Zeppelin Offensive

To mark the 100th anniversary of the first Zeppelin raids on London during the First World War, we reflect on the city’s first experience of aerial bombardment and the impact on its streets and people.

By the beginning of the war, the German army had a fleet of 11 zeppelins, and London prepared accordingly - mounting guns on the roof of the foreign office and draining the lake in St James Park to stop moonlight reflection giving away the position of nearby Buckingham Palace.