which were fatal. One small dwelling house was demolished and four partially wrecked.

  Pursuing her course towards London, past Great Waltham at 11.15 p.m. and over Highwood Quarter at 11.25 p.m., at 11.35 p.m. the Zeppelin was fired at over Doddinghurst by a pom-pom at Kelvedon Hatch. She travelled for about a mile or two further and then, when searchlights were turned upon her, she circled to the south and turned right about, passing directly over the Kelvedon Hatch gun, which again fired at her at about 11.40 p.m. She dropped two HE bombs north of Doddinghurst in answer to the gun, followed by nine more at Blackmore at 11.45 p.m. No damage was caused beyond a few windows broken at Blackmore.

  Whilst over Braintree at 12.55 a.m., L-14 dropped one HE bomb at Springfield, to no effect, and passed over Chelmsford, appearing to be making for Thames Haven. At 1.25 a.m. she dropped an incendiary bomb at Stanford-le-Hope, causing no damage, and at 1.30 a.m. five more HE and twelve incendiary bombs were dropped over Thames Haven. These struck two empty tanks at the Asiatic Oil Company’s works and caused a small fire on the pier, with no casualties.

  The raider was fired at by the AA guns at Thames Haven, Kynoch Town and Pitsea, without any apparent result, and then made off north-east after dropping a flare on Canvey Island, which did not ignite. She passed Rochford at 1.40 a.m., Southminster at 1.50 a.m., Bradwell at 1.55 a.m. and Mersea at 2 a.m. By 2.05 a.m. she was east of Colchester, and then went between Mistley and Stratford St Mary at 2.18 a.m., over Ipswich at 2.27 a.m., near Saxmundham at 2.25 a.m., to Theberton at 2.50 a.m. and out to sea via Dunwich at about 3 a.m.

  L-16, under Oberleutnant zur See Peterson, passed the Would lightship at 9.20 p.m., and crossed the coast at 10.10 p.m. at Winterton Ness. She passed inland over Potter Heigham to Wroxham at 10.25 p.m., turning south-south-west over Thorpe, and over Stoke Holy Cross to Long Stratton. Turning west at 10.50 p.m. to New Buckenham, she headed south-west to East Harling and North Lopham, where she dropped a petrol tank at 11.15 p.m.

  Passing Ixworth at 11.35 p.m. and reaching Bury St Edmunds by 11.45 p.m., the Zeppelin was fired upon by a mobile pom-pom section of the RNAS, without result. She then aimed her bombs at the guns, and over the town. Twenty-one HE and five incendiary bombs were dropped, killing six people (one of them a soldier) and injuring six others. Two cottages were wrecked, nine badly damaged and several other houses slightly damaged. The incendiary bombs fell in a field and did no damage.

  Traversing Suffolk past Otley, Framlingham and Laxfield, she passed out to sea at Lowestoft at 1.05 a.m., dropping a heavy HE bomb (estimated to have been 100kg) on a tram shed and causing considerable damage, but no casualties. She was fired upon by the naval 12-pdr guns at Pakefield and by 6-pdr guns at Lowestoft, without result, other than causing her to rise higher.

  Three military airships, LZ-88, LZ-90 and LZ-93 also set out to attack England on 31 March, but their actions are less easy to trace. Two Zeppelins were reported over England but not positively identified. One of them approached the Suffolk coast and returned to her north German shed at Namir at full speed early next morning. The other came overland, but dropped no bombs. Evidence points to this latter airship having come inland near Alderton. She was sighted at Wickham Market at 12.55 a.m., at Woodbridge at 1.05 a.m. and was seen circling over Ipswich after 1.18 a.m. She was fired at by a RNAS pom-pom and then disappeared. The purpose of the journey of this airship is difficult to fathom, unless it had been a reconnaissance or a practice flight. In any event, two nights later an army airship, probably LZ-88, steered almost the same course.

  L-22, under Kapitänleutnant Martin Dietrich, was sighted by the Inner Dowsing lightship at 12.15 a.m., and reached the Lincolnshire coast at Mablethorpe at 1 a.m. on 1 April. Passing northwards, she was sighted at Donna Nook, where she dropped an incendiary bomb at 1.20 a.m. It was thought that either Grimsby or the important wireless station at Cleethorpes were
her intended points of attack.

  L-22 then went out over the Humber and came inland again, dropping fourteen HE and twelve incendiary bombs on Humberston at 1.35 a.m.; five of these did not explode and the only result was some windows broken at a farmhouse; there were no casualties.

  Passing on over Cleethorpes, she dropped six HE bombs at 1.48 a.m. The Alexandra Road Baptist Chapel, which was being used as a billet for seventy men of E Company, 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion The Manchester Regiment (who had only arrived the day before), received a direct hit and was completely destroyed, killing twenty-nine members of the battalion and leaving fifty-three wounded. Two of the wounded later died of their injuries, taking the death toll to thirty-one – the greatest loss of British soldiers as a result of enemy action in Britain during the First World War. A wing of the Town Hall was also damaged, and windows were broken in many houses and shops.

  The majority of the soldiers of 3rd Battalion, The Manchester Regiment killed during of the air raid 1 April were laid to rest with full military honours, at Cleethorpes Cemetery on 4 April 1916, in a ceremony attended by many of their surviving comrades, the massed bands of the 3rd Battalion The Manchester Regiment, 4th Battalion The Manchester Regiment and 3rd Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment. The coffins were carried on eight motor lorries, draped with the Union Jack and covered with wreaths and other floral tributes received from the general officer commanding and staff, officers and ladies of the regiment, sergeant’s messes, all companies of the battalion, other regiments, batteries and schools of instruction in the command, members of St Peter’s Church and Baptist churches, the Hebrew congregation of Grimsby and the Sisters of Brighowgate Hospital. The mourners also included a voluntary aid detachment, a naval detachment, representatives of Cleethorpes District Council, local tradesmen and hundreds of local people.