LZ 61 'L 21'
Encyclopedia
The LZ 61 was a World War I
German Navy airship, allocated the tactical numbering 'L 21'. It carried out a total of ten raids on England, and 17 reconnaissance missions.
, LZ 61 initially attacked Leeds
but was repelled by anti-aircraft fire.
After bombing Sharton, Dodworth
, Kidsgrove
, Goldenhill, Tunstall
, Chesterton
, Fenton
and Trentham
it made out into the North Sea near Great Yarmouth
. It was intercepted by three RNAS pilots: Flight Sub–Lieutenant Edward Laston Pulling; Flight–Lieutenant Egbert Cadbury
; and Flight Sub–Lieutenant Gerard William Reginald Fane flying B.E. 2C aircraft. After exchanging fire with the three aircraft the LZ 61 burst into flames and crashed into the sea about eight miles (13 km) east of Lowestoft
. There were no survivors.
became the first German airship to be shot down over England, it was described officially and in the press as Zeppelin L 21 (LZ 61's tactical number). This misidentification persisted for decades, even though it is clear that the authorities were always aware of its correct identity.
It has been suggested by Ray Rimell that the reason for this confusion was a calculation by the authorities that the downing of a hated and feared Zeppelin 'baby killer', would play better with the public than the destruction of an almost unknown Schütte-Lanz
type.
Accordingly, the 1918 film The Last Raid of Zeppelin L-21 told the story of SL 11's destruction and not that of LZ 61.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
German Navy airship, allocated the tactical numbering 'L 21'. It carried out a total of ten raids on England, and 17 reconnaissance missions.
Raids on England
The LZ 61 took part in a total of ten raids on England during 1916. These included:- January 31
- It was ordered to attack Liverpool, but problems with night navigation meant that instead it bombed TiptonTiptonTipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
, BradleyBradley, West MidlandsBradley was originally a village in the Manor of Sedgley, England. Nowadays it is situated in the Bilston East ward of Wolverhampton City Council....
, WednesburyWednesburyWednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
, and WalsallWalsallWalsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
: killing over 30 people - including Julia Slater, Walsall's Lady Mayoress.- April 1
- It attacked CleethorpesCleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
, dropping several bombs on the town just after midnight. One of which landed on the Alexandra Road Baptist Chapel, killing 31 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion the Manchester Regiment, who were billeted there. One of the only British Army units to be directly engaged by enemy action on British soil during World War I.- September 2
- It took part in the largest airship attack of the war with 13 other Naval airships and also four Army airships - 16 in total. During this raid the crew of the LZ 61 witnessed the downing of the SL 11SL 11The Schütte-Lanz SL 11 was a military dirigible airship built in Germany during 1916.-Operational history:The SL 11 was built by Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz and thus, was not classeD as a Zeppelin. Based at Spich and commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm, on the early night of September 3, 1916,...
, the first airship to be shot down over the British mainland.- September 25–26
- It was unable to find its designated targets of Derby and Nottingham, and instead attacked BoltonBoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lumb, RawtenstallRawtenstallRawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster...
, Ewood Bridge, Stonefold, HaslingdenHaslingdenHaslingden is a small town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century Haslingden had the status of a municipal borough, but following local government...
, HelmshoreHelmshoreHelmshore is a village in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England. It is situated south of Haslingden, broadly between the A56 and the B6235, approximately 16 miles north of Manchester.- Early history :...
, RossendaleRossendaleRossendale is a local government district with borough status. It is made up of a number of small former mill towns in Lancashire, England centered around the valley of the River Irwell in the industrial North West...
, RamsbottomRamsbottomRamsbottom is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on the course of the River Irwell, in the West Pennine Moors. Historically within Lancashire, it is located north-northwest of Bury, and north-northwest of Manchester...
and HolcombeHolcombeHolcombe may refer to:People*Ken Holcombe , Major League Baseball pitcher*Sir John de Holcombe, English CrusaderPlaces* Holcombe, Greater Manchester, England* Holcombe, East Devon, England* Holcombe, Somerset, England...
