Zeppelins Bomb London

On the night of September 8, 1915, during the First World War, the German Navy Zeppelin L13 carried out one of the most destructive airship raids on London. The great rigid airship, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Mathy, one of Germany's most skilled and aggressive airship captains, struck central London with high-explosive and incendiary bombs.

The raid killed dozens of civilians and caused extensive damage in the heart of the capital, including in the textile district. It ranked among the costliest single Zeppelin attacks of the war in terms of property destruction, and it brought the reality of aerial bombardment to a civilian population that had previously felt beyond the reach of war.

The Zeppelin campaign against Britain marked the dawn of strategic bombing, the deliberate targeting of cities and morale far behind the front lines. Though the airships were eventually rendered vulnerable by improved defenses and incendiary ammunition, the raids forced Britain to divert resources to home defense and foreshadowed the massive aerial bombing campaigns of later wars.