WW1 Air defence at home Flashcards
when did the Kaiser authorise the use of Zeppelins for bombing raids?
1915
when was the first air raid on London?
May 1915
how many died in the first air raid on London?
7
how many Zeppelin raids occurred in Britain?
51
how many British people had Zeppelin raids killed in WW1?
550
which sea towns were attacked by Zeppelin bombers?
Yarmouth
Scarborough
Hartlepool
were coastal towns well defended to the threats in the air?
no
there was no air defence system in place in the early part of the war
what were the British people’s feelings on Zeppelin air raids?
they were shocked and surprised as they never believe they could die from a threat in the air
how did the Press portray the Zeppelin raids?
they would say that damage was minimal
BUT
would heavily criticise Germany for it’s attack on British civillians
when did the RFC take over the RNAS with home defence?
December 1915
why was it difficult to intercept Zeppelin bombers in 1915?
the aircraft at the time could not reach very high altitudes
why did authorities have doubts over the use of air raid warnings?
they worried that it would cause panic amongst the public
what was the official view of air raid warnings at the start?
they could cause shock and lead to heart attacks, fright or turning people mad
why would the public often crowd outside during an air raid?
they wanted to see the Zeppelin bombers for themselves
what led to greater measures of air raid warnings?
the development of bombing by the Germans
what new measures were introduced for air raid warnings?
restrictions on lighting
semi-blackouts
cut off of gas and electrical supplies
when was the first mass bombing raid by German bombers?
June 1917
what was the German bomber most used after 1917?
the Gotha bomber
how many died in the raid on London in June 1917?
162
why were the Gothas harder to deal with than the Zeppelins?
they appeared in great numbers
they were smaller
they were harder to intercept
how many RFC squadrons did Haig release for home defence?
2
what was LADA?
London Air Defence Area
who suggested the implementation of LADA?
General Smuts
what was included with LADA?
an eastern battery of AA guns
more aircraft
what effect did air raids have on industry?
many men who worked in munitions factories were afraid to show up to work
munitions factories were major targets for German bombers
what was the change in German bombings after 1917?
switch to night raids
larger aircraft with more bombs
development of the incendiary bomb
why was the incendiary bomb never used?
the Germans were worried that its use would lead to major British reprisals in terms of heavy bombing of Germany
would make a peace treaty harder to achieve
when was the first Gotha bomber shot down over Britain?
January 1918
what were unorthodox methods of air defence used by the British?
floodlighting the sky
use of tethered balloons
AA guns set up in zones
what was the new air raid warning system by 1918?
‘take cover’ placards were used to signal a bombing taking place
an ‘all clear’ bugle was sounded at the end of a bombing
what did government leaflets inform the British people about?
the type of German and British aircraft which allowed them to identify between the 2
what were British people told to do if they spotted a German aircraft?
inform the local authorities and take cover
by April 1918 how many AA guns were placed in LADA?
266
how successful were AA guns?
had little physical success against aircraft
BUT
acted as a major detterant
what was the major reason for the loss of Gotha bombers?
2/3 were lost due to mechanical issues and pilot error
how did British propaganda portray German bombing?
showed it to be an act of barbarism as German was clearly the aggressor and killing civilians was clearly wrong
who did Lord Beaverbrook hope to entice by exemplifying Germany’s use of bombers on British civilians?
the Americans
when was the No 41 Wing formed?
October 1917
what was the No 41 Wing for?
strategic bombing on German targets
when was the last German air raid?
May 1918
what had German air raids shown about British vulnerability?
Britain as an island was no longer protected by a strong navy
it was not vulnerable from threats in the air
