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.
Operational history
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,
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.
Legacy Leefe Robinson was awarded the Victoria Cross on the September 5th, just two days after destroying the airship.
Many fragments of the airship survive as the British Red Cross Society was given large quantities of wire from the wreck to turn into souvenirs. These were sold to raise funds for the society.
The airship crew were re-interred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery in 1962.
Specifications First Flight: 1 August 1916 Length: Diameter: Gas Capacity: Performance: Payload: Engines: 4x Maybach HS-Lu 6-cyl in-line engines: total
See also List of Schütte-Lanz airships
References
Further reading