L 22, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Martin Dietrich, was off the coast at Kilnsea around 10.25pm and dropped three HE bombs at sea. Dietrich then approached Spurn Head, dropping two more HE bombs near the searchlight there when it illuminated L 22. When the AA gun opened fire he tried to target that with three more HE bombs. They did no damage, but one bomb landed within 100 yards of the gun. Dietrich then took L 22 across Humber estuary, dropping another three HE bombs in the sea, followed by another three off the coast at Donna Nook where he came inland into Lincolnshire. Moments later, at 10.40pm, followinga westerly course over the next five minutes, L 22 dropped two incendiary bombs over North Somercotes, five at Grainthorpe and one at Fulstow. Dietrich now changed course, initially he steered south-west, dropping two incendiaries at Utterby, before turning north and approaching Waltham at 11.00pm. From there Grimsby lay straight ahead, but L 22 went north-west towards Laceby instead before following the road westwards to Caistor, dropping another incendiary there at 11.20pm. Dietrich now turned back and crossed over the coast at Donna Nook again at 11.35pm. None of the bombs dropped by L 22 caused any damage.

L 23, the last Zeppelin to appear over Lincolnshire, came in over the coast near Mablethorpe at 11.00pm by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Ganzel, having dropped a number of bombs at sea six minutes earlier. Once inland, Ganzel appears to have moved without any clear purpose within a triangle formed by Gainsborough, Lincoln and Grimsby. He dropped his first bomb, an incendiary, at Glentham at 11.45pm but 40 minutes passed before he dropped two more incendiaries at Kingerby near Market Rasen. At that point Ganzel appears to find a purpose and followed a direct north-east course headed towards Grimsby. But at 12.35am, before he reached the town, AA guns at Scartho Top and Cleefields burst into action. Between them the guns fired only seven rounds but it was enough to turn Ganzel away from Grimsby. Instead he released 19 HE and 11 incendiary bombs over Scartho, a village on the southern outskirts. It appears the first bomb landed 80 yards south-west of the junction of Waltham Road and Carr Lane (now Springfield Road), while another dropped in St. Giles’s Churchyard and one at the junction of Louth Road and Pinfold Lane, the others are harder to trace. Damage was recorded to the church roof and numbers of windows were smashed but beyond that the village escaped lightly. Five minutes later L 23 crossed back over the coast and returned to Germany. →

Of the three Zeppelins that targeted London, it was the last to come inland, L 31 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy, that was the lucky one that night. It was Mathy's Zeppelin alone that returned safely to Germany.

Mathy came inland at Dungeness on the Kent coast at about 10.50pm and dropped six HE bombs, wrecking a holiday home and partially wrecking a house occupied by six people, but all escaped without injury. From there he steered a very direct course to south London. At 12.25am, over Kenley, L 31 released four HE bombs that fell evenly spaced along a line about 130 yards long. Three small villas on Hall Road were damaged and the fourth landed in the road at the junction of Hall Road and Downs Court Road. Two people were injured. The Croydon searchlight then caught L 31 but Mathy dropped two parachute flares, momentarily blinding the crew and causing them to lose her. A couple of minutes later she was illuminated again and the Croydon AA gun fired off two rounds before another parachute flare meant the searchlight crew lost her again. Two HE and two incendiary bombs fell on two farms at Mitcham, but at about 12.35am Mathy approached Streatham, located on the southern approaches to London and commenced his main attack, which ran from there, through Brixton to Kennington. 

In Streatham, on a line running from Streatham Common Station to Tierney Road, a distance of 1.8 miles, Mathy released 10 HE and around 20 incendiary bombs, killing 7 and injuring 28. One HE bomb, in Estreham Road, demolished four houses and severely damaged a fifth, killing a 74-year-old woman and injuring nine adults and five children. Another HE bomb, in the road at Streatham Hill, killed the driver, conductor and four passengers on board a tram. Bombs also damaged two railway stations, seriously damaged nine other houses and ten shops, while also causing lesser damage to 165 houses and shops. Over Brixton, Mathy dropped six HE bombs and either 13 or 17 incendiary bombs, claiming the lives of another seven people and injuring 16. Of the Brixton bombs, one landing in Bay Tree Road demolished a house, killing the housekeeper and a 3-year-old child, and partially demolished the houses on either side. The exact same result followed from a bomb that fell in Beechdale Road where Albert Ward, aged 50, and his 21-year-old daughter Grace both perished. An HE bomb that fell in Brixton Road near the junction with Loughborough Road claimed three more lives. In all about 45 houses and shops suffered serious damage and about 40 houses and shops damage to a lesser extent, while many had windows smashed. Having dropped one final HE bomb in Kennington Park, Mathy flew over the Thames and across central London without dropping more bombs, only returning to his destructive mission when he reached the Lea Bridge Road in Leyton. There, at 12.46am, Mathy released 10 HE bombs as L 31 followed the road along its north-easterly line; those bombs caused serious damage to 11 buildings and lesser damage to many more while claiming the lives of four men, a woman and a child, and also injured 27. Among those killed were George (52) and Virginia (50) Sexton and 25-year-old bus driver, William Henry Webb. From there Mathy set a course across Essex and Suffolk, reaching the Norfolk coast near Great Yarmouth at about 2.15am. But an hour early, as     L 31 passed Bishops Stortford, a great flaring light lit up the sky some 20 miles away to the south-east. There was no question what it was - it was a burning Zeppelin.

