The England Squadron (

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

: ''Englandgeschwader''), officially ''Kagohl 3'' or later ''Bogohl 3'', was a squadron of the

Imperial German Army Air Service Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

, formed in late 1916 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for the purpose of the

strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and specifically

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The first air raid of the squadron on 25 May 1917 was unable to reach London, but bombed the coastal town of

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

instead. On 13 June, the squadron bombed London in daylight causing nearly 600 casualties. A further raid in July prompted reinforcement and reorganisation of the capital’s air defences, but German losses had also caused a switch to bombing by night. On the night of 3/4 September, the squadron raided coastal towns in Kent and on the following night, London was attacked. Raids continued into the spring of 1918, supported by another squadron operating larger aircraft. The final attack was at the end of May, by which time more than 2,800 people had been killed or injured, 68% of those in the London area. A later plan for the squadron to join a massed attack on London and Paris with incendiary bombs in the autumn of 1918 was abandoned on the grounds that it might prejudice peace negotiations, and possibly the fear of reprisals against German cities.

Background

A the outbreak of war in August 1914, the capability for a German strategic bombing campaign had initially rested with the eleven

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

and Schütte-Lanz

rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pressure airsh ...

s which were operational with the Imperial German Air Service and the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

. However, the initial focus was on battlefield reconnaissance, tactical bombing and maritime patrol work. In the first weeks of the war, it seemed likely that the German offensive through Belgium would succeed in reaching the

Pas de Calais The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continent ...

area on the coast of the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, which would put the

South East of England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, ...

within the range of the primitive

bomber aircraft A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircraf ...

which were available at that time.

Carrier Pigeon Squadron

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

'' Wilhelm Siegert was an aviation pioneer and an influential advocate of strategic bombing, who immediately approached the ''

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, Supreme Army Command or OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

'' (Supreme Army Command or OHL) proposing the formation of a bombing aeroplane force to attack Britain from Calais; the idea was accepted and on 19 October 1914, General

Erich von Falkenhayn General Erich Georg Sebastian Anton von Falkenhayn (11 September 1861 – 8 April 1922) was the second Chief of the German General Staff of the First World War from September 1914 until 29 August 1916. He was removed on 29 August 1916 after t ...

ordered Siegert to form an elite force for the purpose, the ''Fliergercorps der OHL''. The new formation was selected from the best volunteers from the various branches of the Air Service and was installed at a temporary base amongst orchards at Ghistelles (

Gistel Gistel () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Following local government boundary reforms in 1971 and 1977, the municipality has comprised not only Gistel, but also the towns of Moere, Snaaskerke and Ze ...

) in occupied Belgium. To conceal its function, the unit was given the cover name of ''Breiftauben Abteilung'' or "

Carrier Pigeon The homing pigeon, also called the mail pigeon or messenger pigeon, is a variety of domestic pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'') derived from the wild rock dove, selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distan ...

Squadron". The personnel were accommodated in a train so that they could deploy forwards at the earliest opportunity. The squadron was provided with thirty-six two-seat aircraft of various types. All of the aircraft were capable of carrying four bombs, but not heavy defensive machine guns, so the aircrews relied on pistols or some prototype

self-loading rifle A self-loading rifle or autoloading rifle is a rifle with an action using a portion of the energy of each cartridge fired to load another cartridge. Self-loading pistols are similar, but intended to be held and fired by a single hand, while rifles ...

s which Siegert obtained from the museum of a weapons testing site. The squadron personnel were accommodated in railway carriages so that they could be quickly moved forward once the Channel coast had been captured. Amongst the talented pilots recruited to the squadron were

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

and

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

. With the failure of the German armies to make any progress in the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. Th ...

