| LZ 76 (L 33) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 76 brought down near a cottage in Essex | |
| General information | |
| Type | R-class reconnaissance-bomber rigid airship |
National origin | German Empire |
| Manufacturer | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | Imperial German Navy |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 30 August 1916 |
The Imperial German Army Zeppelin LZ 76 (L-m33) was a R-class World War I zeppelin.
On 23 September 1916 a bombing raid was planned for London. That night, a Zeppelin group (LZ 72 [L 31], L 32, L 33 and L 34) set out to complete the mission. They succeeded in dropping 3,200 kilograms (7,100 lb) of bombs on London and surrounding counties. On its first mission, anti-aircraft damaged the LZ 76, and its commander, Kapitan-Leutnant Alois Bocker, changed its course over Essex. It was here that the airship was attacked by 39 Home Defence Squadron night fighters from Hainault Farm. Alfred Brandon was flying a B.E.2e fighter when he attacked Zeppelin LZ 76, helping to bring the airship down in a field. Even after dropping guns and equipment, Bocker calculated that the ship would not make it safely across the North Sea, and he landed in Little Wigborough, Essex, on the morning of 24 September 1916 with no fatalities. Right away, the crew set out to destroy the airship but were only partly successful in burning the hull. British engineers examined the skeleton and later used the plans as a basis for the construction of airships R33 and R34.
Data from Zeppelin: rigid airships, 1893–1940
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
