Zepplin Raid 1916

[Guest]

My grandfather Harold Mansfield served in Machine Gun Corps in Salonika up to 1917 when he was invalided home. During that period he spent some time in hospital there and acquired a couple of aluminium cups made by an Italian chap who was in the hospital at the same time. These were made of aluminium ( I have them with me as I type!) dated 1917 at Salonika one with my mother's name the other with my grandmother's name. Quite an elaborate design on them looking like the Double Eagle of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but a chap could be wrong. I was told that they were made from material from a crashed zeppelin. Seems plausible and  I am aware that one was indeed shot down in Salonika in May 1916. Seems to fit. Does anyone have any more information?

Thanks 

[EDWARD1]

From Vol 3 The Great War .... On the following day 5th of May at the other end of the battlefront near Salonika yet another Zeppelin was destroyed. this craft  LZ85 was a military airship of the very latest design but was much smaller than the German Naval Zeppelins. She had for some weeks been stationed on the Eastern Front  and used to raid the allied lines and depots at Salonika.  On this particular date she ventured too close within range of the allied warships. They opened a sharp fire on her and struck her several times, the first being hit being claimed by a British battleship. She dropped disabled in the marshes near Salonika where her crew set her on fire.

Eddie

[Sgt Stripes]

Hi Stuart. I have a large collection of artefact's to Zeppelin LZ85 shot down by HMS AGAMEMNON. Almost all of them have LZ85 stamped or engraved somewhere on them. Others have Souvenir from Salonika - Salonica Zeppelin LZ85 plus others have the date May 5 1916, the date the Zeppelin was shot down. I have seem cups with LZ85 engraved on them but it would be very hard to verify if your cups were made from the shot down Zeppelin especially as it has the date 1917 and no mention of LZ85. This is only my view and dose not take away the fact that you do have two nice mementoes from that campaign. also do check the emblem it might be Serbian not Austrian - Hungarian.  Sgt      

Edited 19 February , 2018 by Sgt Stripes

[Gardenerbill]

Hi Stuart,

I am pretty sure the IWM have some pictures of the LZ85 crash site but there website seems to be down at the moment. If you google 'Zeppelin Salonika' you get lots of images, mostly from when the wreckage was moved from the marshes to near the white tower in the city for display.