Weatherwatch: How England was saved from the Super-Zeppelins

German Zeppelin
A German Zeppelin landing in France after being driven off course Photograph: PA Archive/Press Association Ima

The largest fleet of airships ever to attack the UK set off on 19 October, 1917 to bomb the industrial Midlands. It was called the "Silent Raid" as the 11 German navy airships flew too high to be heard from the ground. They were Super-Zeppelins, able to fly at 20,000 feet and so out of range of anti-aircraft guns or fighter aircraft.

However, the crews were vulnerable to the extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and on this occasion to the strong winds that wrecked the mission. The Germans had forecast good weather, but no observations were made over 10,000 feet. Above that height the crews faced gale force winds from the north-west. The 650ft hulls were distorted by the turbulence and, with men struggling to hold the rudders, the Zeppelins were forced off course.

One of the craft which had crossed over the Wash at 8.30pm was driven south and was over Bedford at 10pm, dropping bombs on an engineering works. Pushed farther south the crew spotted the faint lights of the tiny Bedfordshire village of Heath and Reach, and released a string of seven bombs. They missed, dropping harmlessly in fields. The airship then turned for home, heading over London, Dover and the western front in France, only making it back to Germany at 3.45pm – a flight of 27 hours. Just seven of the 11 airships returned to Germany safely. One hundred crew were killed or captured. As with the Spanish Armada, England was saved by the weather.