, it became clear that the Pas de Calais would not be captured in the near future and the focus of the Carrier Pigeon Squadron was broadened; on 28 January 1915, an attack was mounted on the port of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Further raids followed on Furnes,

La Panne De Panne (; french: La Panne ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town dest ...

and

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

, before the squadron was broken up; part was moved to

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

while the remainder was later redeployed to the Eastern Front. Returning to Ghistelles in December 1915, the squadron was designated ''Kempfgeschwader 1 der OHL'' ("Battle Group 1 of the Army High Command"), usually abbreviated to Kaghol 1, where it was engaged in airship escort, patrol work, tactical bombing over the

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

and Somme battlefields. In August 1916, Kaghol 1 was split into two half-squadrons or ''halbgeschwader''; Halbgeschwader 1 remained on the Western Front while Halbgeschwader 2 was redeployed to the

Balkans theatre The Balkans theatre, or Balkan campaign was a theatre of World War I fought between the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, German Empire, Germany and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allies of World War I, Allies (Kingd ...

Operation Turk's Cross

During the autumn of 1916, increasing losses to the German airship fleet while bombing London and other towns in England culminated in the disastrous raid of 27/28 November when two naval Zeppelins were shot down by defending fighters. Although the navy was determined to press on with improved airship designs, the recently reorganised army service had already decided that the campaign had "become impossible". The army air service had been given greater operational autonomy, was retitled ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Air Force) and given a general officer to command it, General

Ernst von Hoeppner Ernst Wilhelm Arnold von Hoeppner (14 January 1860 – 26 September 1922) was a Prussian cavalry officer who served as the Commanding General of the German Air Service (''Luftstreitkräfte'') during World War I. Early life and military ...

. Siegert, who was contemptuous of Hoeppner's total lack of flying experience, was made Inspector General of the new force. Gotha G IV 2

One of Hoeppner's first directives was to repurpose Halbgeschwader 1 to operate the new

Gotha G.IV The Gotha G.IV was a heavy bomber used by the (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. It was the first mass-produced large airplane. Development Experience with the earlier G.III showed that the rear gunner could not efficientl ...

heavy bombers specifically to bomb London, a mission which Hoeppner called "Scheme 1" but the OHL designated Operation ''Turkenkreuz'' or Turk's Cross. Hoeppner and the OHL hoped for several results from the operation; besides degrading British morale, it was believed that by bombing in daylight, specific military, political and communications targets could be effectively targeted. A subsidiary effect would be the redeployment of British anti-aircraft guns and fighter aircraft from the Western Front to home defence duties. The half-squadron was expanded from three to six ''kasta'' or

flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

s and was renamed ''Kampfgeschwader 3 der OHL'', abbreviated to Kaghol 3, but was better known as ''Englandgeschwader'' or England Squadron. Experience with small numbers of the earlier Gotha G.II and G.III bombers had shown that an exceptionally level airfield was required to avoid damaging the delicate aircraft, and accordingly four new airfields would be built in the area around

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. While waiting for these to be finished and pending the arrival of their new aircraft, the squadron used their two-seaters for night raids on the ports of Calais and Dunkirk, and the logistic hub of

Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (, literally ''Saint-Pol on Ternoise''; vls, Sint-Pols-aan-de-Ternas) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is the seat of the canton of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise. The population of the town is 4, ...

. Detachments of aircrew were also sent in rotation for training at the naval air bases at Westerland and

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

, where they learned navigation at sea and warship recognition. It had originally been planned that the England Squadron would be fully equipped with 30 new G.IV bombers by 1 February 1917, but shortages of strategic materials caused by the British blockade and problems with the Mercedes D.IVa engines resulted in lengthy production delays. Hoeppner had selected ''

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

'' Ernst Brandenburg to command the England Squadron and he took up the appointment at Ghistelles on 5 March. A former infantry officer, he transferred to the air service as an

air observer An air observer or aerial observer is an aircrew member whose duties are predominantly reconnaissance. The term originated in the World War I, First World War in the British Royal Flying Corps, and was maintained by its successor, the Royal Air ...

after being wounded in 1915 and had subsequently proved to have a flair for organisation. On arrival, Brandenburg intensified training to include more navigation over water and night flying. Gotha G IV Ludendorf

The first G.IV aircraft arrived in March 1917, but teething problems requiring the complete replacement of their engines meant that they could not be flown fully-laden until early May, with the full compliment finally arriving at the end of that month. Brandenburg ordered that each aircraft should be test-flown for twenty-five hours before being considered operational. Even so, there were numerous difficulties with landing, since the bombers became dangerously unstable without the ballast of fuel and bombs and it was difficult to avoid breaking the frail

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

. In April, the squadron dispersed to the new airfields at

Sint-Denijs-Westrem Sint-Denijs-Westrem is a village in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. It is part of the city of Ghent, lying to the southwest of the city center, between Sint-Martens-Latem, De Pinte, Zwijnaarde and Afsnee. History Sint-Denijs-West ...

