19–20 January 1915: Zeppelins Bomb Great Britain for First Time

Night Attack by a Zeppelin

One hundred years ago zeppelin airships carried out the first air raid on the British mainland, hitting the Norfolk towns of King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth, and Sheringham. At least four people were killed.

At the beginning of 1915 the Kaiser sanctioned the bombing of military and industrial targets along the British coast and in the area around the Thames Estuary but not London itself. Therefore, on 19 January 1915, zeppelins L3, L4 and L6 of the Imperial German Navy, under the overall command of zeppelin commander Korvettenkapitän Peter Strasser, took off from their base at Fuhlsbüttel in Germany. L3 and L4 carried 30 hours of fuel, eight bombs, and 25 incendiary devices and were to attack military and industrial buildings on Humberside. L6, which carried Strasser, encountered mechanical problems and bad weather so had to turn back. Weather also had a bearing on the two remaining airships, who had to change their plans and eventually made landfall in Norfolk.