Zeppelin Blitz

by Neil Storey

  L-31 passed on directly over the entrance to the harbour at 11.50 p.m. and moved up the middle of it to Porchester where, at 11.55 p.m. she turned, probably to avoid fire, and drifted over Fort Southwick at midnight. Veering round to the east from Fort Southwick, she reached the neighbourhood of Burgess Hill. L-31 remained stationary for a time while her commander verified his position, of which he was evidently uncertain. Having obtained his bearings he went off along the line of the railway (where a train was said to be passing at the time) and the South Downs, arriving at Bexhill at 1.45 a.m. She dropped a flare and went on northwards in the direction of Petersfield and eventually went out to sea in the direction of Hastings. She touched the land again at Rye at 2 a.m. and then went up the Straits towards Dover, where she passed at 2.25 a.m. At 2.30 a.m. she seems to have dropped bombs, probably at some warships, and then returned to base, passing through Belgium.

  Aftermath

  The German communiqués after this raid declared that Leeds had been bombed, and it was not improbable that the Zeppelin commanders claimed to have achieved that target in their reports, but the nearest any of them came to Leeds was L-21, which was, at one point, 20 miles west of Leeds, having missed Sheffield on the way.

  ‘… POOLS OF BURNING RED FLAME’

  Decorated Zeppelin Commander Horst Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar evokes the atmosphere of missions at the height of the campaign in Zeppelins over England (1931):

  Our raids over England were much alike as the airships which carried them out, and which, as they hung in the sky along the German coast at sunset, could hardly be distinguished from one another.

  Even the course our raids pursued was always the same. The scene at our departure, the scene when twilight began to fall, when the darkness of night spread over the sea and the first lights of the English coast began to gleam in the distance – all this was always the same, even to the great island suddenly plunging itself into the deepest gloom the moment the news of our raid had been reported to the authorities.

  Then came the same gleaming white searchlights, exploring every corner of the heavens for airships, until one here and there suddenly shone out all milky-white; the same white clouds of shrapnel smoke, thinning out into diaphanous veils; the same red lights from the gun flashes below on the ground, the same fires kindled by our bombs, which poured out pools of burning red flame.

  Sometimes five, sometimes nine, sometimes as many as seventeen ships received orders to carry out a simultaneous attack on England and drop bombs on some particular area of the country. Whether they went to the North, to the Midlands or to the South, with London as their main objective, depended entirely upon the weather conditions to be expected in the west.

  The first ship went up at twelve noon. As soon as she was up, the ground staff hastened to deal with the next, and thus one ship after another left her shed and steered a westerly course.

  It was always the same routine. We flew at a height of a few hundred feet over Heligoland Bight and exchanged signals with outpost aeroplanes. We could see our friends come from Tondern in the north, observed the airships ascending and setting out as we passed Wittmundhafen and Hage, and saw the Ahlhorn airships arriving from the south and steering north towards us.

  We never flew in squadron formation or in line ahead or anything of that sort. Each of us flew independently, though there were always some ships which kept close to others. This was the case chiefly with the beginners, who always clung to the airship commanded by an experienced man. For the great problem was, in the first place, to determine the position of one’s ship and next to discover a spot along the English coast which would enable one, as far as possible, to pass unobserved.

  1/2 October 1916

  Eleven Zeppelins left their shed to raid England on 1 October. Of these, L-13, L-22, L-23 and L-30 failed to make the crossing and fly over Britain. Those that did make landfall mostly did so between Cromer, Norfolk and Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire, between the hours of 9.20 p.m. and 1.45 a.m.; the exception being L-31, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy, which made landfall off Lowestoft and was brought down over Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire, by Second Lieutenant Wulstan Joseph Tempest RFC. Some of the Zeppelins had come in close enough to attract the attention of the coastal guns, such as L-22, which was spotted off the coast of Haisborough about 9.30 p.m. It was fired at from Bacton, dropped four HE bombs in the water in reply then sheered off from the coast and back out to sea.