, Gontrode (near

Melle Melle may refer to: People * Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer * Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer * John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author * Melle Mel (born 19 ...

) and in the following month, Mariakerke and

Oostakker Oostakker (), formerly spelled Oostacker, is one of the smaller former municipalities which were merged into Ghent (from which it is only two miles), the capital of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The hamlet is mainly known for the Shrine o ...

. The officers were quartered centrally in a chateau at Borluut near Sint-Denijs, while Brandenburg set up his headquarters at Gontrode. On 24 May, the squadron was inspected at Sint-Denijs by General Ludendorff and declared operational.

Folkestone raid

Having received a favourable weather forecast for the following day, 25 May, Brandenburg issued orders for the first Gotha attack on London. Twenty-three bombers took off at 2 pm and refuelled at Nieuwmunster near

Zuienkerke Zuienkerke (; vls, Zuunkerke; french: Zuyenkerque) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Houtave, Meetkerke, Nieuwmunster and Zuienkerke proper. On January 1, 2006, Zuienker ...

on the Belgian coast, so that they had enough fuel to approach by a circuitous route over the North Sea. One aircraft dropped out with engine failure almost immediately and another turned back near the English coast. On the approach to London it was found that there was a thick cloud cover over the whole area and so on the return route, the coastal town of

and the army camp at Shorncliffe were attacked. There was no warning given to those on the ground and casualties totalled 95 dead and 195 injured, including many women and children who had been queuing outside shops in Tontine Street. British opposition, equipped and organised to oppose nocturnal airship raids, had been largely ineffective; Sir John French, who was in overall command of home defence, had previously ordered that only coastal anti-aircraft guns could fire at hostile aircraft, and although 70 fighters had taken off, only two actually sighted the bombers. However,

RNAS The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

fighters from Dunkirk intercepted the returning formation and shot down one into the Channel, while another crashed on landing. Retaliatory British raids were made on the airfield at Saint-Denijs on 28 May and 4 June but caused little damage.. On 5 June, a second raid on London was rerouted before takeoff to

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard also known as the Sheerness Station was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the R ...

because of a bad weather forecast; one Gotha was shot down into the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

by anti-aircraft fire. Several small vessels were sunk in the docks and an ammunition store exploded; 13 were killed and 34 wounded, mostly military personnel.

Daylight London raids

There were considerable difficulties in forecasting the weather over London, since the prevailing winds came from the west where the Germans had no sources of information. However on 12 June 1916, the England Squadron's

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

was able to give a confident forecast of clear weather over the capital. On the morning of 13 June, twenty aircraft took off, but two quickly fell out with engine problems. All of the aircraft had been fitted with a reserve fuel tank to avoid a refuelling stop. Diversions were carried out with the aim of drawing defending fighters away from the main formation; one aircraft turned south to bomb

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

in Kent, while two left to bomb Sheerness and another overflew

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

on a

photo reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of imager ...

mission. The remaining fourteen aircraft flew on in two lines abreast. The first three fighter squadrons were ordered to take off shortly before 11 am and the first of the London area anti-aircraft guns at

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

opened fire at 11:24. The squadron flew on unaffected, dropping a small number of bombs over

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

before overflying the central districts, turning over

Regents Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwe ...

at 11:35 and then returning to attack the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. A total of 72 bombs fell within a radius of

Liverpool Street Station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...

. Amongst the casualties were sixteen people killed in the station itself where a passenger train and a military hospital train were hit; elsewhere, nineteen were killed at an office in

Fenchurch Street Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...

and eight at a brass foundry in

Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...

