Zeppelin Raids Begin: Britain Faces First Aerial Bombs
German Zeppelin airships crossed the North Sea and dropped explosive and incendiary bombs on Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn on the night of January 19, 1915, killing four people and injuring sixteen. The damage was minimal but the psychological impact was enormous. For the first time since the Norman Conquest, England was under attack from a foreign power. The raids shattered the assumption that the English Channel provided absolute protection from continental warfare. Britain had virtually no air defenses: no searchlights, no anti-aircraft guns, no fighter aircraft capable of reaching Zeppelin altitude. The government initially tried to suppress news of the attacks to prevent panic. Over the following months, Zeppelin raids intensified, eventually reaching London. The cumulative effect was to pioneer the concept of strategic bombing, targeting civilian morale rather than military objectives.
January 19, 1915
111 years ago
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