Zeppelin LZ40 L 10

Task : long range reconnaissance and strategic bombing

Class : P

First flight : 13 May1915

Into service : 4 June 1915

Country : Germany

Production : 1

General information :

P-class zeppelin. Sent out to raid the UK 04 June 1915. Due to strong winds she didn’t reach London but drifted to Gravesend where she dropped her bombs. 15/16 June L 10 dropped bombs on Tyneside with poor results. 12/13 august it attacked Harwich. 17/18 august it set out for the Lea Valley reservoirs but got off course and dropped it’s bombs on Leyton and Walthamstow resulting in 10 civilians dead and 48 wounded. 03 September 1915 the L 10 was struck by lighting in a storm over the North Sea. It crash landed near Cuxhaven with all 19 crew killed.

L 10 performed 10 recon-missions over the North Sea and 5 bombing missions against Britain dropping 9900 kg bombs.

Crew : 18

Registration : L 10

Armament : 3 or 4 machine guns

Engines : 4 Maybach C-X engines 210 hp each

Dimensions :

Length : 163.52 m diameter : 18.69m height : 24.17 m

Weights : MTOW : 15876 kg bombload : 2650 kg

Performance : Max. Speed 92 km/u plaf : 3200 m range : 4350 km

Woodbridge was hit by a Zeppelin attack on 12th August, 1915. Some 28 bombs were dropped by Zeppelin L10, and six people died. The main damage was around St John's Hill. Four airships had set out that night, but only two managed to attack England.

Incendiary bomb as dropped from Zeppelins in 1915

Gondola van de L 10

Kap.Lt. Klaus Hirsch commander of the L 10 during the raid of 15 June 1915. During the raid bombs were dropped on Tyneside.

Literature :

Wikipedia – list of Zeppelins

Wikipedia – P-class