. As the squadron began its return flight, any remaining bombs were dropped on the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, one bomb landing on the Upper North Street School in Poplar, resulting in the deaths of eighteen children, most of them under six years-old. Despite 94 sorties being flown by British fighters and being engaged by eleven of the London guns, all of the England Squadron's bombers returned without serious damage. The raid resulted in 162 deaths and 426 injuries, the highest casualty total of any raid on Britain in the war, as well as property losses of £126,000, . The raid caused public outcry in London, especially over the poor showing of the London defences. The result was the allocation of some more modern aircraft to the home defence squadrons, but there were no more anti-aircraft guns available in the short term. Two squadrons of modern fighters were withdrawn from the Western Front on the condition that they return by 5 July. In Germany, the raid was considered a triumph and Brandenburg was summoned to Berlin on the following day to receive the ''

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

'' or "Blue Max", the highest

order of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

in the empire. While returning to the squadron on 19 June, his two-seat Albatros aircraft crashed; although he survived the accident, his leg had to be amputated. He was replaced by ''Hauptmann'' Rudolphe Kleine, an ambitious officer with a reputation for incaution. Gotha raid on London 1917

A second raid was mounted on 7 July with 22 Gothas, one of which turned back on reaching the English coast but bombed Margate on its return flight. Opposing fighters were ineffective when they were able to make contact, with many pilots reporting jammed guns. The Gothas approached London in formation from the north, using

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

as a landmark, sometimes breaking up into smaller groups to avoid the heavy anti-aircraft barrage before reforming again. Although a small number of bombs were dropped on the northern suburbs, the main focus was again the City of London, with one bomb destroying the Central Telegraph Office near

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

and others landing near

London Bridge Station London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The m ...

. The formation flew off to the east, returning via the Essex coast. A total of 79 RFC and 22 RNAS fighters were airborne during the raid, but the only direct success for the defenders was a single Gotha which was shot down in the North Sea by an Armstrong Whitworth FK8. Another Gotha crashed on the beach at

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

following earlier damage and three others were wrecked while landing. Total casualties on the ground amounted to 54 killed and 190 wounded, 10 of the deaths and 55 injuries were attributed to falling anti-aircraft shells or splinters. This second raid led to anti-German demonstrations in London, during which anyone suspected of being German was assaulted and their property ransacked. Public feeling ran so high that King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

was obliged to renounce his German titles and change his family name, which included the name

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

, to the

House of Windsor The House of Windsor is the reigning royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. In 1901, a line of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (itself a cadet branch of the House of Wettin) succeeded the House of Hanover to t ...

. More importantly, an urgent review of air defences was conducted by

General Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

, resulting in the establishment of the

London Air Defence Area The London Air Defence Area (LADA) was the name given to the organisation created to defend London from the increasing threat from German airships during World War I. Formed in September 1915, it was commanded initially by Admiral Sir Percy Scott ...

(LADA) to unify command and control, guns and fighters were reorganised into separate zones and an air raid warning system was adopted to try to minimise civilian casualties. A further raid on 22 July was directed at

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

because of cloud further inland; 13 were killed and 22 injured. Gotha Absturz

London was given a respite by poor summer weather. A raid on 12 August had such a strong headwind that the squadron only reached

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

before having to turn back; one Gotha was shot down, another crash-landed at

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...

and four more were wrecked in landing accidents. Another attempt on 18 August never reached England at all, again because of adverse wind. On their return flight the squadron made landfall in the neutral Netherlands; a total of nine aircraft were lost to Dutch gunfire, ran out of fuel or crashed on landing. Only 15 Gothas were airworthy for the next raid on 22 August; five returned early with mechanical problems and the remainder only reached the English coastal towns.Ttwo were shot down by RNAS fighters and one by anti-aircraft fire. This was the last daylight raid on England by the squadron; none of the August missions had reached London, for the loss of 18 bombers.

