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German Zeppelin |
On the night
of 19 January 1915, the first airship raid on Britain took place.
Zeppelins
of the Imperial German Navy Airship Division dropped bombs on Great
Yarmouth and King's Lynn, killing five people.
The Royal Flying Corps flew its first ever night sorties against
the raiders, but two aircraft failed to intercept.
During the entire war 56 tons of bombs fell on London and 214 tons
elsewhere.
Bombs were dropped on Yarmouth, Beeston, Sheringham, Brancaster,
Heacham, Snettisham, Dersingham, Grimston and King's Lynn.
Aeroplanes
were then still in their infancy and Zeppelins were the ultimate
flying machine both in range and length of time they could stay
airbourne.
The Zeppelin was only vulnerable when on the ground.
Filled with hydrogen, any leak formed an explosive mixture with
air and while manoevering near the ground, collisions were sometimes
devastating.
Aerial
view of a Zeppelin |
`L3 and
L4' were the first two Zeppelins to raid Norfolk.
Each
contained 19 individual gas filled bags and a crew of 21, housed
in two gondolas slung beneath their enormous structures.
Three
motors enabled the Zeppelins to reach speeds of 50 mph (80 kph).
Britain
eventually responded to the Zeppelins with its own airship, the
Pulham Pigs.
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