WW1 German Army WW1 Aluminium Badge Souvenir Made From German Zeppelin L15 - 1st April 1916

WW1 German Army WW1 Aluminium Badge Souvenir Made From German Zeppelin L15 - 1st April 1916
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Description

Guaranteed original. This is an original WW1 Aluminium Badge Made From German Zeppelin L15 - 1st April 1916. These badges were (crudley) made from the wreckage of the German Zeppelin L33 and sold to raise money for the war effort on the home front, mainly the Red Cross.

On the 31st March 1916, at 21.45 hours, the L15 received a direct hit from the AA gun at Purfleet, Essex. The AA shell damaged four of the gas cells (numbers 9, 11, 12, and 16), and the L15 began to lose height - despite the crew chucking out everything, to lose weight. While the L15 got closer to earth, it was attacked by 2Lt Alfred de Bathe Brandon RFC, 19 RA Sqn (Hainault Farm), in a BE 2C. Brandon climbed above the L15 and tried to destroy it by dropping incendiary bombs, and Ranken darts onto the top of the hull. He was not succesful. But eventually the Zeppelin became too heavy to fly, and she came down in the sea off Margate at 00.15 (1st April) - close to the Kentish Knock lightship. The sodden, half-sunk remains of the L15 were then taken under tow but the airship broke up off Westgate and only small sections were hauled ashore, where parts were obviously liberated by souvenir hunters. Eventually the sea reclaimed what was left of the airship on the beach.

Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military badges for sale including other WW1 Aluminium Badge Made From German Zeppelin L15 - 1st April 1916.


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Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military badges for sale including other WW1 Aluminium Badge Made From German Zeppelin L15 - 1st April 1916