Night raids

The unsustainable losses of the August raids prompted Kleine's decision to switch to night bombing. A period of intense night flying training coincided with the delivery of the

Gotha G.V The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber. D ...

to the squadron; however, hopes that the new aircraft would be able to fly higher and faster than their predecessor were unfounded, as they proved to be not much of an improvement. On the night of 3/4 September 1917, four Gothas raided Margate, Sheerness and

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

, where a bomb fell on a

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

full of sleeping naval recruits; 138 died and 88 were injured. The success of this sortie resulted in a raid on London by 11 Gothas on the following night, when fine weather combined with good moonlight provided optimal conditions. The aircraft flew singly, taking off at five-minute intervals. On the inbound flight, one Gotha was caught by a searchlight and shot down into the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

by a gun at

Fort Borstal Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, by convict labour. Construction started in 1875 but was suspended in 1885. The fort was completed around 1895. it was one of a series ...

, but the others were unmolested by fighters which were unable to locate the bombers. Most of the serious damage was confined to the West End, but bombs were scattered across the capital from

Wanstead Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge, London, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is ...

in the north east to

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

in the north west. One 50 kg bomb landed on the

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...

next to

Cleopatra's Needle Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...

, destroying a passing

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

Harvest moon offensive

By 24 September 1917, the weather had improved and the moon was moving into the phase known as the "

harvest moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...

", which would later give its British name to this series of raids. Of the 16 Gothas which took off, three aircraft turned back with engine problems, while only three bombers actually reached London; the others, perhaps deterred by the recently improved anti-aircraft barrage, chose to bomb coastal towns in Essex and Kent. Of those that reached the capital, one approached from the south and bombed the London Docks, while the other two approached from the north and attacked

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

and the West End; a total of 14 were killed and 49 injured. One Gotha crashed in Belgium, perhaps damaged by ground fire. On the following night, again only three out of 15 Gothas reached London where they bombed the south eastern districts; one returning bomber was engaged by a

Sopwith 1½ Strutter The Sopwith Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised ...

over Essex and another failed to return, whether it was the same aircraft is unknown. After a break caused by poor weather, another raid by 25 Gothas was launched on 28 December. Most of the aircraft turned back because of total cloud cover over England and none reached London; however a number of civilians were killed in crush incidents as crowds sought refuge in

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

stations. Three Gothas failed to return, possibly victims of coastal guns, and poor visibility had spread to the continent by the time the remainder straggled back, resulting in one crash in the Netherlands and five in Belgium.

Arrival of the Giants

Making their debut in the 28 September raid were two aircraft of ''Riesenflugzeug Abteilung 501'' (abbreviated to "Rfa 501") which operated ''

riesenflugzeug A ''Riesenflugzeug'' (plural ''Riesenflugzeuge'', German for "giant aircraft"), sometimes colloquially referred to in English as an R-plane, was any member of a class of large World War I German bombers, possessing at least three aircraft engines ...

'' or "giant aircraft", specifically various models of the ''

Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge The Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge () were a series of very large bomber aircraft - ''Riesenflugzeuge'' ("giant aircraft"), usually powered by four or more engines, designed and built in Germany from 1915 to 1919.Haddow, G.W. & Grosz, Peter M. ...

'', huge four-engined bombers with a crew of seven and a wingspan almost twice that of the Gotha. They were capable of carrying a much larger bomb load and could carry a single weapon, but were extremely complex for the time, requiring a specially trained ground crew of 50 men for each aircraft. Rfa 501 had been transferred from the Eastern Front earlier in the month and operated from Sint-Denijs which they shared with two flights of the England Squadron. The two squadrons would largely cooperate during the following months. On 29 September, the England Squadron had seven airworthy Gothas available for the next raid on London, while Rfa 501 could contribute three R.VI Giants. Cloud and a low mist made navigation difficult and only two Gothas and a single Giant reached the capital. Concentrations of bombs landed in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

to the southwest,

Waterloo Station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

on the Southbank and

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

in the northeast, where a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

called "The Eaglet" was hit, killing four. On 30 September, six of eleven attacking Gothas reached the London area, mostly in the east where two were killed. The last of the harvest moon raids was on 1 October when six of eighteen Gothas reached London, scattering bombs from

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

in the northeast to

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

in the west; total casualties that night were 11 killed and 41 injured.

