Paris bombed by aeroplane

31 August 1914

Yesterday, just after noon, A German army aeroplane dropped four small bombs and a message on Paris.

The aeroplane—a Taube piloted by Leutnant Ferdinand von Hiddessen—first overflew the city at midday, and loitered overhead for about half-an-hour before it attacked the 10ème arrondissement. Von Hiddessen and his observer threw four 2-kg bombs. The first two landed in the streets and broke shop windows. The third landed in the courtyard of a boarding house and injured two female residents, one of whom died of her injuries. The fourth hits the skylight of another courtyard but fails to detonate.

Leutnant v. Hiddessen über Paris
by Fritz Preiss

Lt Ferdinand von Hiddessen

After the bombs, the German airmen throw down a two-and-a-half-metre-long pennant in the colours of Germany. The pennant is weighted with a sandbag, to which is attached a satchel of notices to the residents of the city. They read:

L’Armée Allemande se trouve aux Portes de Paris: il ne vous reste plus qu’à vous rendre.

Leutnant von Hiddessen

The German army is at the gates of Paris: you can do nothing but surrender.

Leutnant von Hiddessen  

The pennant and notices have been collected and handed over to the police.

Zeppelin attack on Antwerp

26 August 1914

German army Zeppelin Z IX (construction number LZ-25), under the command of Hauptmann Alfred Horn returned from a raid on Antwerp yesterday that saw up to twenty-six inhabitants of the city killed or wounded. The Zeppelin dropped ten 21-cm mortar shells, weighing 120 kg each, with Belgian authorities reporting eight explosions. Buildings hit include the barracks of the 5th Regiement, the Sint Elisabethshospital, and the royal palace. Because the royal family was in residence at the palace at the time, the Belgian Government claims that the German raid was made with the intent of their assassination.

Illustration of the attack,
by Themistokles von Eckenbrecher

Jozef Muls, a civilian inhabitant of the city, offers this eye-witness account of the attack and the aftermath:

Ik hoorde een groot gerommel als van donder en dacht aan een onweder. Maar weer daverde een geweldige slag. De oorlog kwam terug voor mijn geest. De stad werd zeker onverwacht beschoten. Ik ging zien aan het venster maar eene ontzettende ontploffing kraakte zoo nabij in de stad dat de ruiten rammelden en ik werktuiglijk achteruitsprong voor ’t geweld. Ik kleedde mij aan en liep naar de kamer mijner ouders. Mijn zuster kwam ook uit haar deur daarover in haar witte nacht-japon. Ik zag bij het aarzelende licht van een nachtpitje, vader en moeder overeind zitten, te midden der wit-grauwe frommeling der beddelakens. Hunne bleeke en door den slaap nog verouderde en doorrimpelde gezichten keken verdwaasd en verschrikt. —”Het is de beschieting!” —”Het zijn misschien maar signalen of proefschoten.” —”Laat ons bidden” zei iemand en ik hoorde paternoster-beiers tegen elkaar rollen in een hand. Ik liep naar boven om uit de hoogste vensters over de stad te zien. Ik hoorde toen heel duidelijk het geronk van schroeven, hoog ievers in de lucht, maar zag niets. Het werd mij duidelijk nu dat het een Zeppelin was. Herhaaldelijk daverden er nog ontploffingen over de stad, maar steeds op verder en verder afstand. Telkens gingen er als bliksemschichten door de lucht. Het waren de losbarstingen van bommen die het moordschip uitwierp. Ik hoorde èen gekletter van ruitscherven en enkele geweer knallen, van burgerwachten, waarschijnlijk, die vruchteloos op den Zeppelin vuurden. Toen werd weer alles stil. Ik zag O.L.V. toren hoog boven de groene-en-mauve omschemerde huizen uitsteken als een omdoezelde silhouette. De beiaard ”rammelde” en het klonk drie uur in den vaaglichtenden dag. In de straat beneden gingen deuren en vensters open, menschen riepen rap en angstig tegen elkaar of liepen in de richting der ontploffingen. Wij gingen weer slapen. ’s Morgens na het ontbijt trok ik uit de vernieling zien in de stad. Er was een ongemeene drukte in de straten. Negen of tien bommen waren er geworpen. Twee dicht bij mijn huis, waarvan een in de Schermersstraat, waar twee dienstmeisjes in haar bed werden gedood, en een, juist achter mijn hofje, op het Sint Elisabeths gasthuis. In de Twaalfmaanden straat was eene woning tot op den grond ineen gestort. Op de Stadswaag, in de Lozana en de Justicie straat waren groote kuilen in de kasseien, vensters en deuren aan spaanders, diepe putten in de gevels en de arduinboorden. 10 menschen waren gedood en meer dan 40 gekwetst, allen non- combattanten. In een huis werd eene vrouw gevonden die letterlijk was gepulveriseerd. Een andere die uit haar venster leunde werd het hoofd afgeslagen zoo dat de bloedstraal als een fontein naar beneden spoot. Naar de plaatsen te oordeelen, waar de projectielen gevallen waren, kon men gissen wat het eigenlijke doelwit geweest was van de laffe aanranders, en de bladen vernoemden de Minerva-fabriek te Berchem, de Nationale bank, het Sint Elisabeths gasthuis, het koninklijk Paleis en de Falcon kazerne.

