Zeppelin Blitz

by Neil Storey

  Her return journey to Germany was made very slowly, and it is not impossible that she had received some damage from the Brotton Gun. The damage could not have been too severe, as ten days later L-23 was reported as being seen cruising over the North Sea.

  L-21, with Kapitänleutnant der Reserve Max Dietrich in command, came inland at Cloughton, north of Scarborough at 9.40 p.m. and then pursued a very clearly marked course in a direct line for the city of York. It may well have been that this was purely by chance.

  The Zeppelin commander steered south-east across Wykeham High Moor and via Wrelton, near Pickering, at 10.05 p.m., Hovingham at 10.10 p.m., Terrington at 10.15 p.m. and Stamford Bridge at 10.30 p.m., then on to Naburn, where Dietrich seems to have perceived the railway running north to York. He immediately turned to follow it, going over Copmanthorpe and Dringhouses, where he dropped five HE bombs and thirteen incendiary bombs. Glass was shattered in houses from the concussion caused by the exploding bombs, and an officer and private on duty were slightly injured.

  L-21 then went on to York where, between 10.40 p.m. and 10.50 p.m., twelve HE and four incendiary bombs were dropped along a line south-west to north-north-east across the southern and eastern part of the city, from Knavesmire to Skeldergate Bridge to St Saviourgate. Taking her route in detail, on leaving Dringhouses L-21 passed across the Knavesmire, in a north-easterly direction to Nunthorpe Hall. One incendiary bomb fell on Knavesmire, doing no damage, and three HE and two incendiary bombs landed at Nunthorpe Hall. One of the incendiary bombs fell on a building in which the Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital was housed and destroyed the roof. One other bomb fell in the grounds and did no damage.

  A HE bomb landed in Nunthorpe Avenue, damaging three or four houses badly. This was followed by one in Upper Price Street, which blew one house to pieces, badly damaged another and considerably injured several people. Two people were killed there. Two HE bombs fell in Nunthorpe Road, one in Victoria Street and one in Price’s Lane, smashing the doors and windows and damaging the roofs of a large number of houses. Another HE bomb then hit Newton Terrace, wrecking four houses and injuring three people, followed by one in Kyne Street, where windows and doors were blown in and one woman was injured. Finally, the last bomb, also HE, fell in St Saviourgate, blowing out the fronts of several houses, killing six people and slightly injuring several others.

  In all, eighteen houses were destroyed or wrecked, and considerable damage was done to a very large number of others, mostly workmen’s dwellings. Happily, none of the old and historic buildings of York were damaged as the Zeppelin passed well east of the centre of the city, and the nearest bomb to the Minster, which fell in St Saviourgate, burst more than ¼ mile away.

  Three people were killed inside houses, and six in the streets. Six men were killed (including two soldiers) and three women. Nineteen men (including three soldiers) and eight women were injured, making a total casualty list of thirty-six.

  L-21 went off in a north-easterly direction, passing near Stamford Bridge at 10.55 p.m. to a point north of Bishop’s Wilton, where she seems to have veered off in the direction of Settrington, where she was seen at 11.10 p.m., afterwards circling westward to south of Norton at 11.15 p.m. She then went off east by south, dropping a single incendiary bomb at Kirby Grindalythe, and was seen at Sledmere at 11.30 p.m. going south.

  The Zeppelin went out to sea at Bridlington at 11.52 p.m. She apparently circled when out at sea, came inland again and finally went to sea at Ulrome, near Skipsea, where she was seen and heard at 12.10 a.m.

  L-16, under Oberleutnant zur See Werner Peterson, appears to have made landfall near Scarborough before 10 p.m. but was not observed until she was over Rosedale Abbey at 10.30 p.m., turning north, and making for the heath fire on Danby Moor, set alight by the incendiary bomb of L-23 an hour before. By this time, the fire had got a good hold on the moor and Peterson evidently took it to be an important conflagration as he steered directly for it, and dropped an uncertain number of HE bombs and probably six incendiary bombs on it, passing rapidly northward.

  At 10.50 p.m. the airship was over Castleton and then turned east along the valley of the Esk. Around 10.55 p.m., she dropped five HE bombs at Lealholm, causing slight damage to a farm building and breaking the windows of a few cottages. Then, after wandering about for some time she went off north-west and, at 11.15 p.m., dropped five incendiary bombs at Moorsholm, doing no damage. Going north, at 11.25 p.m. she was seen at Skinningrove and then went out to sea.