  L-31 passed south of the Cross Sand light vessel at 7.45 p.m. and the St Nicholas at 7.55 p.m. She crossed the coast at Corton, passed over Lowestoft and was at Wrentham at 8.05 p.m., Framlingham at 8.30 p.m. and Needham Market at 8.50 p.m. She travelled on into Essex, where she was picked up by searchlights at Kelvedon Hatch and went off north-east and on into Hertfordshire. At Hertford she sounded as if she had shut off her engines and drifted slowly with the slight north-north-west wind in the direction of Ware. At 11.30 p.m. she started again, and was spotted next at 11.40 p.m., coming under heavy fire from the guns at Newmans and Temple House. The problem was the large number of blind shells fired from the 3in 20cwt guns at Temple House and Newmans. Of fifty rounds fired by the Temple House gun, only twenty bursts were observed, and of forty-four fired by Newmans, 75 per cent failed to burst.

  Despite this, the Zeppelin commander abandoned the idea of reaching London and dropped most of his load of bombs, some thirty HE bombs and twenty-six incendiaries, on nearby Cheshunt. They seriously damaged four houses and slightly affected over 300, as well as breaking a great many glasshouses covering an area of 6½ acres, but luckily only injuring one woman.

  After throwing the first dozen HE bombs, the Zeppelin turned to starboard with extraordinary suddenness. This was deduced from the position of the remaining HE and the incendiary bombs dropped by her, which fell as she swung round on an even keel to the west. Of these, five, which fell on the Recreation Ground, were of the largest size weighing 300kg. They did no damage. Turning westward the Zeppelin was seen twisting and turning, rising and falling, to avoid the lights and pursuing aeroplanes. Her speed was now much diminished. On the way she dropped an HE bomb near Potter’s Bar which did little damage.

  Second Lieutenant Wulstan Tempest left the RFC ground at North Weald in BE-2c 4577, at 10 p.m., to patrol between Joyce Green and Hainault. Sighting L-31 at 11.40 p.m. he immediately pursued her; when at a height of 12,700ft over Potter’s Bar he fired one drum, which was effective, whereby the airship fell in flames at 11.54 p.m. Tempest’s aircraft was wrecked on landing at North Weald at 12.10 a.m., but fortunately Tempest walked away unharmed.

  Two other aeroplanes were in the locality and one reported that the Zeppelin broke into two parts as she fell, probably owing to the explosion of two or three HE bombs which she had not dropped. She was said to have fallen slowly, leaving a trail of burning fragments above her, while heavier flaming objects fell faster to the earth below her.

  The combat report of Second Lieutenant Wulstan Joseph Tempest RFC, 1/2 October 1916 was as follows:

  About 11.45 p.m. I found myself over south-west London at an altitude of 14,500ft. There was a heavy ground fog and it was bitterly cold, otherwise the night was beautiful and starlit at the altitude at which I was flying. I was gazing over towards the north-east of London where the fog was not quite so heavy when I noticed all the searchlights in that quarter concentrated in an enormous pyramid. Following them up to the apex I saw a small cigar-shaped object, which I at once recognised as a Zeppelin, about 15 miles away and heading straight for London. Previously to this I had chased many imaginary Zepps only to find they were clouds on nearing them. At first I drew near to my objective very rapidly (as I was on one side of London and it was the other and both heading for the centre of the town) all the time I was having an extremely unpleasant time as to get to the Zep I had to pass through an inferno of bursting shells from the AA guns below. All at once, it appeared to me that the Zeppelin must have sighted me for she dropped all her bombs in
one volley and swung round, tilted up her nose and proceeded to race away northwards climbing rapidly as she went. At the time of dropping her bombs I judged her to be at an altitude of about 11,500ft. I made after her at all speed at about 15,000ft altitude, gradually overhauling her. At this period the AA fire was intense and I being about five miles behind the Zeppelin had an extremely uncomfortable time. At this point misfortune overtook me, for my mechanical pressure pump went wrong and I had to use my hand-pump to keep up the pressure in my petrol tank. This exercise at so high an altitude was very exhausting, besides occupying an arm, thus giving me ‘one hand less’ to operate when I commenced to fire. As I drew up with the Zeppelin, to my relief I found I was free from AA fire for the nearest shells were bursting quite three miles away. The Zeppelin was now nearly 15,000ft high and mounting rapidly. I therefore decided to dive at her for though I held a slight advantage in speed she was climbing like a rocket and leaving me standing. I accordingly gave a tremendous pump at my petrol tank and dived straight at her, firing a burst straight into her as I came. I let her have another burst as I passed under her and then banking my machine over, sat under her tail and flying along underneath her, pumped lead into her for all I was worth. I could see tracer bullets flying from her in all directions but I was too close under her for her to concentrate on me. As I was firing, I noticed her begin to go red inside like an enormous Chinese lantern and then a flame shot out of the front part of her and I realised she was on fire. She then shot up about 200ft, paused and came roaring down straight on to me before I had time to get out of the way. I nose-dived for all I was worth with the Zep tearing after me and expected every minute to be engulfed in the flames. I put my machine into a spin and just managed to corkscrew out of the way as she shot past me, roaring like a furnace. I righted my machine and watched her hit the ground with a shower of sparks. I then proceeded to fire off dozens of green Very’s lights in the exuberance of my feelings. I glanced at my watch and saw it was about ten minutes past twelve. I then commenced to feel very sick and giddy and exhausted and I had considerable difficulty in finding my way to ground through the fog and landing, in doing which I crashed and cut my head on my machine gun.

