Shropshire Routes to Roots

4. Success or failure

Facts and figures

Of the 115 Zeppelins which were used in the raids, 53 were destroyed and 24 were damaged. The crew also suffered a 40% loss rate. This poor performance can not be redeemed by the amount of damage they inflicted, since the cost of construction of the 115 airships was five times the amount of the damage inflicted. This was in general due to the fact that their navigation was primitive and that only 10% of the bombs dropped actually hit their target. The Zeppelins did cause the death of 557 people and injured 1,358. The greatest impact the Zeppelin raids had on the British was the hampering of wartime production and the diverting of 12 squadrons and over 100,000 men to air defence. In all the Zeppelin raids were not a great success but this did not mean that the British public did not fear them.

Continue

Return to top of page