  L-17, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Herbert Ehrlich, came in near Saltburn at about 10.50 p.m. and made straight for Skinningrove. Shortly before 11 p.m. she dropped thirteen HE and four incendiary bombs on Carlin How, which wrecked six dwelling houses and damaged others, but caused no casualties. L-17 proceeded inland over the moors and was seen west of Whitby at 11.10 p.m., before turning west to the scene of the fire at Danby and, at about 11.30 p.m., added several HE bombs to the number already thrown there and went off, passing out to sea 3 miles north of Whitby.

  L-13, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Eduard Prölss, appears to have come overland near Whitby at about 10.30 p.m. She was seen making westwards inland, and then turning south in the vicinity of Goathland, after which all trace of L-13 was lost until around 11.40 p.m. when she was located over Market Weighton, going west. The Zeppelin dropped two flares near Pocklington at 11.50 p.m., was heard at Bishop’s Wilton five minutes later, having turned north and, just before midnight dropped an incendiary bomb at Fridaythorpe, which did no damage. She next passed over Rillington at 12.25 a.m., turned east and was observed shortly afterwards from Wykeham and, at 12.35 a.m., was over Ganton. Here she turned abruptly north-east, following the railway, and dropped another single incendiary bomb at Seamer, to no effect. She then passed out to sea north of Scarborough at 12.50 a.m.

  L-11, under Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze, was engaged at 8.40 p.m. 10 miles east of St Abb’s Head by HMS Portia and Semiramis. Thirteen rounds were fired but, although the Zeppelin was flying low and was broadside to the attack, it does not appear that she was hit. She escaped eastward, but returned to the coast of Northumberland near Beal at 10.20 p.m., dropping an incendiary bomb at Goswick as she came in. Another was dropped further south, on the sands between Holy Island and the mainland. No damage was done by either.

  L-11 continued on her way southward along the coast and, at 11.15 p.m., went out to sea again at the mouth of the River Coquet without having dropped any more bombs. She was observed en route to Belford, Seahouses, Alnwick (where she dropped a flare) and Amble. On leaving the coast she seems to have gone north towards the Firth of Forth again.

  L-14, under Kapitänleutnant der Reserve Alois Böcker, came overland near Eyemouth, north of Berwick, at about 8.25 p.m., dropped no bombs and immediately went out to sea again. She then made northwards, intending to attack the Forth. She was, however, driven too far north by the strong south-east wind and, at 9.30 p.m., was 15 miles east of the mouth of the Tay.

  She did not come overland until she had reached Lunan Bay, north of Arbroath. After passing Arbroath at 11 p.m., Böcker seemed very uncertain of their position and circled about for half an hour near the town (probably due to bad visibility caused by low rain clouds). He then went off down the coast at 11.40 p.m., and dropped three HE bombs in a potato field on the farm of Panlathy, in the parish of Arbirlot. A horse was slightly injured, and a single pane of glass was broken.

  L-14 went on slowly in the direction of Dundee, passed over the burgh of Carnoustie and crossed the Tay east of Monifieth. At 12.07 a.m. she was seen from Tayport going towards St Andrew’s Bay, where some bombs were dropped in the sea. She must have crossed Fife Ness and was last seen going east from the Isle of May after 12.15 a.m.

  L-20, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Franz Stabbert, struck land at Redcastle, Lunan Bay, at about 9.55 p.m. and appeared to be heading for the Cromarty Firth. She pursued her course as far as the Caledonian Canal, where she was heard at Errogie, near the north end of Loc
h Mhor at midnight, and at Balmacaan, Milton and Lennie on the west shore of Loch Ness, half an hour later.

  L-20 was then seen turning south and east, and she began her return journey. Her commander no doubt realised that, with the weather changing to drizzle and rainclouds rendering all landmarks invisible, his object was unattainable. At 1.10 a.m. he verified his position, and L-20 was then over Aviemore, going east, and about 40 minutes later was at Rhynie, north of Lumsden, in Aberdeenshire. Here, Craig Castle, being beyond the restricted lighting area, was lit up and thus attracted the Zeppelin commander’s attention. Six HE bombs were dropped, falling within 40ft of the house, the windows and roof of which were damaged. No casualties were caused.

  Going on her way after passing Kennethmont at 2 a.m., L-20 dropped four HE bombs and one incendiary at Knockenbaird and Scotstown, north of Insch and 10 miles east of Lumsden. These bombs landed in fields doing no damage. Three more HE bombs were dropped in a field near Freefield House in the parish of Rayne shortly afterwards, again to no effect.

  L-20 was seen between Rothienorman and Oyne, passed near Old Meldrum and went out to sea at Peterhead at about 2.40 a.m.

  At 5 a.m. L-20 was seen by a trawler about 95 miles due east of Aberdeen and half an hour later by another further east.

