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=====1916===== The raids continued in 1916. In December 1915, additional P class Zeppelins and the first of the new Q class airships were delivered. The Q class was an enlargement of the P class with improved ceiling and bomb-load. The Army took full control of ground defences in February 1916, and a variety of sub 4-inch (less than 102 mm) [[caliber|calibre]] guns were converted to [[anti-aircraft]] use. [[Searchlight]]s were introduced, initially manned by police. By mid-1916, there were 271 anti-aircraft guns and 258 searchlights across England. Aerial defences against Zeppelins were divided between the RNAS and the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC), with the Navy engaging enemy airships approaching the coast while the RFC took responsibility once the enemy had crossed the coastline. Initially the War Office had believed that the Zeppelins used a layer of inert gas to protect themselves from incendiary bullets, and favoured the use of bombs or devices like the [[Ranken dart]]. However, by mid-1916 an effective mixture of explosive, tracer and incendiary rounds had been developed. There were 23 airship raids in 1916, in which 125 tons of bombs were dropped, killing 293 people and injuring 691. [[File:Zeppelin flagstone in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|upright|Zeppelin memorial flagstone, [[Edinburgh]]]] [[File:Unexploded Zeppelin bomb, 1916.jpg|thumb|upright|Zeppelin bomb, on display at the [[National Museum of Flight]] near Edinburgh]] [[File:Girder from zeppelin.jpg|thumb|Section of girder from a Zeppelin shot down in England in 1916. Now at the [[National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom)|National Physical Laboratory]]]] The first raid of 1916 was carried out by the German Navy. Nine Zeppelins were sent to Liverpool on the night of 31 January β 1 February. A combination of poor weather and mechanical problems scattered them across the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] and several towns were bombed. A total of 61 people were reported killed and 101 injured by the raid.<ref name="times05021916">"Damage in the Raid." ''The Times,'' 5 February 1916, p. 7.</ref> Despite ground fog, 22 aircraft took off to find the Zeppelins but none succeeded, and two pilots were killed when attempting to land.<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 83β5.</ref> One airship, the [[LZ 54 (L 19)|L 19]], came down in the North Sea because of engine failure and damage from Dutch ground-fire. Although the wreck stayed afloat for a while and was sighted by a British [[fishing trawler]], the boat's crew refused to rescue the Zeppelin's crew because they were outnumbered, and all 16 crew died.<ref>Robinson 1971, p. 128</ref> Further raids were delayed by an extended period of poor weather and also by the withdrawal of the majority of Naval Zeppelins in an attempt to resolve the recurrent engine failures.<ref>Robinson 1971, pp. 129β30</ref> Three Zeppelins set off to bomb [[Rosyth]] on 5β6 March but were forced by high winds to divert to Hull, killing 18, injuring 52 and causing Β£25,005 damage.<ref>Cole and Cheeseman, p. 110</ref> At the beginning of April raids were attempted on five successive nights. Ten airships set off on 31 March: most turned back and L 15, damaged by antiaircraft fire and an aircraft attacking using Ranken darts, came down in the sea near Margate. Most of the 48 killed in the raid were victims of a single bomb which fell on an Army billet in [[Cleethorpes]].<ref>Cole and Cheeseman 1984, pp118β20</ref> The following night two Navy Zeppelins bombed targets in the north of England, killing 22 and injuring 130. On the night of 2/3 April a six-airship raid was made, targeting the naval base at [[Rosyth]], the [[Forth Bridge]] and London. None of the airships bombed their intended targets; 13 were killed, 24 injured and much of the Β£77,113 damage was caused by the destruction of a warehouse in [[Leith]] containing whisky.<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984 p. 122</ref><ref>Robinson 1971 p. 137</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/lost-edinburgh-zeppelin-air-raid-of-1916-1-3375536|title=Lost Edinburgh: Zeppelin Air Raid of 1916|last=McLean|first=David|date=14 April 2014|work=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Raids on 4/5 April and 5/6 April had little effect,<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 124</ref> as did a five-Zeppelin raid on 25/6 April and a raid by a single Army Zeppelin the following night. On 2/3 July a nine-Zeppelin raid against Manchester and Rosyth was largely ineffective due to weather conditions, and one was forced to land in neutral Denmark, its crew being interned.<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 132β4</ref> On 28β29 July, the first raid to include one of the new and much larger [[Zeppelin R Class|R-class Zeppelins]], L 31, took place. The 10-Zeppelin raid achieved very little; four turned back early and the rest wandered over a fog-covered landscape before giving up.<ref>Cole and Cheesman, p. 139</ref> Adverse weather dispersed raids on 30β31 July and 2β3 August, and on 8β9 August nine airships attacked Hull with little effect.<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, p. 145</ref> On 24β25 August 12 Navy Zeppelins were launched: eight turned back without attacking and only Heinrich Mathy's L 31 reached London; flying above low clouds, 36 bombs were dropped in 10 minutes on south east London. Nine people were killed, 40 injured and Β£130,203 of damage was caused.<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, p.149</ref> Zeppelins were very difficult to attack successfully at high altitude, although this also made accurate bombing impossible. Aeroplanes struggled to reach a typical altitude of {{convert|10000|ft}}, and firing the solid bullets usually used by aircraft guns was ineffectual: they only made small holes causing inconsequential gas leaks. Britain developed new bullets, the Brock containing oxidant [[potassium chlorate]], and the Buckingham filled with [[phosphorus]], which reacted with the chlorate to catch fire and hence ignite the Zeppelin's hydrogen. These had become available by September 1916.