Another Field: 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.