  Second Lieutenant Wulstan Joseph Tempest RFC. (RAF Museum, Hendon)

  L-24 was off the Norfolk coast at Weybourne at 10.05 p.m., and came in at about 10.15 p.m. on a south-west course. She passed Salthouse at 10.20 p.m., near Field Dalling at 10.30 p.m. and Thursford at 10.45 p.m.; Stoke Ferry at 11.30 p.m. and between Ely and Mildenhall at 11.45 p.m. Five minutes later, she passed over Soham and was over Wicken Fen at 11.55 p.m.

  Some of the wreckage of L-31 shortly after it had been brought down in a field near Potters Bar, on 1 October 1916.

  The impact mark left by Zeppelin Commander Heinrich Mathy after he jumped from the burning L-31 as it headed for the ground. Astonished villagers ran over and found him to still be breathing, but he died almost immediately afterwards.

  At midnight, she travelled over Waterbeach going south. Here, she suddenly altered her course to the west and slackened speed. It was probable that this was in direct consequence of the catastrophe to L-31, which must have been seen and correctly assessed by the commander of L-24. There can be no doubt he saw the glare, since it was visible from Bartlow, only 12 miles south of him, and was reported there as ‘lighting up the whole country.’

  L-24 went slowly west, passing Cottenham and St Ives and on into Hertfordshire, where she was attracted south-east by the flares of the night landing ground at Willians, east of Hitchin. At 1.14 a.m. she dropped her first bomb there, letting fall twenty-eight HE and twenty-six incendiary bombs between Willians and a point 2½ miles to the eastward. Miraculously, no damage was done, but a soldier of the Royal Defence Corps, a member of the night landing guard at Willians, was killed on the landing field.

  At Weston, 2 miles east of Willians, one of the Zeppelin’s crew dropped his cap overboard, while the bombs were being thrown. Having got rid of his bombs, the commander of L-24 made headway to return to base, crossing Suffolk and going out to sea at Kessingland at 2.35 a.m.

  L-34, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Max Dietrich, was first heard travelling south-east of the Haisborough light vessel at 9.36 p.m. and made landfall at Overstrand at 9.42 p.m. She travelled west-south-west, passing Felbrigg at 9.45 p.m. and Melton Constable at 10 p.m. L-34 turned south-west, passing west of Foulsham at 10.05 p.m. and dropped a flare over Kempston at 10.15 p.m. Maintaining the same course, she passed over Swaffham at 10.25 p.m. and Stoke Ferry at 10.35 p.m.

  Altering course westward, she passed West Dereham at 10.45 p.m. and Downham Market at 10.50 p.m., crossing over into Cambridgeshire via Outwell at 10.55 p.m. On the way into Northamptonshire, the Zeppelin was picked up by the searchlight and gun detachment at Corby, which immediately fired upon her. Steering directly south-west for the guns, she dropped seventeen HE bombs on a curving line between Kirby Hall and the southern entrance to Corby Tunnel, then went off sharply north-east, throwing thirteen incendiary bombs in a line east of the road from Rockingham to Gretton.