  Stabbert found that his supply of petrol was insufficient to carry him back to Germany against the wind, so he steered for the nearest land, the coast of Norway, where at about 10 a.m. he came ashore, low down, over the coast of Jaeren, south of Stavanger. Some of the crew, including the second in command, Leutnant zur See Schirlitz, saved themselves by jumping into the water before the land was actually reached, but the rest remained in the Zeppelin, which flew on over the land until she collided with a hill near Sandnaes.

  The impact wrenched the whole afterpart of L-20 up almost at a right angle. She rose, in this terribly damaged condition, and almost immediately fell into the water of the Hafrsfjord, where she broke in two. The rest of the crew were now rescued, and the Zeppelin was subsequently destroyed by the Norwegian military authorities since it was impossible to either repair or intern her. Those of the crew who swam to land were treated as shipwrecked sailors and sent back to Germany. Schirlitz was later posted to L-33 when the Zeppelin was completed, and was captured along with the rest of the crew and the captain when she came down at Little Wigborough on 25 September 1916.

  Zeppelin L-20 in the water of the Hafrsfjord, after colliding with the Jaataaberg, a hill near Sandnaes, Norway, while returning from a raid on Britain, 3 May 1916.

  Those who were taken prisoner in the Zeppelin after she had crossed Norwegian territory, including Kapitänleutnant Stabbert, were interned. Stabbert, it was later reported, escaped captivity and returned through Sweden to Germany in November 1916.

  28/29 July 1916

  On 28 July 1916, the weather conditions were most favourable for Zeppelin navigation on the European side of the North Sea, and so ten naval Zeppelins set off to bomb England. The problem for them when they arrived was unexpected sea fog on the east coast.

  Four Zeppelins turned back before making landfall. L-24, L-17 and L-13 made landfall over the Humber and Lincolnshire, and then conducted their missions over the Midlands. L-31 came in at Corton, circled over Suffolk, and left without dropping a bomb, while L-16 and L-11 droned over Norfolk.

  L-24 made for land north of the mouth of the Humber. She was observed by the SS Montebello flying low at 12.40 a.m., east of Withernsea. She was seen from Kilnsea, and passed over Sunk Island at 12.50 a.m. then across the Humber to Immingham where, at 1.10 a.m., six HE bombs were dropped on Stallingborough Marsh close to the Immingham Electric Railway. No damage was done, other than slight injury to the electric wires. The Zeppelin was engaged by a fixed 12-pdr gun at Immingham Halt, but the gun was at a disadvantage owing to fog. Two rounds were fired, apparently unsuccesfully, as the raider went off very swiftly eastwards across the Humber and on to Withernsea.

  She went out over sea at 1.25 a.m. and while crossing the coast, flying high, she was fired at by a 3in 20cwt AA gun and a 6in mobile gun without result; this was still due to thick fog which the searchlights could not penetrate. She held on her easterly course without making any reply, and at some distance from land she moved north. She was 15 miles east of Hornsea at 1.45 a.m. and at about 1.55 a.m. turned west in Bridlington Bay, came overland and went over Carnaby at 2 a.m., to Burton Agnes at 2.15 a.m. She was reported from Driffield at 2.25 a.m. (though she probably passed some distance east of the town) and then turned south-east to Hornsea, where at 3 a.m. or shortly before, she dropped two bombs aimed at the Swedish SS Thor from Kalmar, at that point lying at anchor off the town. There was a thick fog which obscured the bombers’ aim and the bombs fell about 150ft ahead of the ship to no effect. L-24 finally made off eastwards at an estimated speed of 60–70mph.

  L-17 appeared near Grimsby at about 12.10 a.m. and passed north-west in search of her objectives on the south shore of the estuary, but was unable to place her bombs with accuracy due to the density of the fog, The first batch, comprising eight HE and four incendiary bombs, was dropped at about 12.45 a.m. on Killingholme, doing no damage. Continuing northwards in the direction of Hull, at 12.48 a.m. two HE and two incendiary bombs were dropped by the raider at East Halton, resulting in the destruction of a straw stack, damage to some outbuildings and the death of a calf.

  She turned north, then east over the Humber, was heard from Hedon at 1.04 a.m. and then seems to have gone straight out to sea in a north-easterly direction between Hornsea and Withernsea at about 1.10 a.m. When she was a few miles south-west of Flamborough Head, at or shortly after 1.15 a.m., she dropped three bombs about 100ft astern of the SS Frodingham to no effect. The fog was dense at the time, but very low so that the ship’s masthead lights were visible above it, while the Zeppelin itself was not visible from the deck of the ship.

