Zeppelin LZ85

Last updated
LZ 85 (tactical number L 45)
L 45 Tonder.JPG
LZ 85 (L 45) over Tønder
RoleType r Super Zeppelin - rigid reconnaissance-bomber airship
National origin Imperial Germany
Manufacturer Zeppelin Luftschiffbau
Designer Ludwig Dürr
First flight12 April 1917
Retired20 October 1917
StatusDestroyed in forced landing
Primary user Kaiserliche Marine
Number built1

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. [1]

Contents

Construction

LZ 85 was an R-Class zeppelin built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin at Staaken, Germany during the First World War and completed on 2 April 1917, to join the ranks of the German Kaiserliche Marine in the fight against the United Kingdom. [2]

In six-engined configuration the R-class zeppelins had single pusher engines in the rear of the front control gondola and two engine cars either side amidships, with a further three engines in the rear gondola. Of the rear gondola engines, one drove a pusher propeller direct at the rear of the gondola and two more in the centre of the gondola drove propellers, via gearboxes and transmission shafts, mounted on framework either side of the gondola. Five-engined R-class zeppelins omitted the rear gondola direct-drive centre engine. [3]

The 19 crew members were housed in the control cabin, rear gondola, two engine cars and open gun positions on top of the envelope. [4]

War career

LZ 85 conducted its first flight on 12 April 1917 from Staaken to Ahlhorn under the command of Kapitänleutnant Waldemar Kölle and first officer Oberleutnant zur See Bernhard Dinter. Dinter would be replaced in May by Lieutenant Colonel Schiltz; Dinter himself would take the command of another zeppelin in June. LZ 85 was stationed at Ahlhorn until it was moved to Tønder on 5 June 1917. [5]

Bombing raid on Norfolk

The LZ 85 conducted its first bombing raid on Britain on the night of 23 May and 24 May 1917. The ship took off from Ahlhorn and joined five other naval airships whose objective was to attack London. However the weather worsened and dense clouds were beginning to cover the East of England and by the time the airships crossed over Suffolk and Norfolk, they were caught in a thunderstorm. Sixty bombs were dropped over East Anglia which killed one person and L 40 was chased by a seaplane near Terschelling. The raid was deemed a failure because of the cloud cover and wind.

August 1917 bombing raid on warships

LZ 85 started its second bombing raid against Britain during the night of 21 August and 22 August 1917. The ship left its base in Tønder and joined seven other airships to conduct a bombing raid on East Yorkshire. The raid was personally led by airship fleet manager Peter Strasser who was on the L 46. LZ 85 failed to fly inland to conduct its mission and instead bombed a number of allied warships off Withernsea.

Silent raid of October 1917 and crash

The LZ 85 conducted its last bombing raid on Britain on the night of 19 October and 20 October 1917. The ship took off from Tønder and joined 10 other naval airships. The raid took place at such a great height that no British fighters could reach high enough to shoot the attacking zeppelins down, giving the airships a huge advantage. The airships reached Britain undisturbed and dropped 274 bombs from a record height of well over 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). [6]

Bombing of Northampton

LZ 85 was ordered to bomb Sheffield and it reached the shore at Withernsea at 8.20pm, but she had to turn to the southwest before being ordered to go further to Leicester at 9.50pm. Once at Leicester LZ 85 was spotted by a Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b from the Royal Flying Corps, which fired three rounds at the airship, but was not able to keep pace with it. LZ 85 continued southward to Northampton which she reached at 10.45pm, dropping 22 bombs, including 9 firebombs, [7] over Kingsthorpe, Dallington, Far Cotton and St. James End districts. [8] The fifth bomb that was dropped passed through the roof of 46 Parkwood Street, just west of the train station, killing Mrs Eliza Gammons instantly while she was sleeping in her bedroom. Her 13-year-old twin daughters, Gladys and Lily, who were also in the house, died later from their burns. [9] [10] One of the bombs dropped on Northampton, which didn't explode, is now on display at Sywell Aviation Museum, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of Northampton. [11] [12]

The attack on London

LZ 85 continued southward, when at 11.30pm the ship bathed in light from searchlight batteries over northwest London. [13] The commander took the opportunity and started bombing the city. The first bomb came down near Hendon Aerodrome, damaging the Grahame-White aircraft manufacturer. Another bomb just missed Cricklewood railway station. [14] When LZ 85 reached the City of London, she dropped a 300 kg (660 lb) high explosive bomb on Piccadilly Circus, which smashed the entire facade of the Swan & Edgar department store, killing five men and two women, and also wounding 18 others, that were mostly waiting for a bus. The bomb blew a hole 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) in diameter and 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) in depth down to a cellar under the street between the department store and a tea shop Cabin. [15]

