First World War Airships and Bombers

The first world war was also a war of firsts during the war we saw the first tanks, the first WMD's, the first Submarines and the first airplanes used in war.

I will talk about all of these over the next week or two I will start with the first “Blitz” when we hear the word “Blitz” we think of the bombing of London in 1940 but the first Blitz took place in 1915 when Germany bombed England to try and get them to quit the war.

The Germans didn't use airplanes they had airships called Zeppelins they were invented by a man named Zeppelin, in fact his name was Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin.

The most famous German airship commander was Heinrich Mathy who was born in 1883 and died in an attack during the first blitz on the 2^nd January 1916, his death had a serious affect on other German airship personal.

In fact he was one of the very few Germans whose name was known in not only Germany households but in Britain households as well. He was feared as the most daring and audacious of all the Zeppelin raiders.

During the airship attacks 557 people died and there was like 1,300 people injured. However the demise of the airships didn't mean the end of bombing attacks on Britain.

After the Zeppelin came the Gotha bomber it was a heavy bomber used by the Germans it faster and bigger it came along 6 months after the last Zeppelin raid and the results were deadly they targeted only civilians in the raids.

On the 13^th June 1917 14 German planes attack London it was the deadliest bombing attack on London they dropped bombs on homes causing hundreds of casualties then they dropped bombs onto a primary school. A 110pound bomb landed on classroom of 5yr olds, 18 children are killed and 30 more injured, in total 162 were killed and 426 injured by 10,000 pounds of bombs being dropped.

Germany thought the air raids would break the British people but they were wrong and the British people accepted the bombing and moved on.

I know you maybe wondering why I haven't mentioned Manfred Albrecht Freiherr Von Richthofen aka the Red Barron who was a German Fighter Pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during the First World War he was considered the to ace of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories but he was not involved with the Blitz as far as I could find out.

The war would only last another 6 months.