Inspired by Herr Oberst, I decided to start monthly posting a calendar of WWI air war events. Today I am posting January 1915-1918. The basis of the calendar are Polish books:
J. Piekałkiewicz: I World War Events Calendar, Warsaw 1988, 608 p.,
H. Mordawski: Air Forces in WWI, Wrocław 2008, 516 p.
5th Jan 1916: First Nieuports 11c1 with 120 hp engines arrive to French squadrons (3 escadrille is the first one to get them). In the beginningh of February 90 machines of that kind are operational.
7th Jan 1915: Kaiser accepts the Tirpit's concept of bombing England's military objects.
19th Jan 1915: First ever 3 zeppelins: L3, L4 i L6 starting from Fuehlsbuttel and Nordholz bomb England. L6 returns early for machinery malefunction. At 8:00pm L2 bomb is bombing Yarmouth, L4 is dropping it's bomb load over Norfolk. 4 civilians killed, 12 injured. Till November this year zeppelin 50 raids will be carried by the Germans.
23rd Jan 1915: Wilhelm Siegert's commanding a „postal squadron” from Ostende is leading the first formation bomb attack over Dunkirk. One of the planes is shot down by a British plane.
23rd Jan 1916: First two German airmen, Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann (called by the British: „The Eagle from Lille”) are awarded Pour le Merite for their 8 air victories.
27th Jan 1915 onwards German planes begin daily bombing of Warsaw, zeppelins follow them by nights.
29/30th Jan 1916: First zeppelin air raid over Paris as a retaliation for an earlier French raid over Freiburg. 3 people wounded. French press calls the German attack a „piracy”, while it's own attack over Freiburg names an „act of justice.”
31st Jan/1st Feb1916: zeppelin squadron is bombing docks and port installations in Liverpool and Birkhead and Manchester's plants. L19 under command of Udo Loewe is shot down by the Dutch coastal guard. William Martin, a chief of „King Stephen” fishermen' ship afrraid of being abordaged by the zeppelin's crew doesn't go to rescue the floating wreck.
Jan 1917: First Albatroses D.III are being sent to Richthofen's Jasta 11.
Nightbomber.
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