  The Zeppelin commander was, somehow, completely deceived and, having thrown his bombs on what he considered was some important defended place, went off towards his base at great speed. The bombs fell in woods and fields, no damage being done except to a single railway telegraph wire.

  After leaving Gretton, the Zeppelin passed Easton-on-the-Hill, near Stamford, at 12.15 a.m., Wisbech at 12.50 a.m., crossed into Norfolk, going out to sea between Palling and Horsey at 1.40 a.m., dropping three or more HE bombs in the sea between 1.55 a.m. and 2.30 a.m.

  L- 21, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Kurt Frankenberg, came overland at Weybourne at 9.20 p.m. and skirted the coast going west, passing Warham at 9.30 p.m. and on to Burnham Overy Staithe at 9.40 p.m. Here, she turned south-west, passing Docking at 9.50 p.m. and, when over Heacham at 10 p.m., dropped two incendiary bombs, which did no damage.

  Turning south and following the coastline to the Wash, past Wolferton at 10.10 p.m. to King’s Lynn at 10.15 p.m., she again turned following the coast north of Sutton Bridge at 10.25 p.m. and on into Lincolnshire, dropping a flare at Gosberton at about 11.05 p.m.

  While verifying his position over Oakham at midnight, the commander probably saw the catastrophe of L-31 and went off in a north-east direction at high speed through Lincolnshire, giving up the search for his objective. Passing near Donnington at 12.10 a.m., at about 12.30 a.m. an HE bomb was dropped at South Kyme, killing a sheep.

  L-21 went out to sea near Donna Nook at 1.10 a.m. and was heard dropping bombs in the sea, from the Spurn lighthouse shortly afterwards.

  L-16 made the Lincolnshire coast at Theddlethorpe, where she dropped one HE bomb shortly after midnight and then turned southward, following the coast at some distance inland. At 12.45 a.m. she dropped an incendiary bomb at Huttoft and at 12.50 a.m. an HE bomb at Willoughby, neither of which did any damage.

  She pursued her course parallel with the coast until she reached the neighbourhood of Wainfleet and there turned sharply inland in a north-westerly direction at 1.10 a.m. She almost immediately dropped three HE bombs between Westville and Stickford and, going on in the same direction, released two incendiary bombs at East Kirkby at 1.15 a.m. followed by four HE and two incendiary at Fulletby at 1.30 a.m. No harm was caused by any of these bombs, except at Hameringham where a cow was killed and two horses injured.

  The Zeppelin then turned off to the eastward, being heard south-west of Alford about 1.40 a.m., and then south-eastwards going out to sea near Wainfleet at 2 a.m. She made straight across to the Dutch coast and, shortly before 5 a.m., violated Dutch territory at the Helder before reaching the German Islands and the Bight of Heligoland.

  L-14, commanded by Hauptmann Manger, made her landfall on the Lincolnshire coast near Friskney at 12.45 a.m. Passing slowly down the coast, she was near Old Leake at 1.10 a.m. and in the vicinity of Boston for nearly an hour, but finally went inland in a north-easterly direct
ion, passed Coningsby about 2.20 a.m. and at 2.30 a.m. was north of Billinghay. At 2.40 a.m. she dropped five HE and seven incendiary bombs at Blankney Dales, doing no damage, and then turned sharply east to Kirkstead, where at 2.45 a.m. an HE bomb fell, breaking a window.

  Turning northward at 2.50 a.m., L-14 dropped eleven HE bombs at Stixwould, five of which failed to explode. One horse and three sheep were killed, but no further damage done. A HE bomb was dropped at Bucknall, where her course was altered north-east, and an incendiary bomb was dropped in the neighbouring village of Horsington at 2.55 a.m., to no effect.

  Continuing on her north-east course, the Zeppelin dropped four HE at Goulceby and one HE at Stenigot at 3.05 a.m., doing no damage. Her course was then altered eastward and another HE bomb was thrown in Burwell Wood, south of Louth at 3.10 a.m., doing no harm.

  Having now got rid of all her bombs, the Zeppelin made for the sea and went out at Mablethorpe at 3.20 a.m.