Zeppelin Blitz

by Neil Storey

  L-54 returned to Germany by way of the North Sea.

  L-55, under Kapitänleutnant Hans Kurt Flemming, came in over the Lincolnshire coast at Anderby. At about 7.45 p.m. she was near Alford, at 7.55 p.m. near Horncastle bearing round to the southwards, and ten minutes later at Stickney, where she dropped a petrol tank.

  After hovering in the Holbeach area for some minutes, she went away south-west, past March at 8.30 p.m. to Holme where, at 8.40 p.m. she dropped five 50kg bombs and one incendiary. The latter did not ignite. The bombs fell near the junction of the Ramsey branch of the Great Northern Railway main line, causing no harm. The Zeppelin then made directly south at high speed along the main line and, between 9.05 p.m. and 9.25 p.m., dropped sixteen HE bombs and one incendiary along a zigzag course roughly parallel with the line between Hitchin and Hatfield. The damage was not severe, and only one casualty was caused by the bombs, a man slightly injured by broken glass.

  A 50kg bomb was dropped at Holwell Bury, in the parish of Lower Stondon, 3 miles north-west of Hitchin, but did no damage. An inn and a cottage were slightly damaged, and the GPO telegraph wires were broken by a 50kg bomb that fell 2 miles north-north-west of Hitchin. Midland Railway telegraph lines were affected by another 50kg bomb, 1 mile north of Hitchin, and cottage windows were broken by three 50kg bombs, one of which fell 100 yards south-east of the railway junction (Cambridge line) and two others in a field at Walsworth, east of the town.

  Three bombs at Stevenage did no damage, a fourth demolished a farm building, where a man was injured, and the fifth and sixth slightly damaged some cottages. At Langley two 50kg bombs damaged farm buildings. At Codicote one 50kg and one incendiary bomb did no damage, while at Brocket Hall, 3 miles north-west of Hatfield, a few windows were broken by another 50kg bomb.

  The Zeppelin then went directly south, losing touch with the railway and passing over Shenley Ridge at 9.30 p.m., going west. She appears to have passed unheard and unseen to the west of London, and was next reported south of Sevenoaks coming from the north-west and passing to the south-east at 9.58 p.m. At 10.16 p.m. she crossed the South Eastern Railway north of Battle, and probably went out to sea over Hastings at about 10.25 p.m., unobserved and no doubt without her commander and crew having any idea of their real position. She crossed the French coast at the mouth of the Somme about midnight, and crossed France safely back to her base in Germany.

  The RNAS sent up a total of eight BE-2c aircraft from Frieston, Cranwell, Bacton, Burgh Castle, Yarmouth and Manstone. Only Flight Lieutenant Nunn from Burgh Castle managed to locate and actually engage one of the raiders. Other pilots saw no enemy. The RFC sent up sixty-five aeroplanes when enemy activity was spotted, but the Zeppelins themselves remained elusive to most, the exception being Second Lieutenant Pritchard, No. 39 Squadron, whose combat report stated:

  Received orders at 22.17 to patrol between North Weald, Chingford, Enfield and Ware. I ascended at 22.20 and set off towards Chingford, climbing as I went. After patrolling for one hour fifteen minutes, I reached a height of 11,500ft and saw an airship travelling in a direction east-south-east from north London. It was at a height of approximately 15,000ft. I started off in pursuit and when in position, just south of the Mouth of the Medway, I opened fire. The airship was then in a position 150 yards in front and above me, My height was then 13,000ft and the time was 21.10. The height of the Zeppelin was still about 15,000ft.

  The airship did not return my fire but ascended rapidly but could not do this on account of its height. Its speed was approximately 55 miles per hour. I followed up for another 35 minutes, climbing as I went but the airship gradually outdistanced me and got lost to view. I continued to chase with all speed and flying level until 1 a.m. when, owing to my petrol looking rather low, I turned and steered north-north-west for the coast. At 1.10 a.m. I had descended to within 600ft of the ground (aneroid reading) and fired my first parachute flare and saw that I was over the sea, so started north again until 1.15 a.m. when I dropped my last parachute flare. This failed to light. I then descended to within 50ft and lighted one of my wing-tip flares but the ground was impossible as a landing ground, so I again flew on for a couple of minutes when a searchlight picked me up from very close range and blinded me momentarily. As I was coming down I fired my last wing tip flare and saw a field and overshot, so I turned and tried to land in the field. My wing tip flare went out and I stalled from about 50ft and crashed into the field.

