Indeed Tunnie, a fascinating piece of history with far reaching consequences.
From May 1915 Zeppelin raids took place over the Norfolk coast, London and the Midlands. A total of 52 raids occurred to September 1916, with 557 people killed and 1,358 wounded. In September 1916 the RFC learnt how to shoot these monsters down, with Lieutenant Leefe-Robinson famously shooting one out of the sky on the night of 2-3rd September 1916, and winning his VC. From then it quickly became apparent to the German High Command that Zeppelins were highly vulnerable, with heavy losses transpiring, so withdrew them from the conflict.
The Germans then went on to use the dreaded Gotha bombers, with at least one raid over Liverpool in June 1917 killing 162, including 46 children. In London another 57 were killed, with 193 injured in July 1917. Over 500 people, civilians, were killed in all these raids involving the Gotha's, adding to the 557 killed during the Zeppelin raids.
A new age had been begun by the Germans, the bombing of civilians from the air, which of course featured so strongly in WW2. This was not lost on a young Arthur Harris who helped defend England from the Zeppelin and Gotha attacks. It was certainly in his mind when, as Arthur "Bomber" Harris" from 1942 he led the Bomber Command of the RAF to attack en mass German targets that would inevitably involve civilian causalities. In his mind the German's had started the process in 1915; had continued it in the early days of WW2, bombing civilian cities and towns throughout Europe. An agreement not to bomb civilian targets had not been ratified in 1921, so......................the Germans had sown the wind, now they would reap the whirlwind!
How history was changed by WW1, and particularly the bombing by Zeppelins in 1915.
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Topic: CH4's Attack of the Zepplins (Read 589 times)