Scale Plastic & Rail

The Zeppelin Base Raids: Germany 1914 from Osprey

The Zeppelin Base Raids: Germany 1914
Raid 18
Ian Castle
Published by Osprey for £11.99
ISBN 978-1-84908 – 243-3
Paperback    80pp    Illustrated    24.9 x 18.5 x 0.8 cm

O.K., I feel another review that has to start with a question coming on.....

When was the first strategic bombing campaign undertaken, by which nation and with what aim?

Well, having taken a rough sample of that question amongst 10 modelling chums, 20% said the fascist-backed Spanish forces in the civil war in 1937 against the civilian population, 30% said the German Gotha bombers against the UK cities in 1917 and 50% said, from the same WW1 period, German Zeppelin airships against the British mainland in 1916-17.

All were wrong.  The first strategic bombing campaign was actually carried out by the British by the Royal Naval Air Service in the last months of 1914; their targets were, in four separate air raids, Zeppelin bases in Germany.

For such a groundbreaking arm of warfare that has played such a part in the wars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the 1914 campaign has been poorly served in book form, usually relegated to an early section of bombing actions in WW1. However, I am delighted to say that this new book from Ian Castle addresses that major omission; the fact that the book costs less than £12.00 means it is affordable to most and will give many new ideas for early war modelling projects.

Castle covers the various segments of the campaign in a thorough, informative style that definitely keeps the reader interested. He outlines the impact Winston Churchill had in shaping the campaign, how it was planned for and then executed. The first two raids, carried out on Dusseldorf and Cologne, seem almost foolhardy. The first, carried out by 4 different aircraft (a Sopwith Tabloid, a Sopwith Sociable, an 80hp Sopwith and a B.E.2b) resulted in complete surprise but no actual damage, particularly as some of the aircraft turned back due to bad weather; the effect on morale, via the British press, was out of all proportion, however. The second raid, in 2 Sopwith Tabloids that had been especially purchased by the RNAS, was a much more successful event; Zeppelin Z.IX was completely destroyed in its hangar outside of Dusseldorf. The third raid, on the main Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen was a much better planned affair, but was still lightweight in execution, involving just 3 Avro 504 aircraft. The bombs were only 20 pounds in weight, but the Zeppelin L.7 just escaped damage and certain destruction by 60 feet. The fourth, and most audacious of the raids, attempted to attack Cuxhaven from the sea via 9 Short seaplanes of 3 types launched from ships – the first carrier borne airstrike in history. The arrival of a Zeppelin over the fleet somewhat disrupted the operation, with none of the aircraft finding the sheds at Cuxhaven, but again the impact on morale far outweighed these poor results.

So, four small attacks, eight different types of aircraft, one Zeppelin destroyed, a huge morale boost and the seeds for future war campaigns well and truly laid.

The book contains the usual excellent collection of photographs, which are really good in this case and plenty of plans and coloured illustrations. Examples of the contents include: three of the pilots involved in the first raid, together with Zeppelin Z.IX, destroyed in the second raid (below)

A campaign map and a reproduction of the Sopwith Tabloid aircraft, active on the first 2 attacks (above); a diagrammatic representation of the second attack, with the destroyed Zeppelin in its shed (below);

one of the Short seaplanes involved in the fourth raid (above); the moment of success in the second raid as the Zeppelin shed is about to be hit (below);

and the moment when one of the fourth raid Short seaplanes encountered a Zeppelin en route to attack the fleet (above).

This book has been long overdue in view of the importance of the subject, and Osprey have produced an excellent volume to fill that need.

So What Do We Think?
Osprey keep coming up with the goods. This is an excellent, inexpensive book covering a truly new type of warfare in its earliest appearance in history. A really good selection of photos and illustrations, as well.

A fascinating read on a seminal campaign

Our thanks to Osprey for the review copy. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

Robin Jenkins.