19/20 Oct 1917 (2)                   

Bombed:

London, Beds., Kent, Essex, Herts., Northants., Hunts., Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincs., Worcs. & Staffs.

Kapitänleutnant Franz Stabbert brought L 44 inland over the Norfolk coast at 6.45pm near Blakeney and headed south. Thirty minutes later he dropped a 100kg HE bomb in a field at West Bradenham. Crossing into Essex, L 44 dropped four incendiaries at 8.08pm over Rivenhall: two at Park Gates Farm, one at Rivenhall Hall Farm and one in a field about half a mile north-east of St. Mary and All Saints’ Church. There was no damage. L 44 left Essex at 8.25pm, crossed the Thames estuary and 15 minutes later appeared over Reculver in Kent, where she dropped two HE bombs in the sea, followed by three on land, damaging the kitchen ceiling at the King Ethelbert Inn. Another dropped about a mile to the south in the marshes at Chislet, landing about 270 yards from the railway, followed by two more at Sarre, one in a field at Sarre Court Farm and the other in a neighbouring field damaging crops. L 44 went out to sea over Deal at 8.52pm. Swept across France behind Allied lines, L 44 almost made it, but French AA guns caught her just 10 miles from the Front Line and she crashed in flames at Chenevières. There were no survivors.

Kapitänleutnant Hans-Karl Gayer, commanding L 49, came inland at 8.00pm over Holkham on the north Norfolk coast. Fifteen minutes later he dropped three HE bombs near East Dereham on Old Hall Farm where they broke windows in the farm house and cottages. Nine HE bombs followed in the Yaxham area, six landing south-east of Clint Green smashing windows in two houses and three near Brakefield Green damaging three houses. At Thuxton two HE bombs landed east of Rookery Farm, damaging farm buildings and smashing windows, and a single bomb east of Hall Farm at Coston failed to cause any damage. An incendiary that fell at Runhall, half a mile north-west of the church, failed to ignite and in fields half a mile north-east of the railway station at Hardingham, L 49 dropped eight incendiary bombs that burnt out harmlessly. Three HE and three incendiary bombs fell near Kimberley, between Bayfield Hall and Danemoor Green, demolishing cattle sheds, killing three horses, injuring another and smashing windows. Another batch of eight incendiaries fell near Wicklewood, one fell in a river a quarter of a mile south of Kimberley railway station and seven close to the Workhouse but no damage was caused. Three incendiaries dropped at Suton, south-west of Wymondham, burnt out without damage. L 49’s last bomb, an incendiary, landed in a field at Forncett St Peter. Struggling with engine problems and navigation, L 49 crossed south-east England with the wind carrying her across France. Having seen L 44 shot down, with only two engines working and attacked by a squadron of French aircraft, Gayer decided to crash land to avoid being shot down. Once on the ground the crew were prevented from burning L 49, leaving the Allies the intact prize of one the latest Zeppelin designs.

Kapitänleutnant Roderich Schwonder brought L 50 inland over Cley-next-the-Sea at 7.45pm and made progress to the south-west. At 8.20pm he began dropping bombs on villages between Downham Market and Swaffham. Five HE bombs fell in fields around Barton Bendish, one in a plantation at Beechamwell and 11 HE bombs landed around Oxborough. One failed to explode but the others fell around Oxborough Hall, smashing windows at the Hall, the Catholic Chapel and St John’s Church. An incendiary landed south of Mundford without effect, as did one on the heath at West Tofts, and another at West Wretham failed to ignite. Six HE and two incendiary bombs then fell around Croxton where they failed to cause any damage. L 50’s last two bombs, both HE, landed just north of Thetford, not far from the waterworks but also failed to inflict any damage. The wind then carried L 50 towards the south-east and she went out to sea over Hollesley Bay at 8.50pm. Schwonder seems to have had serious navigation issues and wandered alarmingly over France, at one point being 150 miles west of the Western Front. He saw both L 44 shot down and L 49 on the ground, and with two engines out of action he decided to crash land and at least deny his ship to the enemy. He actually hit a wood, which ripped off two of the gondolas causing most of the crew to leap overboard. Thus lightened L 50 soared back up with four men still on board. The uncontrollable airship eventually disappeared over the Mediterranean. No trace of her or the four men was ever found.

Coming inland over Withernsea on the Yorkshire coast at 8.20pm, Kapitänleutnant Waldemar Kölle attempted to steer

L 45 towards Sheffield but the gales forced him south-west until at 10.50pm he reached Northampton where the crew noticed some faint lights. Three HE bombs landed to the north of the town, between Dallington and Kingsthorpe, by the main railway line. The concussion from these bombs smashed windows in 24 houses and damaged two ceilings. Kölle then switched to incendiary bombs, dropping three that fell either side of Spencer Bridge Road but failed to inflict any damage. The next batch of three incendiaries fell in the St. James district as L 45 approached the main railway station. One fell harmlessly in Victoria Park, one in the garden at 17 Park Road, which the occupier quickly extinguished, but the third smashed through the roof of 46 Parkwood Street and set the house burning. The bomb killed Eliza Gammons, aged 51, and despite the best efforts of her son-in-law to save her 13-year-old twins, Lily and Gladys, they both died from terrible burns. Kölle released another batch of three incendiaries, one landed in the town corporation’s West Bridge Works without causing damage and two fell in meadows close to the main railway line to London. Reverting to HE bombs, six fell near the Hunsbury Hill railway tunnel but only smashed a few farm windows. Carried on a south-east course by the wind, L 45 dropped another HE bomb in a field at Preston Deanery, followed by one more that fell near Piddington on a fence skirting the Salcey Forest.

Continuing to be taken by the wind the crew of L 45 were not aware of their location and were shocked when they realised they were approaching London. Taking advantage of the opportunity they dropped two HE bombs at Hendon, north-west of the city, where one caused slight damage to buildings at Hendon aerodrome and the other caused slight damage to a cottage in Colindeep Lane. The next two HE bombs fell on the railway near Cricklewood Station. One detonated in the railway marshalling yard where it damaged a section of track, five trucks and smashed many windows. The other, just to the south of the station, exploded by the tracks facing Westbere Road, smashing the windows in a school and those of about 100 other buildings in neighbouring roads. As L 45 hurtled along, Kölle released a 100kg HE bomb. By chance it landed at Piccadilly Circus where the blast killed seven people and injured another 18. The next bomb, weighing 300kgs, dropped on two houses in Albany Road, Camberwell. Rescuers recovered 10 bodies and 24 others were injured. The final bomb, also 300kg, fell about four miles further on and obliterated three houses in Glenview Road (now Nightingale Grove). The bomb killed 15 including seven children from one family. The wind then carried L 45 over the coast near Hastings at 1.00am. Blasted across France by the wind, Kölle was unable to make headway to the east and eventually, when about 70 miles from the Mediterranean coast, he decided to make an emergency landing which he did near Sisteron and surrendered.

Of the eleven Zeppelins that had taken part in the raid, only six returned to Germany able to fight another day. One complete crew was dead, as were four men from another crew, and three crews were now prisoners of war. The raid proved to be a disaster for the Naval Airship Division.

Zeppelin L 45