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Remembered Today:

AIR RAIDS 5/6 MARCH 1916


dave ricketts

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I have seen some information that at 1 a.m. the sounds of bombs exploding could be heard just outside Leicester, the air raid alarm having been sounded early in the evening. From "The Baby Killers", it seems that there were three Zeppelins out that night - and two bombed Hull. Does anyone know what time that was, and were any other bombs dropped elsewhere? What routing did the Zeppelins take?

My initial thought is that the noises were AA, but I would like to be proved wrong!

Thanks,

Dave

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Dave

As you said, three airships were involved in a raid that was planned to go to Tyne/Tees and Rosyth (but diverted due to unforecast northwesterly winds) on 5/6 March 1916:

L14 crossed Flamborough Head at 2230 and bombed Beverley before bombing Hull just after midnight;

L11 made land at Withersea at 2145 and flew over Yorkshire and Lincolnshire before bombing Hull at 0100 - it then moved to Killinghome to drop more bombs before crossing the coast again at 0140;

L13 crossed the Humber at 2115 and, despite snowstorms, pressed over Lincoln to Newark. It continued south, dropping bombs in fields near Sproxton and Thistleton on the way, until it was shelled by defence guns at Shoeburyness and Sheerness - it eventually departed the UK heading southwards at 0220.

I hope this is useful.

Gareth

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Gareth,

Great info. Thanks very much. I need to find out where Sproxton and Thistleton are now.

Best regards,

Dave

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Hi !

Here a picture from the Zeppelin L-11, no idea where it dropped bombs over England as it was involved in 12 air raids on England and being dropping some 15.543 kg of bombs!

Belonged to the serial of L10 until L-19 which were all the same type!

Based on Nordholz I accept at the time, later at Hage...

Is named especially in function to her observation flights during the batlle of Skaggerak/Jutland!

vbr

Jempie

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Just to amplify Gareth's post The Air Defence of Britain by Cole and Cheesman, Putnam, 1984 states that L13 (Kapitanleutnant Mathy) "was flying blind through snowstorms, and strong winds made navigation a nightmare. He pressed on to Newark, then southeastwards, dropping bombs at intervals until 01.10 hrs."

The Official History of the Air War has maps that shows the flight paths of Zeppelins and may well confirm your information.

Terry Reeves

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L11 returning from a raid on England.

Regards,

Cnock

post-7723-1147693056.jpg

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