I heard a great rumbling like thunder and thought of a storm. Then again, a great blow shook us. The war came back to my mind. I went to look out the window, but a terrible explosion cracked so near in the city that the windows rattled and I automatically leaped backwards at its force. I dressed and walked to my parents’ room. My sister came out of her door in her white night-gown. By the wavering light of a candle, I saw father and mother sitting up, amid the crumpled white-gray of the bed sheets. Their pale-from-sleep and old and wrinkled faces looked dazed and frightened. “That’s firing!” “It may be only signals or test shots.” “Let us pray,” someone said, and I heard rosary beads rolling against each other in a hand. I walked upstairs to look out over the city from the highest windows. Then I heard very clearly the roar of propellers high in the air, but saw nothing. It became clear to me now that it was a Zeppelin. Repeatedly, explosions shook the city, but always further and further away. Each went like lightning through the air, the outbursts of bombs that the murder ship cast out. I heard a clatter of glass shards and some shotgun blasts from the city guard as they, probably fruitlessly, fired on the Zeppelin. Then it was all quiet again. I saw the Cathedral of Our Lady towering above the green-and-mauve glimmering houses, protruding like a dozing silhouette. The carillon “rattled” and it sounded three o’clock in the faint light of the day to come. In the street below, doors and windows were opened, and frightened men shouted and bumped against each other or walked in the direction of the explosions. We went back to sleep. In the morning after breakfast, I photographed the destruction seen in the city. There was an uncommon bustle in the streets. Nine or ten bombs had been thrown. Two near my house, one in Schermersstraat where two maids were killed in their bed and, just behind my courtyard, at St Elizabeth’s hospital. In Twaalfmaanden straat one house had collapsed to the ground. In the Stadswaag, the Lozana, and Justicie straat, there were large potholes in the cobblestone street, windows and doors were chipped, and there were deep pits in  walls and bluestone edges. Ten people were slain and more than forty wounded, all of them non-combatants. In one house was a woman who was found literally pulverized. Another who had leaned out of her window had had her head removed, so that a jet of blood was spurting down like a fountain. Judging by where the projectiles had fallen, one could guess the places that had been the actual targets of the cowardly assailants. The evidence pointed to the Minerva factory in Berchem, the National Bank, St Elizabeth’s hospital, the Royal Palace, and the Falcon barracks.

House demolished by the attack

Z IX is Germany’s newest Zeppelin and first flew only six weeks ago. She is the second “M-type” ship constructed, 158 metres (518 ft) long. Her three 220-hp engines give her a top speed of slightly over 80 km/h (50 mph).