.
Destruction of LZ 61
On November 27, 1916 LZ 61 began its last raid on England in the company of nine other Zeppelins. Crossing the coast north of AtwickAtwick
Atwick is a village and civil parish in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The village is near the North Sea coast, and north of Hornsea on the B1242 road.The civil parish is formed by the village of Atwick and the hamlet of Skirlington...
, LZ 61 initially attacked Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
but was repelled by anti-aircraft fire.
After bombing Sharton, Dodworth
Dodworth
Dodworth is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 5,742.-History:Dodworth is a former coal mining village with approximately 5,800 people The land occupying the former mine is now the Dodworth Business Park...
, Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112...
, Goldenhill, Tunstall
Tunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
, Chesterton
Chesterton, Staffordshire
Chesterton is a small, former mining village, located in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It sits near the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme....
, Fenton
Fenton, Staffordshire
Fenton is one of the six towns of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation which were federated in 1910. It is situated in the south-east of the city. Arnold Bennett called his fictionalised version of Stoke on Trent the "Five Towns", and Fenton has been dubbed the town Arnold Bennett...
and Trentham
Trentham, Staffordshire
Trentham is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, located to the south-west of the city centre and to the south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Although the majority of Trentham is within the city limits, it is mostly separated from the main urban area by surrounding open space and the...
it made out into the North Sea near Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. It was intercepted by three RNAS pilots: Flight Sub–Lieutenant Edward Laston Pulling; Flight–Lieutenant Egbert Cadbury
Egbert Cadbury
Air Commodore Sir Egbert Cadbury DSC, DFC was a First World War pilot who shot down two Zeppelins over the North Sea: L21 on 28 November 1916, and L70 on 6 August 1918: the latter while flying a De Havilland DH.4 with Robert Leckie as Observer/Gunner.The son of George Cadbury and Dame Elizabeth...
; and Flight Sub–Lieutenant Gerard William Reginald Fane flying B.E. 2C aircraft. After exchanging fire with the three aircraft the LZ 61 burst into flames and crashed into the sea about eight miles (13 km) east of Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. There were no survivors.
Commanders
| From | To | |
| Kapitänleutnant Max Dietrich | January 19, 1916 | July 4, 1916 |
| Hauptmann August Stelling | June 24, 1916 | - |
| Oberleutnant Zee Kurt Frankenberg | August 15, 1916 | November 28, 1916 |
Operational bases
| From | |
| Nordholz Nordholz Nordholz is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km north of Bremerhaven, and 12 km southwest of Cuxhaven.Nordholz belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180... |
January 19, 1916 |
| Seddin | February 21, 1916 |
| Tønder Tønder Tønder is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,278 km², and has a total population of 40,367... |
April 5, 1916 |
| Nordholz Nordholz Nordholz is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km north of Bremerhaven, and 12 km southwest of Cuxhaven.Nordholz belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180... |
April 16, 1916 |
Confusion with SL 11
For unknown reasons, when the SL 11SL 11
The Schütte-Lanz SL 11 was a military dirigible airship built in Germany during 1916.-Operational history:The SL 11 was built by Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz and thus, was not classeD as a Zeppelin. Based at Spich and commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm, on the early night of September 3, 1916,...
became the first German airship to be shot down over England, it was described officially and in the press as Zeppelin L 21 (LZ 61's tactical number). This misidentification persisted for decades, even though it is clear that the authorities were always aware of its correct identity.
It has been suggested by Ray Rimell that the reason for this confusion was a calculation by the authorities that the downing of a hated and feared Zeppelin 'baby killer', would play better with the public than the destruction of an almost unknown Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz
Schütte-Lanz is the name of a series of rigid airships designed and built by the Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz company from 1909 until the last LS22 was delivered in 1917. One research and four passenger airships were planned for post-war use, but were never built...
type.
Accordingly, the 1918 film The Last Raid of Zeppelin L-21 told the story of SL 11's destruction and not that of LZ 61.