L 4

L 4 (factory number LZ 27) was a M-class Zeppelin built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Friedrichshafen for the Imperial German Navy. It made its first flight on 18 August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I. Alongside Zeppelin LZ 24, L 4 conducted the war's first air raid against England from its base in Fuhlsbüttel.

On 17 February 1915, during a reconnaissance mission over the North Sea, L 4 encountered a snowstorm from the south and was forced to make an emergency landing in neutral Denmark. Eleven crew members managed to jump off at Template:Ill, but the remaining four vanished along with the airship over the North Sea.

Stationed at Fuhlsbüttel near Hamburg

On 1 September 1914, Kapitänleutnant Count Template:Ill assumed command of L 4, with Oberleutnant zur See Template:Ill as first officer. The airship was stationed in Fuhlsbüttel, near Hamburg, the following day.

Later that month, Petersen was replaced by Leutnant zur See Kruse. Petersen would later go on to command L 7, L 12, L 16, and L 32.

First air raid on England (19 January 1915)

In response to a British seaplane raid on the Zeppelin base at Nordholz near Cuxhaven on Christmas Day 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II authorized attacks on the United Kingdom. On 19 January 1915 at 11:00 a.m., L 3 (commanded by Hans Fritz) and L 4 departed Fuhlsbüttel for the Humber Estuary near Grimsby.

Zeppelin commander Peter Strasser oversaw the raid aboard L 6, which had to turn back due to technical problems. A northerly wind forced L 3 and L 4 toward Norfolk instead. L 4 crossed the coast at Bacton at 19:55 and turned west, while L 3 headed south to bomb Great Yarmouth.

At 20:45, L 4 dropped its first flares and incendiaries over Sheringham, then continued over The Wash and dropped bombs on Brancaster, Heacham, and Snettisham. It then flew south past Sandringham House and bombed King's Lynn at approximately 22:50, killing two civilians—26-year-old war widow Alice Gazely and 14-year-old Percy Goate—and injuring thirteen others.

No further bombs were dropped during the return journey over Norwich, which was blacked out and covered in fog. L 3 and L 4 safely returned to Fuhlsbüttel, as Royal Naval Air Service aircraft failed to intercept them.

Crash at Børsmose Beach (17 February 1915)

On 17 February 1915 at 04:00, L 3 and L 4 departed Fuhlsbüttel for a reconnaissance mission off the Norwegian coast. They were tasked with safeguarding the route of the steamer Rubens, which was transporting supplies to German East Africa.

L 4, commanded by von Platen and with officer Kruse aboard, completed the mission but encountered a snowstorm on the return trip. L 3 made an emergency landing on Fanø, while L 4 experienced engine trouble. A distress signal was sent at 17:25 and by 18:30 only the front gondola engine was operational.

Unable to reach the airship base at Tønder, von Platen attempted a landing at Blåvandshuk, ultimately crash-landing at Børsmose Beach. The front gondola was badly damaged. Eleven crew members escaped; one broke a leg while jumping. However, the gas cell valves were not opened, and the ship, now lighter, ascended with four mechanics still aboard. L 4 vanished over the sea, and the four crew members were presumed drowned—the first fatalities in the Imperial Navy’s airship division.

In the 1960s, wreckage stamped with Imperial Navy markings was recovered from the seabed off Fjand and may have belonged to L 4.

Internment in Denmark

The survivors initially claimed to be fishermen to avoid arrest but were soon identified and interned in Varde, later joining L 3’s crew on Fanø. On orders from the Danish government, both crews were transferred to internment at the 6th Infantry Regiment in Odense.

Von Platen and a lieutenant named Pzygode were interned in Aalborg, from where they escaped by bicycle on 19 December 1917 under the pretense of searching for Pzygode's dachshund. Von Platen successfully reached Hamburg.

Lieutenant Kruse was released and served as first officer on Template:Ill from 1 April 1918 until its destruction in the Tondern raid on 19 July 1918. He also worked with the German naval attaché to the Nordic countries in Copenhagen.

External links

• Zeppelin L 4 – zeppelin-museum.dk
• Luftschiff L 4 – frontflieger.de
• LZ 27 – luftschiff.de
• LZ 27 – sebastianrusche.com
• LZ 27 – lzdream.net (French)
• LZ 27 – air-ship.info (Chinese)
• 17-Feb-1915 Zeppelin LZ.27 – Aviation Safety Network