WW1 Air defence at home

Question 1

when did the Kaiser authorise the use of Zeppelins for bombing raids?

Answer 1

1915

Question 2

when was the first air raid on London?

Answer 2

May 1915

Question 3

how many died in the first air raid on London?

Answer 3

7

Question 4

how many Zeppelin raids occurred in Britain?

Answer 4

51

Question 5

how many British people had Zeppelin raids killed in WW1?

Answer 5

550

Question 6

which sea towns were attacked by Zeppelin bombers?

Answer 6

Yarmouth
Scarborough
Hartlepool

Question 7

were coastal towns well defended to the threats in the air?

Answer 7

no
there was no air defence system in place in the early part of the war

Question 8

what were the British people’s feelings on Zeppelin air raids?

Answer 8

they were shocked and surprised as they never believe they could die from a threat in the air

Question 9

how did the Press portray the Zeppelin raids?

Answer 9

they would say that damage was minimal
BUT
would heavily criticise Germany for it’s attack on British civillians

Question 10

when did the RFC take over the RNAS with home defence?

Answer 10

December 1915

Question 11

why was it difficult to intercept Zeppelin bombers in 1915?

Answer 11

the aircraft at the time could not reach very high altitudes

Question 12

why did authorities have doubts over the use of air raid warnings?

Answer 12

they worried that it would cause panic amongst the public

Question 13

what was the official view of air raid warnings at the start?

Answer 13

they could cause shock and lead to heart attacks, fright or turning people mad

Question 14

why would the public often crowd outside during an air raid?

Answer 14

they wanted to see the Zeppelin bombers for themselves

Question 15

what led to greater measures of air raid warnings?

Answer 15

the development of bombing by the Germans

Question 16

what new measures were introduced for air raid warnings?

Answer 16

restrictions on lighting
semi-blackouts
cut off of gas and electrical supplies

Question 17

when was the first mass bombing raid by German bombers?

Answer 17

June 1917

Question 18

what was the German bomber most used after 1917?

Answer 18

the Gotha bomber

Question 19

how many died in the raid on London in June 1917?

Answer 19

162

Question 20

why were the Gothas harder to deal with than the Zeppelins?

Answer 20

they appeared in great numbers
they were smaller
they were harder to intercept

Question 21

how many RFC squadrons did Haig release for home defence?

Answer 21

2

Question 22

what was LADA?

Answer 22

London Air Defence Area

Question 23

who suggested the implementation of LADA?

Answer 23

General Smuts

Question 24

what was included with LADA?

Answer 24

an eastern battery of AA guns
more aircraft

Question 25

what effect did air raids have on industry?

Answer 25

many men who worked in munitions factories were afraid to show up to work
munitions factories were major targets for German bombers

Question 26

what was the change in German bombings after 1917?

Answer 26

switch to night raids
larger aircraft with more bombs
development of the incendiary bomb

Question 27

why was the incendiary bomb never used?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

when was the first Gotha bomber shot down over Britain?

Answer 28

January 1918

Question 29

what were unorthodox methods of air defence used by the British?

Answer 29

floodlighting the sky
use of tethered balloons
AA guns set up in zones

Question 30

what was the new air raid warning system by 1918?

Answer 30

‘take cover’ placards were used to signal a bombing taking place
an ‘all clear’ bugle was sounded at the end of a bombing

Question 31

what did government leaflets inform the British people about?

Answer 31

the type of German and British aircraft which allowed them to identify between the 2

Question 32

what were British people told to do if they spotted a German aircraft?

Answer 32

inform the local authorities and take cover

Question 33

by April 1918 how many AA guns were placed in LADA?

Answer 33

266

Question 34

how successful were AA guns?

Answer 34

had little physical success against aircraft
BUT
acted as a major detterant

Question 35

what was the major reason for the loss of Gotha bombers?

Answer 35

2/3 were lost due to mechanical issues and pilot error

Question 36

how did British propaganda portray German bombing?

Answer 36

showed it to be an act of barbarism as German was clearly the aggressor and killing civilians was clearly wrong

Question 37

who did Lord Beaverbrook hope to entice by exemplifying Germany’s use of bombers on British civilians?

Answer 37

the Americans

Question 38

when was the No 41 Wing formed?

Answer 38

October 1917

Question 39

what was the No 41 Wing for?

Answer 39

strategic bombing on German targets

Question 40

when was the last German air raid?

Answer 40

May 1918

Question 41

what had German air raids shown about British vulnerability?

Answer 41

Britain as an island was no longer protected by a strong navy
it was not vulnerable from threats in the air