Hauptmann Alfred Horn

Japan declares war on Germany

24 August 1914

Yesterday, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Yoshihito of Japan declared war on Germany, escalating what had hitherto been a conflict between European nations. The Emperor’s proclamation reads as follows:

詔書

天佑ヲ保有シ万世一系ノ皇祚ヲ践メル大日本国皇帝ハ忠実勇武ナル汝有衆ニ示ス
朕茲ニ独逸国ニ対シテ戦ヲ宣ス朕カ陸海軍ハ宜ク力ヲ極メテ戦闘ノ事ニ従フヘク朕カ百僚有司ハ宜ク職務ニ率循シテ軍国ノ目的ヲ達スルニ勗ムヘシ凡ソ国際条規ノ範囲ニ於テ一切ノ手段ヲ尽シ必ス遺算ナカラムコトヲ期セヨ

朕ハ深ク現時欧洲戦乱ノ殃禍ヲ憂ヒ専ラ局外中立ヲ恪守シ以テ東洋ノ平和ヲ保持スルヲ念トセリ此ノ時ニ方リ独逸国ノ行動ハ遂ニ朕ノ同盟国タル大不列顛国ヲシ テ戦端ヲ開クノ已ムナキニ至ラシメ其ノ租借地タル膠州湾ニ於テモ亦日夜戦備ヲ修メ其ノ艦艇荐ニ東亜ノ海洋ニ出没シテ帝国及与国ノ通商貿易為ニ威圧ヲ受ケ極 東ノ平和ハ正ニ危殆ニ瀕セリ是ニ於テ朕ノ政府ト大不列顛国皇帝陛下ノ政府トハ相互隔意ナキ協議ヲ遂ケ両国政府ハ同盟協約ノ予期セル全般ノ利益ヲ防護スルカ 為必要ナル措置ヲ執ルニ一致シタリ朕ハ此ノ目的ヲ達セムトスルニ当リ尚努メテ平和ノ手段ヲ悉サムコトヲ欲シ先ツ朕ノ政府ヲシテ誠意ヲ以テ独逸帝国政府ニ勧 告スル所アラシメタリ然レトモ所定ノ期日ニ及フモ朕ノ政府ハ終ニ其ノ応諾ノ回牒ヲ得ルニ至ラス

朕皇祚ヲ践テ未タ幾クナラス且今尚皇妣ノ喪ニ居レリ恒ニ平和ニ眷々タルヲ以テシテ而カモ竟ニ戦ヲ宣スルノ已ムヲ得サルニ至ル朕深ク之ヲ憾トス

朕ハ汝有衆ノ忠実勇武ニ倚頼シ速ニ平和ヲ克復シ以テ帝国ノ光栄ヲ宣揚セムコトヲ期ス

大正三年八月二十三日

Imperial Rescript

We, by the Grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan, on the throne occupied by the same Dynasty from time immemorial, do hereby make the following proclamation to all Our loyal and brave subjects: We, hereby, declare war against Germany and We command Our Army and Navy to carry on hostilities against that Empire with all their strength, and We also command all Our competent authorities to make every effort in pursuance of their respective duties to attain the national aim within the limit of the law of nations.

Since the outbreak of the present war in Europe, the calamitous effect of which We view with grave concern, We, on our part, have entertained hopes of preserving the peace of the Far East by the maintenance of strict neutrality, but the action of Germany has at length compelled Great Britain, Our Ally, to open hostilities against that country, and Germany is at Kiao-chau, its leased territory in China, busy with warlike preparations, while her armed vessels, cruising the seas of Eastern Asia, are threatening Our commerce and that of Our Ally. The peace of the Far East is thus in jeopardy. Accordingly, Our Government, and that of His Britannic Majesty, after a full and frank communication with each other, agreed to take such measures as may be necessary for the protection of the general interests contemplated in the Agreement of Alliance, and We on Our part, being desirous to attain that object by peaceful means, commanded Our Government to offer, with sincerity, an advice to the Imperial German Government. By the last day appointed for the purpose, however, Our Government failed to receive an answer accepting their advice.

It is with profound regret that We, in spite of Our ardent devotion to the cause of peace, are thus compelled to declare war, especially at this early period of Our reign and while we are still in mourning for Our lamented Mother.

It is Our earnest wish that, by the loyalty and valour of Our faithful subjects, peace may soon be restored and the glory of the Empire be enhanced.

