metalblue
Well-Known Member
We won't forget.
On the morning of January 19th 1915 two German Imperial Navy Zeppelin airships, the L3 and L4 took off from Fuhlsbüttel in Germany. Both airships carried 30 hours of fuel, 8 bombs and 25 incendiary devices. They had been given permission by the Emperor Wilhelm II to attack military and industrial buildings on Humberside.
Zeppelin L6 which took off from Nordholz in Germany was to attack targets in the Thames Estuary but with express orders from Kaiser Wilhelm that there were to be no attacks on London itself owing to concern for the British Royal family to whom the Kaiser was related. However engine problems forced the L6 home before reaching the English coast.
Zeppelins L3 and L4 plans to attack the Humber were foiled by bad weather. They were forced to switch their attacks to the coastal towns of Norfolk. Zeppelins L3 and L4 crossed the coast of East Anglia, north of Great Yarmouth. Zeppelin L3 curving south east towards Great Yarmouth and Zeppelin L4 turned north west towards Kings Lynn. Incendiary bombs were dropped to enable the pilots to navigate to their chosen locations as the Zeppelins never crossed the coast until after dark.
Zeppelin L3 found Great Yarmouth and dropped its bombs killing Samuel Alfred Smith, the first British civilian to be killed by aerial bombardment. Martha Taylor was the second person killed and a further three were injured as a result of the attacks by Zeppelin L3.
When Zeppelin L4 parted company with Zeppelin L3 it followed a route over the coastal villages of Brancaster, Sheringham, Holme-next-the-Sea, Heacham, Snettisham, Dersingham until it finally came to Kings Lynn, bombing as it went. Zeppelin L4 dropped the first bomb to fall on Britain soil at Sheringham, on the north Norfolk coast. Fortunately it did not explode, and was taken away by a local resident, who put the bomb in a bucket. A second bomb was dropped on Sheringham which did detonate but caused no damage. Casualties were inflicted at Kings Lynn where Percy Goate(14) and Alice Gazely(26) were killed. Alice Gazely's husband being killed in France a few weeks earlier.
Zeppelin L4 was under the command of Kapitanleutnant Count Magnus von Platen-Hallermund who was born in Vienna on June 7th, 1880. His combat report described a mission which included battles over heavily fortified towns with barrages of anti-aircraft fire. All pure fantasy - not a shot was fired at the Zeppelins. The Count survived the First World War and was killed during an air raid on Hamburg on July 21st, 1943.
Zeppelin L4 was lost over Denmark on February 17, 1915. The ship was damaged by bad weather and was forced to land. As the crew abandoned ship the lightened craft suddenly rose, with four of the crew still on board. Zeppelin L4 and the remainder of the crew were never seen again.
