ISSUE 91 : Nov/Dec - 1991 - Australian Defence Force Journal

54 AUSTRALIAN DEFFNCE FORCE JOURNAL NO. 91 NOV! MBFR DK'EMBER 1991
were resumed with a light attack on the coastal areas
by three Gothas. Then on the 31st, a force of 22
Gothas crossed the coast en route to London. Most
of the attackers were, however, scattered by a
combination of the gun barrage and bad weather,
and released their bombs on the coastal towns with
only light casualties. There was then a lull until 6th
December when six Gothas attacked London,
dropping a total of 395 incendiary bombs. Damage
from fires was very heavy, although casualties were
again light. Two of the raiders were shot down by
gun fire, and three others damaged. There were two
more raids by Gothas against London during
December, for the loss of three more of the raiders,
with few casualties and little damage.
Then on 28th January 1918. there was another
combined raid by Gothas and Giants. Thirteen
Gothas and one Giant had set out, but six had to
turn back because of fog and poor visibility. Four
Gothas attacked the coastal towns, while three
Gothas and the Giant carried on to London. One of
the Gothas was shot down by patrolling fighters
before dropping its bombs, but the others all
reached their objectives. A great number of houses
were destroyed, and casualties were heavy, with 51
killed and 136 injured. Most of the casualties came
from the Giant, which on this raid carried 1200 kg of
bombs, including two of 300 kg each, being the
heaviest ever dropped by any aircraft to that date.
On its way in. the Giant had been intercepted by
one of the defending fighters. A fierce fight ensued,
but a hit in the engine put the British aircraft out of
action, and the observer was wounded. The Giant
then resumed its course, but flew into the balloon
apron. It was apparently unharmed and continued
in to its attack, leaving the apron itself badly
damaged.
The following night four Giants set out to attack
London on their own, but one turned back with
engine trouble. Of the three which reached London,
one was turned back early by the barrage fire. One of
the remaining two was then attacked at 3500 metres
by a defending fighter which scored some hits and
forced the enemy to turn away before releasing its
bombs. The one remaining Giant was then intercepted
by four of the defenders who attacked
simultaneously. There was no visible damage, but it
also was forced to release its full load of bombs
harmlessly, and turned back immediately.
On 16th February, one of the attacking Giants
had on board a bomb weighing 1000 kg. which it
released successfully, scoring a direct hit on the
Chelsea Barracks, but with very few casualties.
Attacks by Gothas and Giants continued into
February and March, with some successes on both
sides. Then suddenly, the Zeppelins returned to the
attack.
Last Zeppelins
On 10th March, two Zeppelins raided Grimsby
and Hull, and again on 13th March a single airship
attacked the same area. There was no damage or
casualties on either occasion. Several interceptions
were attempted, but the Zeppelins were at 6000
metres and could not be reached. Then on 12th
April, five Zeppelins attacked Birmingham and
other industrial towns in the midlands. Each carried
2500 kg of bombs, by far the heaviest load yet.
Despite this, they were able to cruise at heights of up
to 6500 metres, which made them immune to both
gun and aircraft. It began to appear as if the Zeppelin
might yet again prove to be a serious menace.
However, they only paid one more visit to England
before the end of the war, despite their new
immunity.
The last raid by the airships took place on the
night of 5th August 1918, when five airships set out
from home. The force included the L70 which had
only been commissioned the month before. It was
the very latest model and was fitted with seven
290 hp Maybach engines, the most powerful to
date. Even more importantly, it carried on board
Fregattenkapitan Peter Strasser, who was the overall
commander of the entire Zeppelin fleet.
The raiders split into two forces as they approached
the British coast, and one group, including the
L70, headed for Norfolk. The others turned south
towards Yarmouth. Almost at once the northern
force was intercepted by a D.H.4 and L70 was shot
down in flames. All aboard, including Strasser, were
killed. The remaining airships all turned back and
released their bombs harmlessly in the sea. They
were never again to be seen over England.
Final Aircraft Attacks
The defences had really reached their peak of
efficiency by May, when on the night of 19th May
eight Gothas were either destroyed or forced down
by defending aircraft and guns. This raid turned out
to be not only the largest of the series, but was also
the very last. It was a moonlit night, as usual, and
from about 10 p.m. and for the next three hours
there was a continuous stream of enemy bombers