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Schütte-Lanz SL 11

German airship in the First World War From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Schütte-Lanz SL 11 was a German military dirigible built in 1916 by Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz. It was the first German airship to be shot down while bombing England.

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Operational history

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British propaganda postcard entitled "The End of the 'Baby-Killer'"

The SL 11 was based at Spich and commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm. In the early hours of 3 September 1916, after jettisoning bombs over Essendon, Hertfordshire, destroying several houses, damaging a church, and killing two sisters aged 26 and 12,[1][2] it was then shot down over nearby Cuffley by Lt. William Leefe Robinson flying a BE 2C using incendiary ammunition. It crashed at Cuffley, killing the entire crew, who were buried at Potters Bar Cemetery; they were re-interred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery in 1962.[3] Robinson was awarded the Victoria Cross.

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Specifications

  • First Flight: 1 August 1916
  • Length: 174 m (571 ft)
  • Diameter: 20.1 m (66 ft)
  • Gas Capacity: 38,780 m3 (1,370,000 cu ft)
  • Performance: 91.8 km/h (57.0 mph; 49.6 kn)
  • Payload: 21 t (21,000 kg; 46,000 lb)
  • Engines: 4x Maybach HS-Lu 6-cyl in-line engines:960 hp (970 PS; 720 kW) total

Dirigibles shot down over the UK

Airships made about 51 bombing raids on Britain during World War I. These killed 557 and injured another 1,358 people. More than 5,000 bombs were dropped (largely on towns and cities) across Britain, causing £1.5 million (equivalent to £128,500,000 in 2023) in damage. 84 airships took part, of which 30 were shot down or lost in accidents.[4]

More information Airships shot down over the UK during WWI, Shot down ...

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