Zeppelin attack

7 August 1914

The German army employed a new weapon yesterday in their siege of the Belgian city of Liège: a Zeppelin.

Zeppelin Z VI

Under the command of Hauptmann Kleinschmidt, army airship Z VI  departed Cologne at 2200 on the night of 5 August, and by 0300 yesterday morning was over Liège. There, she dropped a load of 15-cm and 21-cm grenades onto the Belgian fortifications.

Illustration of the attack by Felix Schwormstädt
for Illustrierte Zeitung, Leipzig

However, the airship was struck by artillery fire, and began losing gas. Heading for home, she eventually made a forced landing in a forest at Walberburg and was damaged beyond repair.

Z VI was 140 metres (460 feet) long and first flew in July last year.