23 August, Year 3 of the Taishō era

His Imperial Majesty
Emperor Yoshihito

RFC spots German army, first RFC combat loss, experiments in armament

23 August 1914

RFC scouts reveal German army poised to flank

Yesterday, a British pilot and his observer of Number 3 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps—Captain Lionel Charlton and Lieutenant Vivian Walham—reported spotting the German 1st Army under General von Kluck deploying to flank the British Expeditionary Force near Charleroi. Notwithstanding that this intelligence contradicted that available via more traditional channels, the British Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Sir John French, has taken the aviators’ report seriously and has ordered a retreat towards Mons. With the German forces outnumbering the British two-to-one in both men and guns, the utility of the aeroplane as a platform for reconnaissance has indisputably proved itself.

Captain Lionel Charlton

British lose first aeroplane and airmen in combat

Also yesterday, an Avro 504 (serial number 390) from Number 5 Squadron RFC became the first British aeroplane brought down by enemy action. Lieutenant Vincent Waterfall and his observer, Lieutenant Charles Bayly were performing a reconnaissance mission over Enghien-Marcq when they came under rifle fire from a column of German troops. Both men, aged 23, lost their lives. Hauptmann Walter Bloem, commanding Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Karl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr.12 recalls:

Plötzlich Alarm: ein feindlicher Flieger! Diesmal stimmt’s: die blauweißroten Ringe sind fast mit bloßem Auge zu erkennen. Ich bestimme zwei Gruppen, gebe den Feuerbefehl. Und schon knattert’s überall auf. Der Lüftekreiser dreht ab, will nach Süden entwischen. Zu spät: er steht auf einmal schräge, dreht sich zwei-, dreimal um sich selber, stürzt ab, schon ein paar Kilometer von unserm Scheitelpunkt entfernt. Jubelgebrüll.
Nach einer Weile preschen drei rheinische Husaren vorüber, schreien, sie hätten das abgestürzte Flugzeug auf einer Wiese gefunden.
„Und der Führer? Der Beobachter?“
„Die sinn Mus, Herr Hauptmann.“

Suddenly, alarm: an enemy aeroplane! This time it’s true: the blue-white-red rings are almost visible to the naked eye. I designate two groups, give the firing order. And already rattles are all around. The aircraft veers off, wants to escape to the south. Too late: he is already off-balance, corkscrews two or three times, plummets a few kilometres from our position. Cheering breaks out.
After a while, three Rhenish Hussars tear over, shouting that they had found the crashed plane on a field.
“And the pilot? The observer?”
“They are mush, Captain.”

Lt Vincent Waterfall
No.5 Sqn, RFC

Lt Charles Bayly
No.5 Sqn, RFC

Lt Bayly’s interrupted log of the mission

Experiments with armament

In other news of Number 5 Squadron RFC, Lieutenant Louis Strange and Lieutenant Leslie Penn-Gaskell have been tackling the problem of affixing armament to an aeroplane. Over the last week, they have created a solution in the form of a mount for a Lewis gun in the observer’s cockpit of a Farman HF.20 (serial number 341).

Today, they put their idea to the test, pursuing a German reconnaissance plane that overflew 5 Sqn’s airfield at Bailleul. The attempt showed Strange and Penn-Gaskell a very practical limitation to the concept. The extra weight of the gun and its ammunition prevented the Farman from climbing higher than 3,500 feet (1,100 m), and thus the German was easily able to escape at a higher altitude. The partners are apparently putting aside this idea for now, and in future, Penn-Gaskell is to carry a rifle with him instead.

Lt Louis Strange
No.5 Sqn RFC

Zeppelin patrols continue

Yesterday morning saw the safe return of German army Zeppelins Z IV and Z V after more scouting in East Prussia. Z IV overflew Cumbinnen and Lager, and Z V overflew Modlin.

Two German Zeppelins shot down

22 August 1914

Yesterday, in another terrible day for airship operations, two German army Zeppelins were brought down over the Western Front: Z VII (construction number LZ-22) and Z VIII (construction number LZ-23). The pair were sister ships of the “K” class, 150 metres (492 ft) long and capable of speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph). On yesterday’s mission, both Zeppelins were to find and harass French troops retreating in the Vosges mountains in Alsace.