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-37164689 |title=Leefe Robinson: The man who shot down a Baby Killer|website=BBC News |date=3 September 2016 }}</ref> The biggest raid to date was launched on 2β3 September, when twelve German Navy and four Army airships set out to bomb London. A combination of rain and snowstorms scattered the airships while they were still over the North Sea. Only one of the naval airships came within seven miles of central London, and both damage and casualties were slight. The newly commissioned [[SchΓΌtte-Lanz#SL11|SchΓΌtte-Lanz SL 11]] dropped a few bombs on [[Hertfordshire]] while approaching London: it was picked up by searchlights as it bombed [[Ponders End]] and at around 02:15 it was intercepted by a [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2|B.E.2c]] flown by Lt. [[William Leefe Robinson]], who fired three 40-round drums of Brocks and Buckingham ammunition into the airship. The third drum started a fire and the airship was quickly enveloped in flames. It fell to the ground near [[Cuffley]], witnessed by the crews of several of the other Zeppelins and many on the ground; there were no survivors. The victory earned Leefe Robinson a Victoria Cross;<ref>Robinson 1971 pp 172β9</ref> the pieces of SL 11 were gathered up and sold as souvenirs by the [[Red Cross]] to raise money for wounded soldiers. [[File:The End of the 'Baby-Killer'.png|thumb|upright|British propaganda postcard, entitled "The End of the 'Baby-Killer'"]] [[File:A damaged gondola with a collapsable boat lying near., Bestanddeelnr 158-1400.jpg|thumb|left|A damaged Zeppelin gondola with a collapsable boat lying nearby. September 1916]] The loss of SL 11 to the new ammunition ended the German Army's enthusiasm for raids on Britain. The German Navy remained aggressive,<ref>Robinson 1971, p. 179</ref> and another 12-Zeppelin raid was launched on 23β24 September. Eight older airships bombed targets in the Midlands and northeast, while four R-class Zeppelins attacked London. L 30 did not even cross the coast, dropping its bombs at sea. L 31 approached London from the south, dropping a few bombs on the southern suburbs before crossing the Thames and bombing [[Leyton]], killing eight people and injuring 30. [[File:L32 Green Farm Lane Memorial Great Burstead.jpg|left|thumb|L32 Great Burstead Memorial]] L 32 was piloted by ''Oberleutnant'' Werner Peterson of the Naval Airship Service, who had only taken command of L 32 in August 1916. L 32 approached from the south, crossing the English Channel close to Dungeness light house, passing Tunbridge Wells at 12:10 and dropping bombs on [[Sevenoaks]] and [[Swanley]] before crossing over [[Purfleet]]. After receiving heavy gunfire and encountering a multitude of anti-aircraft search lights over London, Peterson decided to head up the Essex coast from Tilbury and abort the mission. Water ballast was dropped to gain altitude and L 32 climbed to 13,000 feet. Shortly afterwards at 12:45 L 32 was spotted by 2nd Lieutenant [[Frederick Sowrey]] of the Royal Flying Corps, who had taken off from nearby [[RAF Hornchurch]] (known at the time as Sutton's Farm). As Sowrey approached he fired three drums of ammunition into the hull of L 32, including the latest Bock & Pomeroy incendiary rounds. L 32, according to witness accounts, violently turned and lost altitude, burning from both ends and along its back. The airship narrowly missed Billericay High Street as it passed over, one witness saying the windows to her home rattled and the Zeppelin sounded like a hissing freight train. L 32 continued down Hill side and came down at Snail's Hall Farm off Green Farm Lane in [[Great Burstead]], crashing at 01:30 on farm land; the 650-foot-long airship struck a large oak tree. The entire 22 crew were killed. Two crew members jumped rather than be burned (one was said to be Werner Peterson). The crew's bodies were kept in a barn nearby until 27 September when the Royal Flying Corps transported them to nearby [[St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead|Great Burstead Church]]. They were interred there until 1966, when they were reinterred at the German Military Cemetery in [[Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery|Cannock Chase]]. Attending the scene of the crash site were the Royal Naval Intelligence, who recovered the latest secret code book which was found within the gondola of the crashed L32. L 33 dropped a few incendiaries over [[Upminster]] and [[Bromley-by-Bow]], where it was hit by an anti-aircraft shell, despite being at an altitude of {{convert|13000|ft|m}}. As it headed towards Chelmsford it began to lose height and came down close to [[Little Wigborough]].<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp.167β8</ref> The airship was set alight by its crew, but inspection of the wreckage provided the British with much information about the construction of Zeppelins, which was used in the design of the British [[R33-class airship]]s. The next raid came on 1 October 1916. Eleven Zeppelins were launched at targets in the Midlands and at London. Only L 31, commanded by the experienced Heinrich Mathy making his 15th raid, reached London. As the airship neared Cheshunt at about 23:20 it was picked up by searchlights and attacked by three aircraft from [[No. 39 Squadron RAF|No. 39 Squadron]]. 2nd lieutenant Wulstan Tempest succeeded in setting fire to the airship, which came down near Potters Bar. All 19 crew died, many jumping from the burning airship.<ref>Cole and Cheesman, pp. 174β6</ref> For the next raid, on 27β28 November, the Zeppelins avoided London for targets in the Midlands. Again the defending aircraft were successful: L 34 was shot down over the mouth of the Tees and L 21 was attacked by two aircraft and crashed into the sea off [[Lowestoft]].<ref>Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp.180β1</ref> There were no further raids in 1916 although the Navy lost three more craft, all on 28 December: SL 12 was destroyed at [[Ahlhorn]] by strong winds after sustaining damage in a poor landing, and at [[Tondern]] L 24 crashed into the shed while landing: the resulting fire destroyed both L 24 and the adjacent L 17.<ref name="Whitehouse, Arch 1966, p. 182">Whitehouse, Arch, ''The Zeppelin Fighters'', New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 182.</ref>
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