  After extricating myself from the wreckage I turned out all lights, took the magazine off my gun and locked the trigger, secured my map and then found some assistance. I posted a guard on my machine and had the North Weald Aerodrome telephoned up and also the Eastbourne Hospital. An ambulance came for me and I was admitted to the Hospital.

  A fatal accident also occurred among the RFC aeroplanes, when Second Lieutenant Hubert Philip Solomon (34), the pilot who had distinguished himself in pursuit of L-42 on 21/22 August near Hull, had his plane catch fire after taking off from Gainsborough and he was killed. He was buried with full RFC honours at Gainsborough General Cemetery, Lincolnshire.

  FOUR

  12–13 March 1918

  On the afternoon of 12 March, five Zeppelins left their north German sheds to raid the Humber district, among them L-64, the newest vessel of the German fleet which had left the works at Friedrichshafen only the day before.

  L-53, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Eduard Prölss, reached the Yorkshire coast between 9.45 and 10 p.m. but did not come over the land and soon went back to his base in northern Germany.

  L-54, under the command of Kapitänleutnant von Buttlar, came only three quarters of the way over the North Sea and then dropped her bombs at sea, aiming at the ‘V’-section of the Grimsby trawling fleet. The section, in the charge of Lieutenant Higman RNVR, was fishing at 54°2’N 1°47’E when, at about 6.30 p.m., three Zeppelins were seen, apparently close together and flying at a great height. Lieutenant Higman at once ordered the gun on his vessel to be cleared for action but, as the target at once rose and became indistinct in the haze and failing light, he did not fire. On sighting the fishing fleet, all three Zeppelins rose and after a short time separated, two carrying on to the westward while the third passed south-east.

  One of the new series of hostile air raid alert posters issued to county towns across Norfolk, January 1918.

  It was now dusk, and Lieutenant Higman hauled in his gear and removed the trawler section about 1½ miles north. He had been in his new position for about ten minutes when the flashes and explosions of a number of bombs were observed to the southward, approximately over the position which had been vacated. The detached Zeppelin, L-54, had dropped her bombs as her commander had supposed, on the fishing fleet. After dropping his bombs he seems to have wandered about for some time and then went back to base.

  L-63 came straight in over the land at Hornsea at 8.30 p.m. and followed the railway directly to Hull. At 8.35 p.m. she passed Whitedale. She was fired on at 8.40 p.m., towards the sound of her engines, by the Marfleet gun, followed seven minutes later by Sutton. The Zeppelin did not reply, but swerved off westward and, when north-west of Hull at 8.55 p.m., turned south-east to bomb the city.

  Owing to her height and the thick clouds, it was impossible for her commander to do more than guess approximately the position of the city, with the result that only six bombs actually fell within the municipal area and they did remarkably little damage. One 100kg and two 50kg bombs dropped in fields between Oak Road and the River Hull, north of the city, doing no damage, followed by two 50kg bombs further south, close to the crossing of the Hull & Barnsley Railway and the Hornsea branch of the North Eastern Railway. One of these, which fell in a field, did no damage; the other, which dropped close to the Hull & Barnsley Railway embankment, Montrose Street, badly damaged a house, destroyed a workman’s cabin, damaged a signal box and made a hole in the embankment.

  The Zeppelin turned east and dropped a sixth bomb, one of 100kg, on allotments at Southcoates Avenue, which dama
ged several houses. The only casualty was one woman, who died of shock.

  At about 9 p.m. the raider went off north-east and dropped the rest of her bombs at Sutton and Swine. One 100kg, three 50kg HE bombs and two incendiaries fell at Sutton at about 9.10 p.m., followed by two 300kg and eight 50kg bombs at Swine. All remarkably fell in fields, did no damage and caused no casualties.

  At 9.30 p.m. the Zeppelin went out to sea north of Tunstall, under fire from the guns at Hornsea. While over Hull and its neighbourhood, the Zeppelin was fired on by the guns at Harpings, Hessle, Paull, New Holland and Chase Hill between 8.56 and 9.10. p.m. The Chase Hill gun was never in range.