Commanded by Hauptmann Geisert, Z VII succeeded in dropping a few artillery shells on the French troops before becoming engulfed in a cloud bank. When she emerged, she was unfortunate enough find herself directly above the enemy at an altitude of under 800 metres (2,600 ft). The French immediately responded with masses of small-arms fire, perforating the Zeppelin’s envelope in many places. Leaking lift gas, the airship limped away until the crew were able to make a forced landing near St Quirin, damaging Z VII beyond any hope of repair.

Z VIII fared even worse. As she set out on her mission, she was first fired upon by German troops, who scored many hits with small arms and at least one artillery shell. Despite the damage and gas leaks, commander Hauptmann Konrad Andrée decided to proceed with the mission. Ironically, when the airship did finally locate the French, the French army below did not fire on the Zeppelin, believing it to be a French craft until it started dropping shells.

Z VIII before the war

By now, Z VIII was below 400 metres (1,300 ft )and no longer able to gain height. Consequently, she was heavily damaged by return fire from the 75-mm guns of the 65ème régiment d’infanterie territorial. Pursued by French cavalry and out of control, she began to drift and eventually crashed near Bandonvilliers. The crew attempted to burn the airship to avoid it falling into French hands, but were unsuccessful. They then engaged the French in a brief firefight on the ground before escaping into the nearby forest. Fourteen of the crew were able to rejoin German forces, and four were captured by the French. Sections of the wreckage were taken to Paris and displayed as trophies of war.

Artist’s impression of French guns attacking Z VIII

Z VIII crashed in the forest

Trophy for the French

Another trophy for the French

First use of a flying boat for bombardment

16 August 1914

Yesterday, a flying boat from the Imperial and Royal Austro–Hungarian navy dropped two bombs on the batteries at Krstac (Montenegro) in the first such attack by a flying boat in history. The aeroplane was a Lohner of the type previously described in this journal, serial number E18. It was flown by Linienschiffsleutnant Konstantin Maglic, with Oberleutnant Pieler aboard as his observer.

Lschlt Maglic

E17, sister ship to the
aeroplane used in the raid

French aviators attack German Zeppelin hangar

15 August 1914

Late yesterday, aviators of the French Aéronautique Militaire attacked the German Zeppelin hangar at Frescaty. Lieutenant Antoine Césari and caporal Roger Prudhommeaux from Escadrille MF.16 took off from Verdun in Farman MF.7s at 5.30 PM. Each aircraft carried a modified 155-mm artillery shell. 

Although Césari and Prudhommeaux reached the target and released their weapons, neither shell hit the target hangar. The aviators returned home safely from their fruitless mission.

The sheds presently house two German army Zeppelins: Z II Ersatz (construction number LZ-9) and Z III (LZ-12). Both airships are considered obsolete, and the German army decommissioned them shortly before Germany entered the war. 

Lieutenant Antoine Césari

Caporal Roger Prudhommeaux

Frescaty viewed from the air. The Zeppelin hangar
is visible at the top left of the photograph

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The Farman MF.7

The Farman MF.7, known as the “Longhorn” is the design of Maurice Farman and is based upon a sport aeroplane he constructed in 1910. The pilot shares a nacelle with the engine and propeller mounted pusher-fashion behind him. Rudders and stabilisers are carried on booms extending rearward from the biplane wings, while elevators are carried on booms that extend forward, providing the aeroplane with its nickname. The 70-hp Renault V-8 engine can propel the MF.7 to almost 60 mph.

The type is now obsolescent, having been removed from British front-line service, although it still equips eight French escadrilles.

Royal Flying Corps arrives in France

14 August 1914

Britain’s Royal Flying Corps has commenced its deployment to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Yesterday morning, Numbers 2, 3, and 4 Squadrons flew their aeroplanes from Dover to Amiens. The first machine, an RAF BE.2a (serial number 327) piloted by Captain Francis Waldron took off at 6.25 AM. The first to complete the 231-km (144-mile) flight was another BE.2a (serial number 471) piloted by Lieutenant Hubert “Bay” Harvey-Kelly.

Major Charles Burke, Commanding Officer of the squadron, had intended to land first, but Harvey-Kelly, took a short-cut over some woods and beat him to the honour. Burke’s diary records:

“Just as I was gliding down I saw another machine. Landed at 8.22. It was Harvey-Kelly.”

