"Out of the past", September 1965

Sir,

As you appear to be, like me, a stickler for facts, perhaps you will permit me to offer a few corrections to your article “Out of the Past” in the August issue.

At the time of his exploit in the air over Cuffley on September 3rd, 1916, William Leefe Robinson was a 2nd Lieutenant and was flying a B.E.12 converted into a single-seater.

The airship he engaged in combat was not a Zeppelin, but a Schutte-Lanz, number SL.11, commanded by Hauptmann Schrauren. Robinson fired his third drum of ammunition close under the stern of the airship, aiming at one point. He shot away part of his own aircraft in the process, but the airship went down in flames from 11,500 feet.

The amount of wood found in the wreckage proved it was a Schutte-Lanz (all these ships were made of wood, even in peacetime), and this fact was used as propaganda to show our war workers that our blockade had caused a severe shortage of aluminium in Germany.

The Zeppelin L.21, commanded by Kapitän-Lieutnant Frankenberg, was attacked by three Naval aircraft over the sea on November 27th, 1916. One machine, piloted by E. L. Pulling, closed to short range and fired precisely two rounds before the gun jammed. The airship went down in flames. This event marked the end of the main phase of Zeppelin raids.

Leeds, 2.
V. Ekins (2/Lt.).