  L-62 came in south of Flamborough Head at 9.15 p.m. and was fired on by the Flamborough guns from 9.17 p.m. until 9.23 p.m. She went south-west and then overland, and from 9.25 p.m. until 9.56 p.m. was seen circling north of Bridlington.

  At 10.18 p.m. she was north-west of Driffield. She now turned south-east over the town but dropped no bombs, and then pursued her south-west course at very high speed, passing north-east of Pocklington at 10.30 p.m.

  The guns at Walltoft, Hemingbrough, Brind Leys and Villa Farm opened fire on her by sound at 11.08 p.m., 11.10 p.m., 11.11 p.m. and 11.16 p.m. respectively. Immediately upon being fired at she turned sharply north-west, and at about 11.15 p.m. began dropping bombs immediately west of the village of Seaton Ross, circling round northwards during the bombing and then receding swiftly north-eastwards. In all, four 100kg, nine 50kg and ten incendiary bombs were dropped at Seaton Ross, followed by four 50kg bombs near the village of Melbourne, close by. All the bombs fell either in fields or woods; most of them did no damage, but four HE bombs that fell 75 yards west of the Black Horse Inn, Seaton Ross, did some damage to the inn and adjoining cottages. There were no casualties.

  On her return journey to the coast, the raider was heard at 11.27 p.m. west of Beverley, and at 11.35 p.m. near Brandesburton. At 11.40 p.m. she passed out to sea at Barmston, under fire from the guns. It is possible that her commander intended to bomb Hull, and mistook the guns near Howden for those around Hull, but on the other hand it is quite possible that his objective was the naval air shed at Howden.

  L-61 appears to have intended to attack Howden too, as her course was certainly directed on the same bearing as that of the previous ship. As her commander came into contact with no guns inland, he evidently came to the conclusion that he had missed his objective, be it Hull or Howden, and decided he was unlikely to find it so he went off without having wasted any of his bombs.

  The Zeppelin was off Hornsea at 9.35 p.m. She then made three ineffectual attempts to come overland at 9.50 p.m., 9.54 p.m. and 10.05 p.m., being driven off on the first occasion by the Hornsea and Barmston guns and afterwards by the Hornsea guns alone. At 10.10 p.m., however, she got across the coast unheard by any guns and went south-west, where she was heard approaching Beverley at 10.23 p.m. At 10.30 p.m., however, when west of Beverley she passed suddenly northward and, at 10.40 p.m., was immediately south of Fimber. Here she passed south, and at 10.50 p.m. was near Burnby, south-east of Pocklington.

  Apparently giving up the attempt to find any objective worthy of attack, she went off north-east, passing south-east of Malton at 11.02 p.m., south of Sherburn two minutes later and out to sea at Filey at 11.10 p.m.

  Her speed throughout her course overland was high. This is apparently the first case in which one Zeppelin has made so long a journey overland and gone away without dropping any bombs. Kapitänleutnant Ehrlich must have known quite well that he was overland on account of the action of the coast guns, the position of which must have been well ascertained. He certainly wasted no time in looking for an objective, and evidently came to the conclusion that the search, on account of the weather conditions, was useless.

  As a result of low clouds and mist, it was impossible for the Royal Flying Corps to take any effective action. Bad weather was reported, so it was almost impossible to send up aeroplanes or patrol. A total of only ten aeroplanes were sent up from Nos 33, 36 and 76 Squadrons. They saw nothing of the enemy. No 36 Squadron, in the north, experienced better weather, but the enemy Zeppelin never came near its patrol area.

  13/14 March 1918

  On the afternoon of 13 March, three Zeppelins headed across the sea for what was described in the German communiqué as a ‘patrol attack’ on the north-east coast of England.

  L-42 patrolled a good way to the northward of L-52 and L-56, which at 6.37 p.m. were sighted near each other, 110 miles east of Whitby, by three of His Majesty’s ships. On seeing the warships, they appear to have turned back and returned to their sheds. L-42, however, pursued her course and at 7.52 p.m. was reported 50 miles off the Northumberland coast.

  L-42 crossed the coast north of Hartlepool without being heard, and getting inland, drifted in with the north-north-west wind over West Hartlepool with engines shut off, at a height of 17,000–18,000ft.

