Gott Strafe England

Volume 3: The German Air Assault against Great Britain 1914-1918

Parker Nigel J.

The aerial attacks against Great Britain by airships and aircraft in the Great War were a new development in the history of British warfare. Previously, it had been the British armies that had crossed the seas to do the fighting in foreign lands, but now, for the first time, the enemy was spreading death and destruction on the homeland at will. Initially, there was no obvious and practical means of countering this threat, so what were the reasons for this development and how was the problem solved?

Volume 3 of Gott Strafe England will look into operations on both sides to show that with every new development, there came a further development to counter it. The theory that the pace of human ingenuity is greatest during wartime is proven in this book, as a variety of newly-developed weapons – some truly impractical – will be evaluated. Primary evidence from combatants on each side are used to detail the tactical and strategic concepts developed, with previously unpublished accounts of the commanders and airmen who manned the airships. A unique insight is given into the operations and losses of the Gotha aeroplane unit Kagol 3 (the German Bomber Wing tasked with bringing Britain to its knees), as the Zeppelin menace had been proven unable to do so.

Each chapter in this volume deals with an aspect of the air war – making use of the many primary source reports and summaries that are available; an insight is given as to how the military mind worked on both sides of the Channel. Aspects examined include details about the aerodromes and facilities required to mount operations against Britain; the construction techniques used to build the Zeppelins; the information that British Air Intelligence could glean from the wreckage of the airships and aircraft; and reports from its many spies operating on the Continent. Supporting the text are many unique photographs and drawings that give a complete insight into the German air assault against Great Britain – helping to explain why, eventually, the term 'Gott Strafe England' was always going to be an impossible dream in the first industrial arms race.

About the Author

Nigel J Parker was born in Kent and initially lived in Surrey, close to the RAF station at Biggin Hill. His interest in military aviation was nurtured at an early age, initially in the making of model aircraft construction kits. On moving to Oxfordshire he became involved in the research and recovery of crashed aeroplanes across the country along with collecting and researching related artefacts, building up a large and unique collection as he did so. When he saw the film Zeppelin in 1971, his interest in airships was stimulated and he subsequently built up an extensive library on military aviation. At the age of eighteen he was introduced to what was then the Public Records Office, now the National Archives, Kew a place that has now almost become a second home. Through his interest in military aviation he was fortunate to be the editor of the Bomber Command Association Newsletter for seven years. Having spent a career in engineering and finally running the Cryogenics department at Oxford University for twenty-three years, he chose to concentrate on his writing and continue his ground breaking research into the aviation history of the twentieth century.

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