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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0767.PDF
SEPTEMBER 7, IQl6. PIECES of the fallen Zepp. as souvenirs appear to be more numerous than authentic, though many are genuine enough A soldier is said to have sold a button from a German uniform for 55., and a fire-marked mark fetched the same price This is the highest mark the mark has reached since the war started. Quite high-water mark. THE amount of wire found in the fallen airship is astounding. as is also the fact that it lived through the intense heat without reaching the melting point. A suggestion put for ward is that this wire should be given to the Red Cross Society to be cut into short strips and sold, mounted on little cards, as relics of the first German Zeppelin brought down on English soil, as most of the many million people who saw that Zeppelin ablaze over London would buy a bit, and the Red Cross Society might be much the richer. IT is said that the track of the vessel after it was fired is easily traced by the exploded small-arms ammunition* all the brass cases of which have split with the explosion. THE airship brought down was not the only one to receive a hot reception, and at about the same time, according to a correspondent. HE informs us that after the wrecked airship had dis appeared in a mass of flames, he saw another one which appeared to be in difficulty. Ox one occasion, our correspondent says, she stood on her [/jJGHTJ tail as if about to give a demonstration of what a Zepp. is capable of in the way of climbing, only she reminded him of a man taking a running leap at a ditch, his feet slipping at the last moment and he landing in the middle of the ditch. APPARENTLY her engines forsook her at the critical moment, for she merely struck the dramatic attitude, without, however, seeming to get on with the climbing. SOON afterwards she appeared to be hit, and drifted rather than cruised into the clouds. PART of a gondola with its supporting wires and othei apparatus has been found in an East Anglian coast village. . A PETROL tank, apparently jettisoned from one ot the returning airships, has also been found in East AngH.i SOME of the raiders on their way home attempted to bomb vessels in the North Sea—it was a pity to waste them or carry them home—but in no case was damage caused. FISHERMEN who returned, to Esbjerg on Monday night reported that on Sunday forenoon outside the territorial water limit off the Sylt they saw five Zeppelins going in an easterly direction. At 11 o'clock anothet Zeppelin appeared, going very slowly. The crew was engaged throwing articles overboard in order to keep the airship out of the sea. The Zeppelin, which was seveieYy damaged, is supposed to have fallen on the water between the Sylt and the Schlcswig coast THE a B B •• »» AIRCRAFT RAIDS. " X 46 " Raid, September 2nd and 3rd. THE following official communiquts have been issued by the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief Home Forces :— September 3rd, 12.10 a.m. " Shortly before 11 p.m. our Eastern Counties were attacked by several hostile airships. Bombs, have already been dropped at a few places, but no details are yet to hand to show how many raiders are engaged and what their objectives may be. The raid is still in progress. A further contmuniqui will follow." 3.45 a.m. "The attack to-night was made by a larger number of airships than have ever previously raided England. The Eastern Counties and London were apparently their objec tives. The attack on London was beaten off, and one raider was brought down in flames. Many bombs were dropped in widely separated localities, but no reports of casualties or damage have yet been received." i.35p.m. " Last night's raid was carried out by 13 airships, and was thus the most formidable attack which has been made on this country. The principal theatre of operations was the Eastern Counties, and the objectives seem to have been London and certain industrial centres in the Midlands. The new measures taken for the reduction or obscuration of lights undoubtedly proved most efficacious, for the raiding squadrons, instead of steering a steady course as in the raids of the spring and last autumn, groped about in the darkness looking for a safe avenue of approach to their objectives. Three airships only were able to approach the outskirts of London. One of them appeared over the northern districts at about 2.15 a.m., where she was at once picked up by searchlights and heavily engaged by anti-aircraft guns and aeroplanes. After a few minutes the airship was seen to burst into flame and to fall rapidly towards the earth. The ship was destroyed ; the wreckage, engines and the half- burned bodies of the crew being found at Cuffley, near Enfield. " Our experts hope to be able to reconstruct certain portions of the framework. The large amount of wood employed in the framework of the Zeppelin is startling, and would seem to point to a shortage of aluminium in Germany. " The other two ships which approached London were driven off by the defences without being able to approach the centre of the city. A great number of bombs were dropped promiscuously over the East Anglian and the South-Eastern Counties, but complete reports of casualties and damage have not yet been received. Those to hand indicate that the damage and loss of life are not heavy considering the number of the ships engaged, a great number of the bombs dropped having fallen either in the sea or in remote country districts. " It is hoped that any persons who have picked up frag ments of the wrecked airship will submit them to General Headquarters, Home Forces, the Horse Guards, Whitehall, without delay. If of no value in the reconstruction of the airship they will be returned to the owners. It should be remembered that the retention of such articles constitutes a contravention of the Defence of the Realm Kegulations, Section 35 B. A statement of casualties will be issued to morrow." 6 p.m. " Careful inquiries show that the casualties and damage caused by the air raid last night were quite disproportionate to the number of ships employed. " The number of casualties which have been reported are as follows:— " Killed : 1 man, 1 woman. " Injured : 11 men and women and 2 children. " No casualties occurred in the Metropolitan Police District " The latest reports show that in the Metropolitan Polie. District 25 houses and some outbuildings were slightlv damaged, two water mains wen; cut and three horses killed Elsewhere the damage was very slight, a certain number ol cottages being damaged, as well as a church, while a fire occurred at some gas works. " No military damage of any sort was caused " September 5th. " An important part of one of the enemy's airships which raided England on the 2nd and 3rd inst. has been picked up in the Eastern Counties. " There is no doubt but that the ship suffered severe damage from gunfire. " The airship which fell near London passed through heavy and accurate gunfire, .but it is established beyond doubt that the main factor in its destruction was an aeroplane of the R.F.C., which attacked with the utmost gallantry and judgment and brought it down. German Version. Berlin, September 4th. " During the night of September 2nd-3rd several naval air ship detachments bombarded the fortress of London and the fortified places of Yarmouth and Harwich, as well as factories and places of strategical importance in the south-eastern counties and on the Humber. " Everywhere good effects could be observed, both on account of the violent fires which broke out and the explosions. Notwithstanding a strong bombardment all the naval airship 1 returned undamaged. " At the same time a number of army airships executed an attack on southern England." To the above the Press Bureau issues the following note :— " The damage done, that is to say, practically ml, is exactly what has been reported in the official commumqui. There were no conflagrations of any importance and no explosions. " There is, moreover, the strongest reason to believe that another airship in addition to the one destroyed was very seriously damaged." In a later report issued in Berlin it was admitted that " one of our vessels was brought down by enemy fire," 763
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