In a photograph taken in Yorkshire last week, Harvey-Kelly is to be seen reclining between his mount and a haystack, enjoying a cigarette:

Lt “Bay” Harvey-Kelly,
2 Sqn, Royal Flying Corps

Page from Maj Burke’s diary

Aeroplanes of numbers 2 and 3 Squadrons took off at five-minute intervals and arrived in France largely without incident. Fog delayed the departure of the aeroplanes of number 4 squadron until 10.00 AM, and some of the machines of the squadron’s B Flight were damaged when they followed one of their number prematurely to the ground. Before reaching Amiens, engine trouble forced Captain Francis Cogan to make an emergency landing. He set his BE.2a (serial number 231) down on a ploughed field at Equihien, damaging its undercarriage. Three other pilots followed suit! Lieutenant Patrick Playfair recalls:

“I can remember being with the aircraft that followed Captain Cogan down to his forced landing in France, and I can still remember the roughness of the field he was unlucky enough to choose. I also remember that after refuelling and resuming the flight I was not above landing again to ask a passing pedestrian the way to Amiens.”

All together, forty-four aeroplanes have made the crossing yesterday. Number 4 Squadron has left one of its flights back in England to perform coastal patrol duties, but has instead taken with it a flight of three aeroplanes crewed by men experienced in wireless telegraphy from the air.

Number 5 Squadron is also in the process of deploying to France, but its movements have been hindered by a series of accidents with their aircraft and a shortage of shipping available to transport its vehicles and support staff across the channel. The squadron is presently at Gosport.

Numbers 2 and 4 Squadrons are furnished entirely with the BE.2a (described below). Number 3 Squadron operates a mixture of Blériot XIs (previously described in this journal) and Henry-Farman HF.20s. Number 5 Squadron also has Henry-Farman HF.20s, plus Avro 504s and RAF BE.8s.

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The Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2a

The BE.2 is the most numerous aircraft type in the Royal Flying Corps’ inventory today. First flown in February 1912 by its designer, Geoffrey de Havilland, dozens of these aircraft have now been produced by a variety of manufacturers, including Vickers, Armstrong Whitworth, Handley Page, and the British and Colonial Aircraft Company.

It is a two-seat biplane of the configuration pioneered by Louis Blériot; that is, with the engine and propeller mounted at the front of the aeroplane, and the elevators grouped with the rudder at the rear. (This configuration is the source of the “BE” designation, which stands for “Blériot Experimental”). Power is supplied by a 70-hp Renault V-8 engine that can propel the aeroplane to 74 mph.

Since last winter, RFC commanding officer Lt Col Frederick Sykes has been seeking to obtain BE.2s to replace the less capable and reliable types flown by the Corps.

Zeppelin attacks continue

12 August 1914

Following on from the recent success of German army airship Z IV in performing reconnaissance and bombardment over Poland, sister ship Z V returned from a similar mission yesterday. Flying from her base at Posen under the command of Hauptmann Grüner, Z V scouted the areas of Włocławek, Kutno, Płock, and Łódź, and dropped bombs on the latter city. 

For the appearance of Z V, refer to the article on her sister ship,  Z IV. 

Zeppelin attack on Poland

11 August 1914

Yesterday morning, German army airship Z IV returned to her base at Köningsberg from a successful overnight mission on the Eastern front. Under the command of Hauptmann von Quast, the Zeppelin undertook reconnaissance of the areas around Mława, Gumbinnen, Insterburg, Friedland, Gerdauen and Tilsit. The mission revealed little evidence of Russian forces in or moving through the region. However, while over Mława, Z IV did take the opportunity to drop bombs on the Russian troops encamped there.

Z IV is most famous for the landing that she made at Lunéville last June. Navigating in thick cloud and unable to ascertain the prevailing winds, the airship crew found themselves over French territory. Hoping to avoid a diplomatic incident, commander Oberleutnant Jacobi landed the airship and submitted to its inspection by French authorities. The French released Z IV the next day.  

Z IV is a “h” type Zeppelin, construction number LZ-16. She and her sister ship Z V are the oldest and smallest rigid airships in the German army, with Z IV making her first flight in March last year. She is 140 metres long and is powered by three 180-hp engines.