LZ 37
| LZ 37 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist's impression of the destruction of German ZeppelinLZ 37by Sub-Lieutenant Reginald Warneford on 7 June 1915. | |
| Role | Reconnaissance and bombing |
| National origin |  German Empire
|
| Number built | 77 |
| Type | M-Class Zeppelin |
| Manufacturer | Luftschiffbau ZeppelinatFriedrichshafen |
| Construction number | LZ 37 |
| First flight | 4 March 1915 |
| Owners and operators | Imperial German Navy
|
| In service | 4 March 1915 – 7 June 1915 |
| Flights | 14 |
| Fate | Shot down, 7 June 1915 |
TheairshipLZ 37was aWorld War IZeppelinof the GermanKaiserliche Marine(Imperial Navy). It was the first Zeppelin to be brought down during the war by an enemy plane, on the night of 6 to 7 June 1915.[1]
History[edit]
In 1915 Zeppelins were first used by Germany forstrategic bombing.[2]
LZ 37was part of a raid with ZeppelinsLZ 38andLZ 39.While returning, she was intercepted in the air byReginald Warnefordin hisMorane Parasolduring its first raid on Calais, on 7 June 1915.[3][4]Warneford dropped six 20-pound (9 kg)Halesbombs on the zeppelin, which caught fire and crashed into the convent school ofSint-Amandsberg,next toGhent,Belgium (51°3′43.2″N3°44′54.7″E/ 51.062000°N 3.748528°E), killing two nuns. The commander ofLZ 37,OberleutnantOtto van der Haegen,and seven members of the crew were killed. One crew member, Steuermann Alfred Mühler, survived with only superficial burns and bruises when he was precipitated from the forward gondola, landing in a bed.[5]It was the first victory of a heavier-than-air aircraft over a lighter-than-air dirigible. Warneford was awarded theVictoria Crossfor his achievement.
LZ 37was based inGontrode,Belgium (airport location:50°58′54.6″N3°47′17.1″E/ 50.981833°N 3.788083°E).
Specifications[edit]
Data from"The Zeppelin Airships - Part Two: Zeppelins of the Great War 1914–1918".Puget sound airship society.Retrieved28 January2011.
General characteristics
- Crew:28
- Length:163.37 m (536 ft 0 in)
- Diameter:18.7 m (61 ft 4 in)
- Volume:33,780 m3(1,126,000 cu ft)
- Empty weight:17,588 kg (38,775 lb)
- Useful lift:8,520 kg (18,780 lb)
- Powerplant:4 × Maybach MC-X, 155 kW (210 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed:96 km/h (60 mph, 52 kn)
Armament
- Four machine-guns
Citations[edit]
- ^Stephenson 2004,p. 16.
- ^"The National Archives - Homepage".The National Archives.The National Archives UK.Retrieved8 February2024.
- ^Piet, Dhanens (12 April 2013)."Zeppelin LZ 37 te Sint-Amandsberg".Luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be(in Dutch).Retrieved2019-12-29.
- ^Dhanens, Piet (2008).Een eeuw luchtvaart boven Gent(in Dutch). Vol. 1. Erembodegem (Aalst): Flying Pencil.ISBN978-90-78878-04-9.OCLC1074669308.
- ^History of the First World War,vol. 3, pp. 986.
References[edit]
- Castle, Ian (2008).London 1914–17: The Zeppelin Menace.Oxford, UK New York, NY. USA: Osprey Pub.ISBN978-1-84603-245-5.
- Brooks, Peter (1992).Zeppelin: Rigid Airships, 1893-1940.Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press.ISBN978-1-56098-228-9.
- Faulkner, Neil (2008).In Search of the Zeppelin war: The archaeology of the First Blitz.Stroud: Tempus.ISBN978-0-7524-4182-5.
- Stephenson, Charles (2004).Zeppelins: German Airships 1900–40.Oxford: Osprey.ISBN1-84176-692-5.
- "Puget Sound Airship Society: Zeppelin Airships 1900–1917".pugetairship.org.2008.Retrieved29 June2013.
External links[edit]
- Braeckman, Ann (20 January 2011)."Canvasprogramma 'Publiek Geheim' belicht Gontrode (Melle) - Het Nieuwsblad".nieuwsblad.be(in Dutch).Retrieved29 June2013.
- "Bunkers op voormalig WOI-WOII vliegveld - Hangar Flying".aviationheritage.eu.2013.Retrieved29 June2013.
- Ghent, Thomas (2012)."KG III Der Englandflieger".thomasgenth.de(in German).Retrieved29 June2013.
- Whitehouse, Arch (2012)."Zeppelin Raiders - History of British Pilots who Shot Down German Airships in WW1".acepilots.com.Retrieved29 June2013.
- "Bekijk onderwerp - LZ 37 Monument Westerbegraafplaats".forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl.2007. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2012.Retrieved29 June2013.
- "Vliegveld te Lemberge / Gontrode".forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl.2007. Archived fromthe originalon 16 March 2015.Retrieved29 June2013.
- "Zeppelinsteine und anderes".luftschiffharry.de.2013. Archived fromthe originalon 11 February 2013.Retrieved29 June2013.
- "De val van de Zeppelin".nieuwsblad.be(in Dutch). 8 May 2008.Retrieved29 June2013.
- Colon, Raul (2007)."The Zeppelin is Down".aviation-history.com.Retrieved29 June2013.