L 32, commanded by Oberleutnant-zur-See Werner Peterson, approached the Kent coast with L 31. After coming inland at Dungeness, he flew a wide circle around the area for an hour, probably dealing with an engine problem. At 11.45pm Peterson finally set a course intended for London, reaching Tunbridge Wells at 12.10am. Having turned north, 20 minutes later she dropped an incendiary bomb at Ide Hill, near Sevenoaks, and at 12.50am a searchlight at Crockenhill caught her even though the skies south of the Thames were misty. Peterson retaliated with seven HE bombs but the only damage was broken windows at neighbouring Swanley. Peterson continued on the northerly course, with London away to his left, and crossed the Thames east of Purfleet at about 1.00am. Having been protected to some extend by the mist south of the river, L 32 now pushed into clear skies, and into a hornet’s nest. As searchlights locked on the two guns (34 rounds) at Tunnel Farm, West Thurrock and the single gun at Belhus Park (10 rounds) opened fire at 1.04am. Peterson offloaded 32 HE and 27 incendiary bombs as he ran north, these bombs falling on largely open countryside between Aveley (9 HE, 6 incendiary), across South Ockendon (23 HE, 21 incendiary) to a position about 400 yards short of North Ockendon. The bombs broke windows and injured two horses. By then the AA guns at Tilbury (14 rounds), Shonks (17 rounds) and Fobbing (3 rounds)were also engaged – and pilots of No.39 Squadron were closing in. At a height of about 13,000 feet L 32 now headed north-west but was intercepted by 2nd Lieut. Frederick Sowrey in a BE2c aircraft. Sowrey made two spirited but unsuccessful attacks, but the third attack ‘caused the envelope to catch on fire in several places; in the centre and front’. The flaming mass of L 32 smashed into the ground at Snail’s Hall Farm, just south of Billericay. There were no survivors.

Wreckage of Zeppelin L 32

The third of the Zeppelins intent on London was L 33, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Alois Böcker. She came inland over Foulness, Essex, at 10.40pm. Heading west she dropped an incendiary at South Fambridge at 11.00pm and passed Billericay at 11.27pm, releasing a parachute flare near Brentwood eight minutes later. At 11.40pm, over Upminster Common, L 33 dropped four incendiary bombs that caused no damage, followed by six HE bombs at South Hornchurch, some of which landed at Suttons Farm airfield, home to a flight of No.39 Squadron. L 33 continued to Wanstead where she made some confused corrections, first turning south-east at 11.59pm then, seven minutes later, altering course to the south-west, passing between the AA guns at Beckton and North Woolwich. From there she steered north-west, approaching West Ham in London at 12.10am. Although the sky was misty in places, the guns and searchlights in this part of East London had now found their target and opened a fierce fusillade. At 12.11am,  L 33 began dropping her main bomb load. A cluster fell on houses around St. Leonard’s Street near the junction with Empson Street, claiming the lives of six and injuring 11. Another HE bomb caused serious damage at the works of the North London Railway Company at Burdett Street. In Botolph Road an HE bomb severely damaged a Baptist chapel and inflicted lesser damage on many other houses in the locality. Moments later an HE bomb partially demolished ‘The Black Swan’ public house at 148 Bow Road and neighbouring properties, killing five and injuring four.  

By 12.15am, L 33 was under intense AA fire and sustaining damage. An exploding shell struck a propeller sending shell fragments into one of the gas cells behind the forward engine gondola before slashing their way through four others. L 33 released water ballast to gain height and continued dropping bombs as she turned away from the east end of London. Flying away over Stratford Marsh, Böcker’s final bombs caused havoc at the British Petroleum Company’s works and at Judd’s Match Factory. Gradually losing height through leaking hydrogen and down to 9,000 feet, L 33 was attacked by the gun at Kelvedon Common, which also claimed a hit at 12.25am. The crew now began throwing disposable objects overboard to lighten the ship and keep her aloft while she came under repeated but unsuccessful attacks from 2nd Lieut. Alfred de Bathe Brandon of No.39 Squadron. Despite the best efforts of the crew, L 33 continued to lose height. At about 1.15am – at about the time L 32 was shot down – L 33 crossed the coast near West Mersea, Essex, but Böcker quickly realised he’d never nurse L 33 home so turned back and crash landed at Little Wigborough in Essex. The crew set fire to the remaining hydrogen before being arrested by the local police. One of the crew suffered a broken rib and others had burns and cuts, but no one was seriously injured. The skeleton of L 33 remained largely intact and proved a significant prize for British intelligence.

Casualties: 40 killed, 130 injured

Damage: £135,068