Fire plan

There was a pause in operations caused by bad weather, during which Klein was awarded the ''Pour le Mérite''. When fine weather finally returned on 31 October, it coincided with the next full moon, the "hunter's moon". In view of the disappointing results in London so far, it was decided to resurrect a plan originally devised for the airship raids, by which large numbers of

incendiary bomb Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...

s would create numerous large fires in the capital, overwhelming the ability of the

London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865, under the leadership of superintendent Eyre Massey Shaw. It has 5,992staff, in ...

to extinguish them. An improved version of incendiary was employed, with each aircraft carrying a half-and-half mix of them with conventional high explosive (HE) bombs. 22 Gothas took off; all of them reached the English coast but strong crosswinds blew many of them off course causing them to abandon London as a target and instead bombed coastal towns on their return flight. Perhaps as few as five aircraft reached the metropolitan area and hit three main areas;

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...

and

Slade Green Slade Green is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies northeast of Bexleyheath, northwest of Dartford and south of Erith, and east-southeast of Charing Cross. Historically Slade Green was part of th ...

in the southeast, the

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ham ...

, Greenwich and Charlton in the east and

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

and

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

in the south. Although a paint factory had been burned down, many of the incendiaries had either failed to ignite or had landed harmlessly in open spaces. Fog over the landing grounds in Belgium resulted in five Gothas being written-off in landing accidents. A second attempt was made on 5 December with 19 Gothas and two Giants from Rfa 501. This time, a greater proportion of the bombs were incendiaries. Three Gothas turned back early and only six Gothas were able or willing to penetrate the London defences. Fires were started at

Rose's lime juice Rose's lime juice, often known simply as Rose's, is a sweetened concentrated fruit juice patented in 1867. This was the world's first commercially produced fruit concentrate. Background In 1753, James Lind discovered that consuming citrus fruits ...

factory near Liverpool Street Station, in clothing workshops at

Whitechapel Road Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It is named after a small chapel of ease dedicated to St Mary and connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east. ...

and a factory in

Gray's Inn Road Gray's Inn Road (or Grays Inn Road) is an important road in the Bloomsbury district of Central London, in the London Borough of Camden. The road begins at the City of London boundary, where it bisects High Holborn, and ends at King's Cross and ...

. Other incendiaries and bombs landed in a wide area south of the Thames from

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

Stockwell Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell. History The na ...

. For the first time, the London guns successfully shot down one of the raiders, although it managed to reach

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

before crashing. A second bomber was hit by guns at

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...

and landed on the airfield at RFC Rochford; the crew surrendered their Gotha, the first that had been captured intact by the Allies, but an RFC officer took a

flare pistol A flare gun, also known as a Very pistol or signal pistol, is a large-bore handgun that discharges flares, blanks and smoke. The flare gun is typically used to produce a distress signal. Types The most common type of flare gun is a Very (som ...

as a souvenir and accidentally discharged it into the fuselage, destroying much valuable intelligence. One other Gotha failed to return and was presumed to have been lost at sea, while two more crashed in Belgium and yet another was wrecked on landing, a total of six lost aircraft. Total damage from the 260 incendiary and 13 HE bombs that landed on the capital amounted to £92,000; two civilians were killed and another by a falling anti-aircraft shell. It was recognised that the emphasis on incendiaries was not having the intended effect, and later raids would use a greater proportion of high explosive bombs. On 12 December, the England Squadron was tasked with the tactical bombing of British camps at

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

, during which Klein was shot down and killed by fighters from

No. 1 Squadron RFC Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The squadron motto, ''I ...

. Temporary command passed to ''

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

'' Richard Walter, the senior flight commander.

Winter raids

In mid-December 1917, the England Squadron had its official designation changed from Kaghol 3 to ''Bombengeschwader 3 der OHL'', usually abbreviated to "Boghol 3". The squadron's next sortie against London was on 18 December, when 15 Gothas and a single Giant set out on an almost moonless night which had lulled the defenders into a false sense of security. Six Gothas and one Giant penetrated the London barrage and bombed the centre of the capital. Amongst several places hit were a piano factory in

Farringdon Street Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London. Route Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Rosebery Avenue, then turns south, crossing C ...

and a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

hostel in

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...

