Zeppelin LZ 56

Last updated
LZ 56 / LZ 86
LZ-86 at Kowno.jpg
LZ-86 emerging from the hangar at Kowno, occupied Lithuania, 2 April 1916.
General information
Other namesLZ-56 (production number); LZ-86 / L-86 (operational/tactical number)
TypeP-class rigid airship
National origin German Empire
Manufacturer Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Designer
Built byLuftschiffbau Zeppelin (Löwenthal/Friedrichshafen)
Primary user Heer (Imperial German Army)
Service1915–1916
Major applicationsReconnaissance and strategic bombing
Number built1
Construction numberLZ 56
Serial LZ-86
History
Manufactured10 October 1915
First flight10 October 1915
In service1915–1916
Last flight4 September 1916
Preserved atWreckage at crash site / local memorials
FateWrecked on landing approach near Temesvár (Timișoara region), 4 September 1916; 9 fatalities

Zeppelin LZ 56 (operationally referred to as LZ-86 or tactical number L-86) was a German rigid airship built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and operated by the Heer during the First World War. It performed seven attacks dropping a total of 14,800 kg (32,600 lb) of bombs along the Eastern and South-Eastern front before being wrecked on approach to its base in early September 1916. [1] [2]

Contents

Design and construction

LZ 56 was constructed by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin at the Löwenthal/Friedrichshafen works and is recorded in contemporary material as production number LZ 56. Period and later sources commonly identify the ship operationally as LZ-86 (tactical number L-86). Some references describe the ship as belonging to the P-class series (often used for eastern operations) and note enlargements and modifications performed during service. [1]

Operational history

LZ-56/LZ-86 operated on the Eastern and south-eastern fronts from bases including Schneidemühl, Königsberg and Kowno, and was later deployed to the Temesvár/Timișoara area in August 1916 following the opening of operations against Romanian targets after Romania's entry into the war. Sources record several raids in which the airship participated; one summary gives seven attacks with a total of about 14,800 kg (≈32,600 lb) of bombs dropped against targets on the Eastern and south-eastern fronts. [1] [2]

On 4 September 1916 the airship took part in operations against the oil-refining town of Ploiești. Contemporary and later accounts report that on return/approach to its base the airship crashed at high speed; forward and rear gondolas separated and the hull was wrecked. Nine crewmen were recorded as killed in the accident; a small number of crew survived according to local and later accounts. [3] [1]

Loss

On 4 September 1916 the Zeppelin crashed at high speed, with the forward and rear gondolas becoming separated at near Temesvár (now Timișoara, western Romania), with nine fatalities and the airship recorded as destroyed. There were several survivors who landed safely. Local Romanian histories and contemporary notices describe the loss as occurring during the landing/approach after a raid on the Ploiești oil refineries. [3] [2]

Aftermath and memorials

Local memorials and modern local histories in the Timișoara / Banat area document Zeppelin operations and the burials/memorials for airship personnel who died in the region in 1916. [2] [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Zeppelin LZ56 LZ86". Aircraft Investigation. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Petre Irimuș (18 December 2013). "Dosarele secrete! Zeppelinele ucigașe de la Timișoara au lovit Bucureștiul, Ploieștiul, Chișinăul și Salonicul" (in Romanian). Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Accident Zeppelin LZ.56 LZ-86, Monday 4 September 1916". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 November 2025.

Bibliography

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