  The first intimation of her presence was the dropping of bombs on the town at 9.20 p.m. Owing to the uncertainty of her position, an air raid warning had not been given, and consequently lights had not been put out. Those of the works in the district must have served as a very good guide to the Zeppelin, which easily located her objective and dropped her bombs with great accuracy.

  The first four bombs fell near the workhouse, north-west of the town, followed by a fifth on Amberton Road, west of the railway. All were of 50kg weight. The fifth broke some glass; the others did no damage.

  The Zeppelin had now started up her engines and was making for the docks. A sixth bomb of unknown weight fell in the Humber Dock on the east side of the railway, and then a seventh 50kg bomb exploded on the edge of No. 4 Timber Pond, doing slight damage to the bank, while two more bombs of unknown weight fell in the Central Dock.

  The Zeppelin was now being engaged by the Hartlepool gun. The height of the target was given as 16,000ft, which was too low, as the shells, though good for line, were observed to burst below it. L-42 then swerved southward.

  Two bombs of unknown weight dropped in the sea close to Dock Gate Cottages, breaking windows and splashing people on the shore with water. Another fell in the harbour, and the thirteenth in the mud by Messrs Furness, Withy & Company’s graving dock. The fourteenth and fifteenth bombs, both 50kg, exploded in soft earth about 20 yards apart among the North-Eastern Railway Company’s sidings and coal spouts, south of the Coal Dock; about a dozen railway trucks were damaged.

  The raider then passed over the central ward of west Hartlepool, aiming her bombs apparently at the railway station. A 50kg bomb fell on an empty and neglected house in South Street, destroying it and wrecking the Normandy Hall public house next door. Another 50kg bomb fell on the pavement in Mainsford Terrace, blowing down a wall. Four 50kg bombs then fell together in Temperance Street, Frederick Street and Burbank Street. Four people were killed, three seriously and two slightly injured. The nineteenth bomb dropped in the road in Frederick Street and the twentieth on a house, which was destroyed; two others were wrecked, the remaining houses in the street being all more or less seriously damaged. Two people were killed, two badly injured and seven slightly injured. The twenty-first bomb, in Burbank Street, dropped in the roadway, seriously damaging two houses and affecting a number of others. One person was killed, one seriously injured and four others slightly injured.

  No more bombs were dropped. The raider went off southward, parallel to the west of the railway and out to sea at Seaton Carew, under heavy fire from the AA defences.

  All the bombs that fell on land were of 50kg weight, so if the Zeppelin had unloaded any of greater size, they were among those that fell in the docks. A flare, which fell on the sea bank at Carr House, opposite the Steel Works, was dropped by a British aeroplane.

  The Royal Flying Corps sent up fifteen aeroplanes from 36 and 76 Squadrons. The pilots of 36 Squadron saw no enemy, but Lieutenant Wall of 76 Squadron, flying a BE-12b, was shelled by the Howden guns at about 11 p.m. The reason for this was that the gun command
er at Hemingbrough was misled by the noise of the BE-12b which was new to him.

  The pilots of 36 Squadron, in the area visited by the Zeppelin, had considerable trouble with their engines. Two crashed on landing, in one case the plane crashed at Pontop Pike, caught fire and the pilot was killed.

  One aeroplane alone, flown by Second Lieutenant H.C. Morris with Second Lieutenant. H.D. Linford as observer, came into contact with the Zeppelin, and their combat reports stated:

  Saw Zepp over Hartlepool heading due south, flying at not under 20,000ft. Time 9.35 p.m. I had only attained a height of 14,500ft when I first saw it, but kept climbing till I got to 17,300ft which was as high as I could get and then engaged it. My observer fired 280 rounds at Zepp and I fired 50 rounds, but it was out of reach and did not take any notice of us till I got to Redcar when it turned due east and went out to sea. I fired at Zepp with the idea of driving it off Middlesbrough and because I could not get any higher. We followed it 40 miles out to sea but it eventually got into the mist and evaded us. I then turned west and flew till I got to the coast and found the mist was too thick to attempt to get back to my own aerodrome (Seaton Carew) so I landed at Hylton.

  After we had opened fire at the Zepp one searchlight got it for a second but did not hold it.

  E.C. Morris, 2nd Lieutenant