Hither Green bomb damage after the raid Hither Green bomb damage 1917 IWM HO 115.jpg
Hither Green bomb damage after the raid

While continuing its flight over London, LZ 85 encountered a Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2c fighter, but escaped by turning southward and climbing to an extreme height. When the airship was in safety, it dropped another bomb in Southwark, south of the River Thames, where it destroyed three houses in Albany Road near Burgess Park, killing 10 to 12 people and wounding many others. [16] The airship dropped another bomb on Hither Green in the southeastern district of Lewisham and destroyed 26 small houses. In this attack, 15 people were killed including 12 children or teenagers and eight others were wounded. [17] Of the 12 children whom were killed, 8 were from the Kingston family and 4 from the Milgate family. [18] Meanwhile, on the ground, British searchlight batteries tried to locate LZ 85 but, in the hazy weather high above London, the airship could not be found. [19] LZ 85 tried to descend to a lower altitude, but was pursued by a Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2c flown by Lieutenant Pritchard. On gaining altitude LZ 85 encountered strong turbulence and frost, which caused a number of mechanical problems including steering problems, an engine failure and fuel leaks. On top of that, the crew began suffering from altitude sickness. [20]

A BE2 fighter, the same type of aircraft that was used by Lieutenant Pritchard to chase LZ 85 Operational B.E.2c.jpg
A BE2 fighter, the same type of aircraft that was used by Lieutenant Pritchard to chase LZ 85

Forced landing in France

LZ 85 escaped Britain and flew over the English Channel towards Belgium and France. However, due to its long duration at an extreme height and the numerous mechanical problems, including fuel leaks, the ship was left to the mercy of the weather as the fuel ran out. The ship drifted over Amiens and Compiègne, heading toward neutral Switzerland. [21] When passing by Lyon, at a height of 500 m (1,600 ft), a fighter took off from Meyzieu east of the city, following the airship to the south of Saint-Marcellin, but had to give up the chase and return to Meyzieu due to lack of fuel. [22]

The burnt out wreck of LZ 85 Carcasse du dirigeable L 45 tombe a Mison en 1917.jpg
The burnt out wreck of LZ 85

At 10.50am, commander Kölle decided to make an emergency landing on a reclaimed island near Laragne Buech, north of Sisteron in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in south-eastern France as he knew he couldn't keep his ship in the air much longer. The commander steered his ship into the dry bed of a river, but the zeppelin bounced up again, losing one of her propellers on impact. The commander ordered the crew to jump from the ship before it crashed on the hillside next to the river, but not all the crew had abandoned LZ 85 before she crashed into the hillside. [23] The ship came to rest on the hill almost undamaged and the commander and remaining crew abandoned LZ 85 and set the ship ablaze with a signal pistol before anyone could stop him, despite the efforts of Madame Dupont, a local farmer's wife. [24] After burning the aircraft, the crew of 17 men along with the first officer and Kölle were taken into custody as prisoners of war. [25]

Aftermath

In the afternoon of 20 October 1917, 16 of the crew-members were taken to Laragne where they were interrogated by local gendarmes. Commander Waldemar Kölle was interrogated by the German department of the French intelligence service on 1 November 1917. The report of the commander's interrogation was later smuggled to Nordholz, where Peter Strasser received it on 25 April 1918. In the report it was revealed that the British Naval Intelligence Division had gotten hold of detailed and updated information on the German naval airships and all their commanders, including on Bockholt's top secret Africa mission. The discovery resulted in 3 people from Tønder and 2 from Nordholz coming under suspicion of spying and later being found guilty and executed by a firing squad. The circumstances are not clear as most archive material has been lost. [26]

The captured crew of LZ 85 L 45 crew interrogated.jpg
The captured crew of LZ 85

The crew of LZ 85 were held as Prisoners Of War until the end of the war, when they were all released, except Waldemar Kölle, who was accused under Versailles Treaty to have committed war crimes by killing civilians. Kölle remained jailed in Roanne until 1921.

The Silent Raid Aftermath

The raid was not viewed as a great success as the German navy lost a total of five airships:

Legacy

LZ 85 will always be remembered as the Zeppelin of Laragne to the people of France. The airship dropped a total of 4,700 kg (10,400 lb) of bombs during its three raids and killed an estimated 30 people, as well as damaging many buildings. [29] One of the people killed during LZ 85's last bombardment of London was a girl named Lily, who was the inspiration for Henry Williamson's 1957 novel The Golden Virgin, [30] in which the protagonist Lily is killed in the bombardment. This also inspired Kate Bush in 1993 for the song "Lily." [31]

Specifications (LZ 85 / Type r zeppelin)

Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940 [3]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin</span> Rigid airship type

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 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, resulting in over 500 deaths in bombing raids in Britain.

