At the beginning of September 1916, the LZ98 joined twelve other army and navy airships in a united action against London. Over the metropolis I made the unpleasant discovery that the English had still further improved their defense system and now sent veritable hornet-swarms of single-seater combat planes against us. Amid heavy losses of men and material, their fliers had learned to attack at night also, and their machine guns showered us with incendiary bullets. As long as an airship flew in the dark, it was almost invisible to the enemy; but once in the clutches of a searchlight, it could be seen for miles. In the protection of the night, the little combat planes stole unnoticed upon the enormous targets, which were at least one hundred times as large as they, and they were often within shooting distance before the German machine-gunners could open fire. A single hit in one of the gas chambers sufficed to destroy the airship and its crew.
Pretty Things: Dream/Joey (Link)
From: Zeppelin, The Story of Lighter-than-air Craft by the late Captain Ernest Lehmann, Commander of the Hindenburg, 1937.
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