Zeppelin ID

[kin47]

Hello

Can anyone tell me who this Zep was

6 March 1916 - Sheerness @ No. 9 buoy.

01:47 Sighted Zeppelin passing overhead steering SE. Range 7000 ft. Manned aerial guns.

Thanks in advance.

All best

don

[Dolphin]

Don

I think that the airship in question would have been L13, under Kptlt Heinrich Mathy. After an engine failure over the North Sea while heading for the Tyne/Tees area, he was blown to the southeast, crossing the English coast at Newark. He attempted to bomb Sheerness, where he was engaged by local anti-aircraft defences, before departing to the south at 02:20.

The other airships on this raid (L11 and L14) dropped their bombs over Northern England.

I hope that this is useful.

Regards

Gareth

[kin47]

Hello Gareth

Many thanks. You again have proven an outstanding source.

One more, if I may.

On Old Weather Forum, I am doing HMS NEWCASTLE, who Captain was Senior Naval Officer, Brindisi, in the fall of 1917. Several "hostile aircraft" are reported in the log driven off by ship's fire.

Do you have anything on the Austro Hungarian sorties over Brindisi in this period?

Thanks in advance.

All best

don

[Dolphin]

Don

I can't find anything specific. Aircraft from the Austro-Hungarian Navy frequently, and fairly ineffectively, raided Allied bases in the Adriatic, but I don't know of a source for details of the operations.

I suspect that, aside from RNAS/RAF operations, southern Italy is something of a forgotten front.

Regards

Gareth

[kin47]

Thanks Gareth.

It was always - hostile aircraft sighted. Hostile aircraft driven off.

All best

don

[James A Pratt III]

I found my notes from "The Air Defense of Britain" c Cole & E.F. Cheeseman which lists all the air raids on the UK. It seems the Zeppelins had to put up with unforcast northwesterly wind of up to 50 mph with heavy snowfalls. Which made navigation a nightmare and why the L14 was so far off course. I hope this is help

[James A Pratt III]

I have also found some pages of "Die K.U.K. Seeflieger" by Peter Schupta a history of the A-H navys air service which i xerox some years ago and recently remembered were I found them. Here's what it says about of over Brindisi as far as I can tell since my German is sort of limited:

21.9.17 reconissance by K 206 & K 231

27.9.17 attack on by K 203, K 307, K 193, K 205 K 223 K 231, K 206 of which K 307 shot down crew POW photos of this plane are in Windsock datafile 119 Hansa Brandburg W.13. Also K 193 & K 223 were lost cause unknown

3.11.17 reconissance by K 205 & K206

I hope this information is usefull to you. This all I have on the Sept-Dec 1917 period. If you have any other days when the Newcastle was in action against A-H aircraft post them and i will see if i can help you.