The best-known 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 Zeppelin Company was much better known and was responsible for producing the majority of the airships.

Zeppelin <i>LZ 54</i> Type of aircraft

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. Her 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin P Class</span> Type of aircraft

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin R Class</span> Type of aircraft

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 48</span> German World War I-era zeppelin

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 48 was a P-class World War I zeppelin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 38</span>

Zeppelin LZ 38 was Zeppelin P Class airship of the German Imperial Army. It was the first to bomb London, United Kingdom.

Zeppelin L 30

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 72</span>

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 transported to Cannock Chase in the 1960s. After this disastrous crash, the Imperial German Navy began reducing the number of zeppelin raids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 31</span> Type of aircraft

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 31 was a M-class World War I zeppelin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 23</span> Type of aircraft

The Zeppelin LZ 23 was the 2nd improved L-class Zeppelin, and the eleventh airship of the Imperial German Army, first flown on 21 February 1914 and shot-down by anti-aircraft fire on 23 August 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 64</span> Type of aircraft

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 64, given the tactical number L 22, was a Q-class / L20-class World War I zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 39</span> Type of aircraft

The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 39 was an O-class World War I Zeppelin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 76</span> German World War I-era zeppelin

The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 76 (L-m33) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 78</span> R-class World War I zeppelin

The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 78 (L-34) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 89</span> R-class zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy

Zeppelin LZ 89 was an R-class zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy. After a short career during the World War I it ran out of fuel during a mission and was deliberately crashed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 95</span> 1917 military airship by Zeppelin

Zeppelin LZ 95 was a U-class zeppelin of the Imperial German Military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 74</span>

LZ 74 was an R Class super-zeppelin belonging to the Imperial German Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppelin LZ 86</span> Zeppelin LZ 80 / L 35 - Imperial German Army Airship

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 86 (L-39) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.

References

  1. ↑ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 900". aviation-safety.net. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Sterowce Zeppelin 1900-39". zeppelin.mariwoj.pl. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 Brooks, Peter W. (1992). Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 95–99. ISBN   1560982284.
  4. ↑ "Desert Column Forum Pix". alh-research.tripod.com. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Lz85 - L45". lzdream.net. 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "The silent raid". vimu.info. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Sywell Aviation Museum News". sywellaerodrome.co.uk. 31 August 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Silent Raid: The Untold Story" . Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "The Airship". cottonites.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "Parkwood Street, Northampton: Zeppelin Raid". bbc.co.uk. 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "Bomb from deadly Zeppelin raid to go on display". northamptonchron.co.uk. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "The war in the air; being the story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force" (PDF). crossandcockade.com. 1935. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Raid 9: 19 Oct 1917" . Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  14. ↑ "When a Zeppelin flew over Kilburn". westhampsteadlife.com. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Silent Raid Traduction des pages 86 à 89". lzdream.net. 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  16. ↑ "Bomb damage: war comes to Camberwell". bridgetonowhere.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  17. ↑ "World War I Air Raid, 19/20 October 1917 Air Raid". alewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Zeppelin Attack on Hither Green". runner500.wordpress.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  19. ↑ "Zeppelin Raids". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 23 October 1917. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  20. ↑ "Histoire du L45 dit " Zeppelin de Laragne "". ubaye-en-cartes.e-monsite.com. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  21. ↑ Thomas Fegan (2013). The Baby Killers: German Air Raids on Britain in the First World War. Pen and Sword. p. 158. ISBN   978-0-85052-893-0.
  22. ↑ "L45, L50 et le L55". lzdream.net. August 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  23. ↑ "Bomb damage: war comes to Camberwell". sylviedamagnez.canalblog.com. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  24. ↑ "The Zeppelin Raids", Colonist, vol. LX, no. 14545, p. 5, 25 October 1917, retrieved 29 December 2016– via National Library of New Zealand
  25. ↑ "L'ATTERRISSAGE DU ZEPPELIN L45 À LARAGNE-MONTEGLIN LE 20 OCTOBRE 1917" (PDF). naval-military-press.com. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  26. ↑ "Angriff eines Luftschiffgeschwaders auf England". stahlgewitter.com. 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  27. ↑ "Zeppelin over Essex". greatwarforum.org. 13 September 2006. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  28. ↑ "French bring down five zeppelins" (PDF). query.nytimes.com. 21 October 1917. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  29. ↑ "Zeppelin LZ85 (L45)". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  30. ↑ Henry Williamson (2014). The Golden Virgin. Faber & Faber. ISBN   978-0-571-30996-2.
  31. ↑ "Lily". Kate Bush. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.