Zeppelin Onslaught: The Forgotten Blitz 1914–1915

Synopsis

At The Outbreak Of The First World War, The United Kingdom Had No Aerial Defence Capability Worthy Of The Name. Britain Had Just Thirty Guns To Defend The Entire Country And All But Five Of These Were Considered To Be 'of Dubious Value'. So When Raiding German Aircraft Finally Appeared Over Britain The Response Was Negligible And Ineffective. Of The Uk's Fledgling Air Forces, The Royal Air Force Had Accompanied The British Expeditionary Force Into Europe Leaving The Royal Naval Air Service To Defend The Country As Best It Could. From The First Raid In December 1914, Aerial Attacks Gradually Increased Through 1915, Culminating In Highly Damaging Assaults On London In September And October. London, However, Was Not The Only Recipient Of German Bombs, With Counties From Northumberland To Kent Also Experiencing The Indiscriminate Death And Destruction Found In This New Theatre Of War - The Home Front. When The Previously Unimagined Horror Of Bombs Falling From The Sky Began, The British Population Was Initially Left Exposed And Largely Undefended As Civilians Were Killed In The Streets Or Lying Asleep In Their Beds. The Face Of War Was Changed Forever And Those Raids On London In The Autumn Of 1915 Finally Forced The Government To Pursue A More Effective Defence Against Air Attack. The German Air Campaign Against The United Kingdom Was The First Sustained Aerial Bombing Campaign In History. Yet It Has Become The Forgotten Blitz.--book Jacket. Introduction -- 1. 'no Longer An Island' -- 2. Something Out Of Nothing -- 3. Attack Is The Best Form Of Defence -- 4. 'forcing England To Her Knees' -- 5. 'oh, Good God, What Is It?' -- 6. 'discovering A New Country' -- 7. 'only H.v.b. On Board' -- 8. 'the Devils Have Come!' -- 9. A Glimmer Of Hope -- 10. London's Burning -- 11. The 'experiment' Is Over -- 12. The Guns Strike Back -- 13. 'gazing With Horror And Dread' -- 14. 'an Absolute Feeling Of Helplessness' -- 15. 'a Beautiful But Terrifying Sight' -- 16. 'what Are You Gong To Do About These Airship Raids?' -- 17. London Surrounded -- 18. 'the Earth Shook And Trembled' -- 19. The Home Front Line. Appendix One: German Airship Numbering Systems -- Appendix Two: Airship Raids, 1915 -- Appendix Three: Individuals Killed In Air Raids, 1915. Ian Castle. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 315-342) And Index.