Zeppelin LZ112 L 70

1^e vlucht : 1 juli 1918

Lengte : 693 ft

Shotdown at night (sunset ?) over the North Sea by a Airco D.H.4 RFC aeroplane flown by Major E. Cadbury and Captain R. Leckie, 65 km off the coast at Cromer, Norfolk. Went down in flames from 4875m altitude.

All 21 crew members died in the crash.

Commander was Fregatten-Kapitan Peter Strasser, the organiser of the Marine Luftschiffabteilung. With the death of Strasser, the raids on the GB with Zeppelins came to an end. The Zeppelins threw 196 tons of bombs in 51 raids, causing 1900 people to find death or be injured. No less than 77 Zeppelins were lost!

On 7 August 1918, the skeletal remains of L 70 was discovered on the seabed in 48 feet of water. During the next three weeks the remains were brought ashore, and in the wreckage were discovered some of the crew of 21. including the commander Fregattenkaptain Peter Strasser. Over the following three weeks, all 21 crew were recovered, some in the wreckage, some that were washed ashore; all were given a burial at sea with full military honours.

The DH4 stood standby at the Air Station on the Denes at Great Yarmouth. Remarkable that this Zeppelin was brought down by a light bomber aircraft

literature :

warplanes WW1 page 131,133