The Great War - 1914-1918

Admiralty, 17th December, 1914
ON 21st November, 1914, Squadron Commander EF Briggs, Flight commander JT Babington, and Flight Lieutenant SV Sippe, royal Navy, carried out an aerial attack on the Zeppelin airship sheds and factory at Friedrickshafen on Lake Constance.

Leaving French territory shortly after 10 am, they arrived over their objective at about noon, and, although under a very heavy rifle, machine-gun and shrapnel fire from the moment they were sighted, they all three dived steeply to within a few hundred yards of the sheds, when they released their bombs – in all eleven.

Squadron Commander Briggs was wounded, brought down, and made a prisoner, but the other two officers regained their starting point after a flight of more than four hours across hostile country under very bad weather conditions.

It is believed that the damage caused by this attack includes the destruction of one airship and serious damage to the larger shed, and also demolition of the hydrogen-producing plant, which had only lately been completed. Later reports stated that flames of considerable magnitude were seen issuing from the factory immediately after the raid.

22 November 1914
From : Oberleutnant-zur-See Werner Peterson (commander designate Zeppelin L7)
To : Konteradmiral Phillip (Wilhelmshafen)
SECRET
Report concerning the English air attack on the Zeppelin works on November 21, 1914, at noon:

The attack was carried out on the 21st undoubtedly due to information from spies or agents that the ship had completed inflation on the 20th.

Towards noon telephone information was received here from Lorrach-Oberheim (Baden) that three enemy aircraft had been sighted, flying in the direction of Konstanz. The same information was received from Konstanz at 12:15 pm. The troops and guns were therefore altered. I received the report by telephone in the Kurgarten Hotel and immediately went to the Zeppelin works. The weather was clear, sunny, wind north-east, moderate to strong.

I found myself close by the gatehouse of the works as the guns and machine guns opened fire. At the same time I observed the first aircraft (biplane) heading for the Zeppelin buildings from the lake at an altitude of several hundred metres. The shell-bursts from the anti-aircraft guns lay very close to him. Meanwhile the plane flew over me and dropped the first bomb, which was easily visible while falling. It hit a house and exploded (about 60 metres from me) and partly destroyed the upper storey (1 dead, 2 injured). Then it flew over the sheds and, descending to 150 metres, very skilfully dropped a bomb which, however, merely landed on the field, then another which was accurately aimed and hit between the two sheds (minor damage to the shed doors of the new hangar).

Meanwhile he had been hit by a shell splinter and the plane glided down in a turn, making an emergency landing in front of the sheds. The plane was almost undamaged. The pilot, an English naval officer, Lieutenant Brigg of the Royal Naval Flying Corps, in uniform with leather outer clothing, was pulled out of the plane by militia and our petty officers, after trying to fire a few shots from his pistol. He was rather severely wounded in the head, but not so that his life was endangered, and was taken to the hospital. His undamaged plane, a new, light "Avro" machine, had suffered a decisive hit by a shell splinter and had been hit by about 10 bullets (one of them in the fuel tank).

While this plane was descending, the second plane appeared at about 200 metres above the gas works, dived low in the heavy fire, and above the shot-down machine released 2 bombs which exploded in the field. Then he flew very fast above the sheds and dropped a bomb which hit the workshops and caused damage and which damaged a window of the shed in which "L.7" lay: 20 metres farther and the inflated ship would have been destroyed. Then he disappeared over the lake in the direction of Manzell, where he dropped a bomb close to the airplane hangar. Today he was reported from Konstanz as having come down. The third plane, which I did not see, turned back prematurely.

Admiralty, 1st January 1915
The KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following appointments to the Distinguished Service Order in respect of the undermentioned Officers:-
To be Companions of the Distinguished Service Order.
Squadron Commander Edward Featherstone Briggs, Royal Naval Air Service.
Flight Commander John Tremayne Babington, Royal Naval Air Service.
Flight Lieutenant Sidney Vincent Sippe, Royal Naval Air Service.

Whitehall, May 18 1916
The KING has been pleased to give and grant unto the undermentioned Officers His Majesty's Royal licence and authority to wear Decorations (as stated against their respective names), which have been conferred upon them by the President of the French Republic in recognition of valuable services rendered by them:-
Insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
Engineer Lieutenant-Commander Edward Featherstone Briggs, D.S.O., R.N. (Squadron Commander, R.N.A.S.).

Air Ministry, 16th December 1919
His Majesty the KING has been pleased to approve of recognition being accorded, as indicated below, to Officers and other ranks of the Royal Air Force, for gallantry whilst Prisoners of War in escaping, or attempting to escape, from captivity, or for valuable services rendered in the Prison Camps of the Enemy:-
Awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Service Order.
Wing Commander Edward Featherstone Briggs, D.S.O., O.B.E.

Walter, was Hitler able to speak English??????

OmSigDAVID wrote:

Walter, was Hitler able to speak English??????

I don't know. (I know nothing the curriculum in Austrian schools today - and even less about how it was around 1900.)
Why do you ask, and how is this related to a thread about WWI and my post about the Friedrichshafen Raid?

If he did, it was with a Scouse accent.

Well, he was in WWI and in WWII,
which arguably was the continuation of WWI.

There is some (inconclusive) evidence that he went to Liverpool.

Well, he was in WWI and in WWII,
which arguably was the continuation of WWI.

How many of the Allied Lance Corporal's could speak French, Dutch or German?

My best hunch is a 9mm Luger P-'08,
but that 's only a guess.

But since it turns now in totally different direction, I'll stop it.

My best hunch is a 9mm Luger P-'08,
but that 's only a guess.

Since that has been the only pistol used in the Royal Bavarian Army ("Pistole 08"), it's really a "good" guess.

Thank u. I will leave the thread. Good-bye.