4/11/2023 0 Comments Air raid alert britain![]() ![]() The nation had trailed in aviation development prior to the outbreak of war and had also given little consideration to creating an aerial defence plan. Throughout 1915, German airships encountered little in the way of serious opposition when they appeared over Britain. Many considered them to be the very embodiment of German technical superiority. The public demonstrated great enthusiasm for the Zeppelins in pre-war Germany. As the war progressed it was the navy Zeppelins that pursued the air war against Britain with the greatest conviction, although the honour of being the first to bomb London went to an army Zeppelin in May 1915. At a time when aeroplanes were but flimsy structures of wood, wire and linen, the sleek, giant rigid airships of Germany appeared to embody the true future of aviation.Īt the start of hostilities, the German military had two airship fleets: one for the navy and one for the army. It was not long before the German military recognized their potential as a weapon of war. įor some years, Zeppelin airships had operated as civil airliners, offering enthusiastic travellers a birds-eye-view of the countryside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The best known of these were the Zeppelins, although there were a smaller number built by a rival company - Schütte-Lanz. WHEN BRITAIN declared war on Germany in August 1914, military planners in London were well aware that the enemy possessed a unique weapon - giant rigid airships. (Author’s Collection) “A historian has dubbed the night, ‘one of the biggest fiascos in British air defence history.’ The population of the Midlands now realized just how defenceless they were in the face of aerial attack, leading to questions at all levels.” For a year, German airships raided southern England with near impunity. An artist’s impression of the effect on a raiding Zeppelin as searchlights and anti-aircraft guns work in unison. ![]()
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