. A total of 13 deaths and 79 injuries were recorded, for one Gotha shot down by No. 44 Squadron and another two which crashed on landing. Damage was estimated at £225,000, making it the most financially damaging raid by the squadron of the war. Odhams Printing Works bomb damage 1918 IWM HO 122A

Odhams Printing Works bomb damage 1918 IWM HO 122A

The start of 1918 was a cold one and London was concealed in fog for the first few weeks. On 28 January, the forecast looked promising, but fog closed-in as the squadron was taking off, resulting in seven Gothas successfully crossing the Channel, while only three reached London. Their arrival caused an accident at Bishopsgate Goods Yard as people rushed for shelter under the arches there; 14 were killed in the crush. Bombs fell over a wide area from Poplar in the east to

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...

in the west. The single Giant which had accompanied the raid later bombed a print works in

Long Acre Long Acre is a street in the City of Westminster in central London. It runs from St Martin's Lane, at its western end, to Drury Lane in the east. The street was completed in the early 17th century and was once known for its coach-makers, and l ...

, the basement of which was being used as a public shelter; 38 were killed when the floors above collapsed, it took six weeks to recover all the bodies. The total casualties for the raid were 65 killed and 159 injured. One Gotha was shot down, again by 44 Squadron, and crashed near

Wickford Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basil ...

in Essex; another four were lost in landing accidents. In February, Ernst Brandenburg returned to command the England Squadron again. walking with difficulty on a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

. Raids on England were suspended until replacement aircraft and aircrew could be supplied, and in March, the squadron was tasked with supporting the German spring offensive. In the meantime, the Giants of Rfa 501 conducted a series of unsupported raids on London, which included the use of the devastating bomb. The England Squadron had planned to join a massed raid on 9 May; Brandenburg ordered his Gothas to cancel due to a forecast of fog, but the Giants persisted and three out of four of them were lost.

Whitsun Raid

After a return to missions over the Western Front, Brandenburg finally received a good weather forecast for London on 19 May, which coincided with the

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Ho ...

Bank Holiday weekend in England. Mustering a total of 38 Gothas, aided by three Giants, this was to be the largest air raid of the war. The clear skies and recently reorganised defences meant that 88 fighter sorties were launched and 30,000 anti-aircraft shells were fired against the raiders. Only 18 bombers reached the capital and 72 bombs were recorded over a wide area from

Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

in the southeast to

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

in the northwest; 48 were killed and 172 injured. Two Gothas were shot down by fighters, one crashing on the

Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...

and another at

East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186. It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...

, another two were brought down by coastal guns and a fifth crashed in Belgium. It was the last air raid on England in the war, as further raids planned for July were cancelled in favour of supporting the faltering German Army.

Elektron Plan

Meanwhile German scientists had developed the B-1E ''Elektronbrandbombe'', a small incendiary bomblet, only long and weighing , in which a priming charge of powdered

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

ignited the main charge of

thermite Thermite () is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder and metal oxide. When ignited by heat or chemical reaction, thermite undergoes an exothermic reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create brief ...

and the Elektron (magnesium alloy) body, resulting in an intense blaze of up to 3,000° Celsius. The plan was for the England Squadron (Boghol 3) together with Rfa 501 to attack London with thousands of these weapons, while Boghols 1, 2 and 4 simultaneously attacked Paris. The surviving aircraft were to return to refuel and rearm, continuing the attack until they were either destroyed or the crews were too exhausted to fly. The hope was that the inextinguishable

firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

s created would cause mass panic and force the Allies to

sue for peace Suing for peace is an act by a warring party to initiate a peace process. Rationales "Suing for", in this older sense of the phrase, means "pleading or petitioning for". Suing for peace is usually initiated by the losing party in an attempt to ...

. By August 1918, tens of thousands of Elektron bombs had been stockpiled close to the bomber bases, however the weather in September was the wettest on record and there were numerous postponements. On 23 September, the England Squadron prepared to implement the plan on that evening, but an order from OHL cancelling the operation arrived only half an hour before take off. One of the Paris squadrons was already taxiing onto the runway and had to be stopped by a staff officer who drove his car in front of the aircraft.

Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914. ...

, the chief policy-maker of the OHL, later wrote that the raids might have made the Allies less likely to agree to an armistice; however, the

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

Georg von Hertling Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then chancellor of t ...

, had also lobbied the OHL against the incendiary plan because of the threat of reprisal bombing of German cities by the

Independent Air Force The Independent Air Force (IAF), also known as the Independent Force or the Independent Bombing Force and later known as the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force, was a First World War strategic bombing force which was part of Britain's Royal Air ...

. In any event, the Elektron bombs were withdrawn to depots and eventually dumped in the

River Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

Withdrawal and disbandment

In the weeks following the abandonment of the Elektron plan, the England Squadron were forced to move four times when their airfields were threatened by the advancing Allies. Although it had been intended to mount further conventional raids on London, the opportunity never arose, as the squadron was heavily engaged in reconnaissance and

ground attack In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement ...

missions in support of the retreating German Army. The squadron was at

Evere Evere (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). On 1 January 2006, the municipality had a total population of 33,462. The total area is which gives a population density of . In common with all of Brussels' mu ...

near Brussels when the Armistice of 11 November came into effect. According to the terms of the agreement, the aircraft should have been given to the Allies intact; however, some were burned or shot to pieces, while others that were apparently airworthy were sabotaged to make them dangerous to fly. The personnel of the squadron then travelled by lorry to

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

where they were demobilised at the end of the month.

Results and legacy

Between 25 May 1917 and 19 May 1918, the Gothas of the England Squadron, together with the Giants of Rfa 501, dropped 105,000 kg of high explosives and 6,500 kg of incendiaries on England. The raids killed 837 people and injured 1,991, of which 486 deaths and 1,432 injuries were in the London area, representing 68% of the total. Material damage that they inflicted was estimated at £1.4 million, £1.2 million of that being in London. Although German hopes of being able to hit specific war-related targets were not realised, there were often severe falls in munitions production around the time of major raids. Although the Germans also failed in their other aim of destroying the morale of Londoners to the extent that they pressured their government into suing for peace, the lack of preparation of civilians did engender mass panic at times and during the sustained "Harvest Moon raids" of October 1917, the capital was, by some accounts, close to collapse. However, rather than pleading for peace, the public reaction was to vociferously demand retaliation. One major effect of the bombing campaign was that it forced the British to dissipate forces that could have been used elsewhere in the war. By 1918, the defences against air attack in Southern England amounted to 469 anti-aircraft guns and 622 searchlights along with numerous other pieces of equipment. A total of 376 aircraft were dedicated to home defence, operated by more than 4,000 airmen. On two occasions, front-line fighter squadrons had to be withdrawn from the Western Front, where they were desperately needed. On the other side of the balance sheet, the German aeroplane raids forced a major reorganisation of the British home defences. Poor cooperation between the RFC and the RNAS resulted in the formation of the Royal Air Force, the world's first fully independent air force, under the direction of a separate

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. The integration of all arms in the London Air Defence Area was also ground-breaking and was the direct predecessor of the

Dowding system The Dowding system was the world's first wide-area ground-controlled interception network, controlling the airspace across the United Kingdom from northern Scotland to the southern coast of England. It used a widespread dedicated land-line telep ...

which was so pivotal in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

in 1940. Furthermore, the experience of air raids in the First World War was the foundation of the government's efforts twenty years later to prepare the civilian population and engender the kind of civic stoicism which would become known as the "Blitz Spirit".Grayzel 2012, p. 3

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* * * (Newsreel dated 7 December 1917) *{{cite web , url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205318341 , title=THE GERMAN AIR FORCE IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR , author= , date= , website=www.iwm.org.uk , publisher=Imperial War Museum , access-date=8 November 2021 (Photograph of Ernst Brandenburg and other officers at the disbandment of the squadron, 1918) Imperial German Army Air Service Military units and formations established in 1917 Military aviation units and formations of Germany in World War I World War I strategic bombing