War chronicle · 31 May · London, England
Air raids on London
British civilians face a deadly threat from above – Zeppelins.
It’s just after 11pm on 31 May when a dark shape appears in the skies over London.
No one sees or hears this German airship as its engines have been silenced for a surprise attack. Moments later, a trapdoor opens from underneath the aircraft and bombs are dropped on the north and east of the city. Londoners have just experienced their first Zeppelin attack – and their first air raid.
Zeppelin airships – originally used to carry passengers on sightseeing cruises in peacetime – are part of the German strategy to create fear and panic in British cities. And this new aerial threat achieves just that.
Seven civilians die in the first London bombing. Over the next three years, another 53 Zeppelin raids will kill 556 British people and injure 1350. Condemned by the British press for killing civilians, the Zeppelins brought the war home to Britain.
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