ZEPPELIN AFLAME

Hokitika Guardian, 10 October 1931, Page 6

ZEPPELIN AFLAME

DECISIVE EPISODE OF WAR IN THE AIR. * BRITISH PILOT’S STORY. The dramatic downfall of Heinrich Mathy, the greatest airship commander of the war, marked the beginning of the end of the Zeppelin raids on Britain. The story is told from the official “History of the War in the Air,” by Mr H. A. Jones. It was on October 1, 1916, a calm autumn evening, that Mathy set out in the L. 31 with several other raiding Zeppelins. The story of the destruction is best told in the words of SecondLientenant W. J. Tempest, who brought down the L. 31. “About 11.45 p.m.” the British airman says in his official report made at the time, ‘T found myself over Southwest London at an altitude of 14,500 ft. There was a heavy ground fog. I was gazing over to ward the North-east of London when I noticed all the searchlights in that quarter cncentrated in an enormous ‘pyramid.’ Following them up'to the apex I saw a, small cigar-shaped object, which I at once recognised as a Zeppelin, about 15 miles away, and heading straight for London. “W get to the Zeppelin T had to pass through a very inferno of bursting shells from the anti-aircraft guns below. STRAIGHT DIVE AT ZEPPELIN.

“All at once it appeared to me that the Zeppelin must have sighted me, for she dropped all her bombs in one volley, swung round, tilted up her nose, and proceeded to race away northward, climbing rapidly as she went. I made after her at all speed at about 15,000 ft. altitude, gradually overhauling her. “As I drew up with the- Zeppelin, to my relief I found that I was free trom anti-aircraft fire, for the nearest shells were bursting quite three miles away. The Zeppelin was now 15,000 ft. high and mountihg rapidly. I therefore decided to dive at her, for though I held a slight advantage in speed, she was climbing like a rocket and leaving me standing. “I accordingly dived straight at the Zeppelin, firing a burst straight into her as I came. I let her have another burst as I passed under her and then, banking my machine over, sat under her tail, and flying along underneath her pumped lead into her for all I was worth. I could see traces of bullets flying from her in all directions, but T was too close under her for her to concentrate on "me. As I was firing I noticed her begin to go rod inside like an enormous Chinese lantern, and then a flame- shot out of the front part of her, and I realised she was on fire. HOW MATHY CAME TO GRIEF.

“The Zeppelin then shot up about 200 ft., paused, and came roaring down straight on to me l>efore I had time to get out of the way. 7 nose-dived for all I was worth, with the Zeppelin tearing after me, and expected every minute to be engulfed in the flames. I put my machine into a spin, and just managed to corkscrew out of the way as she shot past me, roaring like a furnaoe. I righted my machine and watched her bit the ground with a shower of sparks.” The wreckage of the L. 31 fell at Potter’s Bar. Such was the end of Heinrich ATathy. The loss of Mathy on the L. 31 was a severe blow to the German Airship Service. Germany, however, was loath to admit defeat and, eight weeks later, she made 'her final attack of the year. On ithe afternoon of November 27, 10 airships left their sheds for the north of England. One turned back, with engine trouble, halfway across the North Sea. The remainder made their approach in two groups. The first group, of fiveships came in between Scarborough and ithe Humber, and the second group of four diverged toward the Tyne area.

ZEPPELIN FALLS INTO THE SEA. The first of the second group to cross was the L. 34, which came in over Black Halls Rocks at 11.30 p.m. She was seen by Second-Lieutenant I. V. Pott, who was in the air on his second patrol from the aerodrome of -No. 36 Squadron at Seaton Carew.

“I had been in the air for approximately an hour,” says this officer in his report, “when I sighted a Zeppelin between Sunderland and Hartlepool in the beam of a searchlight (Castle Eden) coming -south and toward me. At this moment I was at 9800tt., and the Zeppelin seemed a few hundred feet below me. 1 flew toward her and Hew at right angles to and under her amidships, firing as I went under.

“I was aiming at the Zeppelin s port •quarter, and noticed first a small patch become '.incandescent where I had seen tracers entering her envelope. I first took it for a machine-gun firing at me from the Zeppelin, but -this patch rapidly spread, and the next thing was that the whole Zeppelin was in flames. I landed at 12 midnight, engine and machine OK. The Zeppelin, which fell into the sea at the mouth of the Tees, was still burning when I lanßed.’ Just before the Zeppelin caught file she began dropping bombs on West Hartlepool. Sixteen high-explosives fell and did considerable damage to houses. Four people were killed and 11 injuied. “A FIERY FURNACE.”

Another airship taking part in that raid was destined not to return. She was the L. 21, which, after dropping bombs on Sharlston, near Wakefield, ©odsworth, near Barnsley, and various places in the Potteries, appeared at 6.45 a.m. over Yarmouth, drifting slowly.