16 Feb 1918                         

Bombed: London & Kent

Ernst Brandenburg, who lost a leg in June 1917 in an aeroplane crash, returned to Kagohl 3 in February and resumed command of the squadron. Finding morale low following the regular losses sustained by the crews, particularly in landing accidents, he suspended further raids while he built the squadron back up to full strength. This done, on the night of 16 February, five ‘Giants’ of Rfa 501 set out on their own. Strong winds immediately affected the raid and three abandoned the flight to London to settle for the closer target of Dover. One of them, R.33, had a bad night. With three out of the four engines failing, the crew dropped their bombs in the sea off Deal and limped home on one engine, flying at a height of just 200 metres. The crew of R.25 claimed to have bombed Dover but in fact all 20 bombs (each 50kg) fell in a line at about 10.40pm, roughly from Reach Court farm to Granville Road at St. Margaret’s, north of Dover. The bombs smashed a water main in Granville Road, damaged a convent laundry and a house known as ‘The Bungalow’. They shattered numerous windows and dug craters in fields but caused no injuries. The crew of R.36 also claimed to have dropped two bombs on Dover, but they either dropped with those released by R.25 or they fell in the sea.

The two ‘Giants’ that held on for London, R.12 and R.39, had differing experiences. Both came inland over Essex, headed west and appeared initially to keep close company as the British defences believed there was only one aircraft. R.39, carrying the first 1,000kg bomb over Britain, appears to have evaded the plotters until she appeared over south-west London at about 10.15pm. Her own crew thought they were east of the City of London when they released their single bomb. It struck the north-east wing of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners, obliterating the building. An officer of the hospital staff died, along with his wife, two of his five children and a niece.

The other London-bound ‘Giant’, R.12, had crossed the Thames and was approaching Woolwich when a section of the balloon apron suddenly loomed up in front of it. One of the defence ideas initiated back in September 1917, ten of these balloon barrages were raised on the eastern approaches to London, described as ‘a wire screen suspended from balloons and intended to form a sort of barrage in which enemy machines navigated at night will be caught’.

Raised to a height of 10,000ft, their more practical purpose was to force enemy raiders to fly at more predictable heights giving the AA guns an increased chance of success. Despite the best efforts of the pilot, the starboard wing of R.12 caught the dangling steel cables, twisting it out of control. After dropping 1,000ft the pilot regained control but the violent manoeuvres shook two 300kg bombs free. They fell in Woolwich at 10.20pm. One exploded in Artillery Place, demolising the home of a greengrocer and his shop at No. 50a killing five people, severely damaging three other homes and shops from 49 to 51, and causing other damage at Nos. 47, 48, 52 and 53. Windows were also broken in Belford Grove and at a school in Rectory Place. Seconds later the other bomb exploded in Grand Depot Road where it killed an Australian soldier, Bombardier Eric Munro, and a nurse who was on holiday. The bomb also caused damage to St. George’s Garrison Church. Relieved to be still flying, the crew of R.12 turned back and jettisoned their remaining eight 50kg bombs. These fell harmlessly just north-east of Shortlands railway station near Bromley, some on a golf course and others on allotments on Farnaby Road.

Both R.12 and R.39 flew out across Kent with 60 aircraft from the RFC hoping to intercept them, but only three made fleeting unsuccessful attacks. The AA guns had a busy night during which they fired 4,519 rounds at the two ‘Giants’ that reached London and at those near Dover, but all the ‘Giants’ safely reached their home base outside Ghent.

Damage caused by a 1,000kg bomb at the

Royal Hospital, Chelsea

17 Feb 1918                         

Bombed: London & Kent

Despite having only one serviceable ‘Giant’ available on 17 February, the commander of Rfa 501 ordered it to attack London alone. R.25 appeared off the Kent coast at about 9.45pm and initially followed the course of the Thames Estuary. The sound of its engines attracted AA gunfire from both the Kent and Essex sides of the river, some of it way out of range, and the first RFC sorties took off at 9.50pm.

As the river narrowed, R.25 veered from one shore to the other before dropping a sighting incendiary over Slade Green near Dartford at about 10.40pm. Approaching the south-eastern outskirts of London, the first HE bomb exploded in the back garden of a house in Newstead Road, Lee, severely damaging the rear of the house. Two more dropped close together at Hither Green. One exploded in the grounds of St. Swithun’s Church, damaging both the vicarage and the church, and the other on the pavement in Hither Green Lane, fracturing gas, water and electricity supplies and damaging buildings in the area. In Thornford Road, on the corner of Lewisham Park, a bomb exploded damaging a house and injuring two men. R.25 now followed a gently curving course that would ultimately lead to St. Pancras station in London, along which the crew released bombs at regular intervals.

The next bomb demolished the rear of 7 Vicar’s Hill, Lewisham, but the occupants all escaped unhurt; the blast damaged many other houses in the street and in neighbouring roads. In Waller Road, New Cross, a bomb fell in the back garden of No. 160 causing significant damage to the rear of the house. In Pennethorne Road, Peckham, another exploded behind Nos. 23 and 25, demolishing the back additions of both houses, smashing windows and damaging the roofs in most other properties in the street and causing serious damage in Kincaid Road. Approaching Camberwell, the next bomb detonated in Trafalgar Road, damaging the premises of a metal manufacturer and smashed windows in 31 houses there and more windows in 11 houses and a pub in Glengall Road. Two bombs followed in Southwark. In Searles Road, the first exploded in the street, killing a soldier and injuring three people while causing significant damage to a school and five houses. The second bomb exploded in a foundry yard in Bear Lane causing severe damage to the premises, which extended to 11 other properties there and in Dolben Street. 

Continuing on the same line, R.25 crossed the Thames by Blackfriars Bridge at 10.55pm and dropped the next bomb, which failed to explode. It smashed down through five floors of St. Dunstan’s House at 133 to 137 New Fetter Lane, belonging to the Cambridge University Press, causing much damage but no casualties. Seconds later a bomb exploded in Doughty Mews off Guilford Street, Holborn, severely damaging the premises of a welding business and all the other buildings in the narrow mews suffered, which included a number of stables killing two horses. Damage extended to buildings in the surrounding roads: Guilford Street, Millman Street and Doughty Street.

The crew of R.25 now clearly saw a worthwhile target dead ahead — St. Pancras Station. With great accuracy five bombs landed within 50 yards of each other around the station and adjoining Midland Grand Hotel, and a sixth bomb landed a short distance away in Midland Road by the wall of Somers Town Goods Station. Two of the bombs landed at the front of the station, two struck pinnacles on the hotel’s tower (one caused damage but failed to explode) and one exploded close to an archway leading through to the booking hall. Some time later, on completion of their difficult task, the emergency teams had recovered 20 bodies and helped 22 people suffering injury.

Turning away to the north-east, R.25 dropped a final bomb (12kg HE) in the grounds of a YMCA Training Centre situated between Mildmay Park and Newington Green Road. The bomb failed to explode as R.25 headed home.

The RFC flew 69 sorties as they attempted to intercept R.25 but only three aircraft were able to make attacks before they lost the target. All were unsuccessful. Remarkably, this raid by one German aircraft lured the AA guns into firing 7,375 rounds, with many of the guns positioned miles from the route of R.25. A significant number of these rounds were aimed at Home Defence aircraft who had strayed over the gun zones and whose identification lights were invisible at the height they were flying. The crew of R.25 reported this wild response to their flight when they safely reached home.