  Both L-17 and L-24 dropped a good number of their bombs while over the sea. After L-24 passed out over Withernsea, between 1.40 a.m. and 1.55 a.m., a number of explosions to the eastward were heard at several places as far inland as Crowle and Goole.

  L-13, under Kapitänleutnant Eduard Prölss, came in at North Somercotes near Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast at 12.37 a.m., and steered a direct course for Lincoln, passing over Louth at 12.45 a.m., over Hainton at 12.55 a.m. and reaching Fiskerton, 5 miles east of Lincoln, at 1.10 a.m. At Fiskerton, which the Zeppelin commander seems to have mistaken for Lincoln (both places being roughly the same distance from his landfall at North Somercotes), one HE and one incendiary bomb were dropped, doing no damage beyond the breaking of a few windows.

  L-13 passed on in the direction of Newark, going south of Lincoln over Bracebridge Heath at 1.20 a.m., and on to Bassingham where a single incendiary bomb was dropped a few minutes later, doing no damage. The raider then turned south, passing east of Newark over Balderton to Long Bennington, where at about 1.30 a.m. another incendiary bomb was dropped. At 1.45 a.m. the raider dropped two HE bombs at Stubton and, at 1.52 a.m., circling south-west over the railway again, dropped four more HE bombs at Dry Doddington. All of these bombs fell within 50–500 yards of the railway. Turning east and again re-crossing the line, she dropped four HE and seventeen incendiary bombs at 2 a.m. within 200 yards of the railway station at Hougham. The only result was a few broken panes of glass at Stibton and Doddington.

  The raider made off east by Ancaster and Rauceby, passed south of Sleaford at 2.10 a.m., between Hubbert’s Bridge and Langrick at 2.25 a.m., and finally south of Boston and out to sea in the direction of Old Leake at about 2.30 a.m. She then crossed to the Norfolk coast and was heard, by Cromer Lighthouse, to drop a bomb out at sea at 3.10 a.m.

  L-16, which was under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Sommerfeldt, made for the Norfolk coast at Brancaster Bay at 12.50 a.m. She passed inland over Thornham at 12.55 a.m., dropped a ‘water-indicating bomb’ at Ringstead and went over Hunstanton at 1.05 a.m. to Heacham at 1.15 a.m. She circled first south-east,
and then south-west, dropping two incendiary bombs at Snettisham, moved out over the Wash, returned to Heacham at 1.40 a.m. and headed out to sea over Thornham at 1.45 a.m.

  L-11, with Leutnant zur See Otto Mieth, first appeared off the Norfolk coast at Sheringham at 2.35 a.m., where she dropped an HE bomb in the sea. The raider then came inland at Weybourne at 2.40 a.m., dropping an HE bomb on the cliff edge which killed a cow and damaged some tiles on a farm building. Then, manoeuvring south-west, L-11 dropped an illuminating flare at Holt and, while passing Sharrington at 2.45 a.m., dropped a third HE bomb and, a few minutes later, a fourth on Gunthorpe, neither caused any harm. From Gunthorpe she pursued her way south to the neighbourhood of Melton Constable where, at about 2.50 a.m., she suddenly turned and flew at high speed eastwards, passing over Hanworth at 3 a.m., North Walsham at 3.10 a.m. and Paston at 3.20 a.m. where an HE bomb was dropped, but again, caused no damage.

  The Zeppelin then went out to sea at Mundesley, flying very high, at about 3.25 a.m., dropping one HE and one incendiary bomb. L-11 was last seen off Haisborough by the Danish steamer Rai, evidently heading out to sea, and was finally heard from the Haisborough and Would lightships going north-east

  L-31 came over the coast at Corton, going from north-east to south-west at about 1.15 a.m. At 1.18 a.m. she was heard at Blundeston, going south-west, at Carlton Colville and then at Beccles at 1.27 a.m. She turned eastwards near Bungay at 1.37 a.m., circled over the coastline and went out to sea at Kessingland in a north-east direction, having dropped no bombs. There was a heavy ground mist at the time, which probably accounts for the inactivity of L-31.

  30/31 July 1916

  Reports were received from units of the North Army Home Defence that two Zeppelins were seen north-east of Wells-next-the-Sea, between 7.50 p.m. and 8.20 p.m., on 30 July. Intelligence indicated that at least one Zeppelin was far out in the North Sea on the afternoon of 30 July, and she may have reached the British coast in company with another on a reconnoitring cruise at about the time given. But at the same time, there was much mist at sea and it was suggested that two of the funnel-less motor patrol boats showing beyond the mist in a sort of mirage may have accounted for the report.