| LZ 31 (L 6) | |
|---|---|
| |
| LZ 31 bombing Royal Navy ships after the Cuxhaven Raid, 1914 | |
| Role | M-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship |
| National origin | German Empire |
| Manufacturer | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin |
| Designer | Ludwig Dürr |
| First flight | 3 November 1914 |
| Retired | Caught fire and destroyed, 16 September 1916 |
| Primary user | Imperial German Navy |
| Number built | 1 |
The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 31 (L 6) was an M-class World War I Zeppelin.
Throughout the career of the Imperial German Navy Airship LZ 31 took part in 36 reconnaissance missions around the North Sea. This included marking minefields and one raid on the United Kingdom, dropping 700 kg (1,500 lb) of bombs.
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Main article: Raid on Cuxhaven |
The Raid on Cuxhaven was a British ship-based air-raid on the Imperial German Navy complex at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914. After the raid Zeppelin LZ 31 set off to find the attacking naval force the aircraft came from. After retrieving the aircraft, the Navy force attempted to return to base but HMS Empress was left behind. High enough that the Royal Navy ship's guns could not harm it, LZ 31 dropped bombs on HMS Empress but none of the airship's bombs hit their mark.[1]
On 16 September 1916 the airship was in its hangar at Fuhlsbüttel undergoing inflation when it caught fire and was destroyed with Zeppelin LZ 36. [2]
Data from Zeppelin : rigid airships, 1893-1940,[3] The Zeppelin Airships - Part Two: Zeppelins of the Great War 1914–1918[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
