 | |
| Date | 31 January 1916 |
|---|---|
| Location | Union Street, Tipton, West Midlands, England |
| Also known as | Union Street Zeppelin Raid |
| Type | German Zeppelin Raid |
| Deaths | 14 |
The Tipton Zeppelin raid was a German Zeppelin bombing raid on the town of Tipton, West Midlands, England on 31 January 1916 in which 14 people were killed. [1]
On 31 January 1916, two World War I German Zeppelins left an airbase navigating towards Norfolk, England. Upon approaching Norfolk the two Zeppelin airships entered heavy fog and mist, becoming lost due to the lack of navigation.
Airships L 21 and L 19 navigated over the Black Country by mistake due to the heavy fog. The L 21 airship was the first to arrive over the Black Country and was piloted by Captain-lieutenant Max Dietrich, uncle of Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich. Upon seeing the lights and canals of the Black Country, Dietrich believed he was navigating over Liverpool, the original target. [2]
Airship L 21 arrived over Tipton at around 8.00pm on 31 January 1916 with pilot Max Dietrich again spotting lights. Believing he was over Liverpool, Max Dietrich dropped three high-explosive bombs from the L 21 airship on Union Street, Tipton destroying two houses, damaging several others and setting alight a gas main.
14 people were killed in the bombing on Union Street. Five men, five women and four children.
After the raid, airship L 21 dropped two bombs on the nearby train station in Owen Street, Tipton. The bombs landed between the canal towpath and the station causing extensive damage.
After dropping bombs on Tipton, airship L 21 navigated towards Coseley and Wednesbury to continue the bombing campaign.
A Tipton Civic Society blue plaque was placed on the H C Pullinger electrical shop in Union Street on 29 January 2016. The shop is now located on the site where the bombs detonated onto the houses in the street. H C Pullinger funded the plaque to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the raid.
The following day on 30 January 2016, a plaque was unveiled in Tipton Library to remember the 14 victims of the bombings. [3]
On 7 February 2016, a plaque was unveiled by West Bromwich MP Adrian Bailey in Tipton Cemetery to commemorate the 14 people killed in the raid. The plaque was funded by Friends of Tipton Cemetery with more than 100 people turning up to witness the unveiling. People included relatives of the victims, local people and Tipton Mayor Councillor Barbara Price. [4]
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874 and developed in detail in 1893. They were patented in Germany in 1895 and in the United States in 1899. After the outstanding success of the Zeppelin design, the word zeppelin came to be commonly used to refer to all forms of rigid airships. Zeppelins were first flown commercially in 1910 by Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG (DELAG), the world's first airline in revenue service. By mid-1914, DELAG had carried over 10,000 fare-paying passengers on over 1,500 flights. During World War I, the German military made extensive use of Zeppelins as bombers and as scouts. Numerous bombing raids on Britain resulted in over 500 deaths.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1915:
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1916:
Peter Strasser was chief commander of German Imperial Navy Zeppelins during World War I, the main force operating bombing campaigns from 1915 to 1917. He was killed when flying the German Empire's last airship raid over the United Kingdom.
The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe of the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns in central England, beginning on 9 August 1940 as a fraction of the greater Blitz, which was part of the Battle of Britain; and ending on 23 April 1943. Situated in the Midlands, Birmingham, the most populous British city outside London, was considered an important industrial and manufacturing location. Around 1,852 tons of bombs were dropped on Birmingham, making it the third most heavily bombed city in the United Kingdom in the Second World War, behind London and Liverpool.
A German air campaign of the First World War was carried out against Britain. After several attacks by seaplanes, the main campaign began in January 1915 with airships. Until the Armistice the Marine-Fliegerabteilung and Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches mounted over fifty bombing raids. The raids were generally referred to in Britain as Zeppelin raids but Schütte-Lanz airships were also used.
The Schütte-Lanz SL 11 was a German military dirigible built in 1916 by Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz. It was the first German airship to be shot down while bombing England.
The LZ 61 was a World War I German Navy airship, allocated the tactical numbering 'L 21'. It carried out a total of ten raids on England, and 17 reconnaissance missions.
Zeppelin LZ 54, given the military tactical designation L 19, was a Zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy. While returning from her first bombing raid on the United Kingdom in early 1916, she came down in the North Sea. Its crew survived the crash, but drowned after the crew of a British fishing vessel refused to rescue them; at the time this was a widely reported and notorious incident.
The Zeppelin P Class was the first Zeppelin airship type to be produced in quantity after the outbreak of the First World War. Twenty-two of the type were built as well as twelve of a lengthened version, the Q Class. They were used for many of the airship bombing raids on the United Kingdom in 1915-16, for naval patrol work over the North Sea and Baltic and were also deployed on the eastern and south-eastern fronts.
The Zeppelin R Class was a type of rigid airship developed by Zeppelin Luftschiffbau in 1916 for use by the Imperial German Navy and the German Army for bombing and naval patrol work. Introduced in July 1916 at a time when British air defences were becoming increasingly capable, several were lost in the first months of operation, leading the Germans to reconsider their technical requirements and eventually to develop airships capable of bombing from a greater height. Most surviving examples were modified to meet these requirements, by reducing weight at the expense of performance. A total of 17 were built.
Zeppelin LZ 38 was Zeppelin P Class airship of the German Imperial Army. It was the first to bomb London, United Kingdom.
The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 43 was a P-class World War I zeppelin. While taking part in a bombing raid of the United Kingdom the Airship was hit by AA fire and it crashed outside of Ostend, Belgium on 10 August 1915. While being towed into the harbour, it burst into fire.
Zeppelin "L 30" was the first R-class "Super Zeppelin" of the German Empire. It was the most successful airship of the First World War with 31 reconnaissance flights and 10 bombing runs carrying a total of 23,305 kg of bombs, with the first ones targeting England, and the four final raids targeting Livonia and Ösel (Saaremaa). At the time of its construction, It was the world's largest Zeppelin, and with its 6 engines, "L 30" could reach speeds higher than 100 km/h, making it the fastest Zeppelin in the world as well.
The LZ 59 was a World War I German Navy Airship and was the first Q-Class zeppelin with a then record length of 178.5 metres. It was allocated the tactical numbering L 20 and carried out a total of 19 flights, including 2 raids on England and 10 reconnaissance missions.
The LZ 85, tactical number L 45, also known as Zeppelin of Laragne by the French public, was a World War I R-Class zeppelin of the German Navy that carried out a total of 27 flights, including 3 raids on England and 12 reconnaissance missions.
LZ 72 was an R Class super-zeppelin belonging to the Imperial German Navy. It was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy, an experienced commander, and took part in several raids over London during World War I. It also participated in a reconnaissance role during the Sunderland raid of 19 August 1916. Its last flight was launched late at night on 1 October 1916. Several miles north of London, it was caught in searchlights and anti-aircraft fire. During this engagement, 2nd Lt. Wulstan J. Tempest was on patrol and spotted the zeppelin. He proceeded to engage the airship with incendiary rounds, causing the ship to burst into flames and crash in a field near Potter's Bar. The entire crew died, and were originally buried there but were reinterred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery in the 1960s. After this disastrous crash, the Imperial German Navy began reducing the number of zeppelin raids.
The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 76 (L-m33) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.
The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 78 (L-34) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.
