When the German zeppelin was shot down in Thessaloniki
During the First World War and even before the entry of Greece into it, the bombing by German zeppelins in Thessaloniki was not a rare phenomenon. During the LZ-85 raid on May 4, 1916, however, Allied forces located it and shot it down.
The zeppelin
Initially, for those who do not know, the zeppelin, according to the definition by G. Babiniotis, is a large aircraft with a cylindrical metal trunk. It was widely used by the Germans in World War I.
Background – The ethnic division
In short, when on July 28, 1914 the First World War broke out (then the “Great War”), like most countries in the world at the time, so Greece is called to choose either entry into the war or neutrality. However, opinions differ, on the one hand, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos proposes the country’s membership in the Entente alliance (France-England-Russia). Its purpose is the protection of recent territorial expansions, but also the re-expansion of the Greek borders by sea. On the other hand, King Constantine I of Greece, married to the sister of the German Emperor William II, supports the “favorable neutrality” towards the Entente. Since, on the one hand, the coasts of Greece are exposed to the allied navy and, on the other hand, the rival Ottoman Empire is part of the alliance of the Central Powers (Germany-Austria-Ottoman Empire-Bulgaria), its accession.
The landing of Allied troops in Thessaloniki
In 1915, E. Venizelos gives the approval to the “Heartfelt Conciliation”, or Entente, for the landing of troops in Thessaloniki. The French Army of the East arrives in Thessaloniki on September 22, 1915, with the result that the city immediately becomes a target of the Central Powers. German aircraft often make raids, without significant results. In these bombings, air raids stand out, as they make their first appearance in the skies of Thessaloniki. On 1the On February 1916, an LZ-85 from Temesvar, Hungary (now Romania), bombed the city’s central market, killing 18 people and injuring several others. Having previously bombed Nunburg, Latvia and Minsk in Belarus, he caused the destruction of the countries that housed the bank of Thessaloniki a month later.
The end of Zeppelin’s raids on Thessaloniki
The third raid on the LZ-85 takes place on the night of the 4thης May. The British, however, are well prepared and provide, strengthening the city’s defenses. The anti-aircraft defenses that are on the hills around the city and the lights of the anchored allied fleet locate the zeppelin. After many maneuvers by the pilot, the LZ-85 is finally located and attacked with smoke bombs, when the English battleship “Agamemnon” finally shoots it down. Wrapped in flames, Zeppelin falls into Vardaris, near the mouth of the river Axios.
The zeppelin LZ-85 as an attraction in Thessaloniki
Serbian soldiers finally locate the German aircraft carrier, while the French staff demands its immediate dismantling. The survivors of the collision are being held as temporary prisoners in the then German school. After the Entente often takes them around the city as a spectacle for the world, they send them by ship to France. Once the fabric has been completely destroyed, on May 18 the hull of the aircraft is assembled and displayed next to the White Tower. Residents of the city as well as soldiers of the allied troops admire the huge attraction for many weeks and take small pieces of aluminum, a metal unknown to the time. In fact, for several months, many such pieces were sold by itinerant traders.
Sources used for the article:
Babiniotis, G. (2004). Dictionary for school & office: 2nd volume Γ-Ι. Athens: VOCABULARY CENTER
The downing of the German Zeppelin in Thessaloniki by the British battleship “Agamemnon”. Allied forces offered them captives for days in the city and the wreckage that became an attraction in front of the White Tower. Retrieved from http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-katarripsi-tou-germanikou-zepelin-sti-thessaloniki-apo-to-vretaniko-thorikto-agamemnon-oi-symmaxikes-dynameis-perieferan-tous-aixmalotres-g stin-poli-kai-ta-syntrimmia-eginan-aksiothea / (last accessed 05/03/22)
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How did the national division that divided Greece into royals and anti-royals begin? The bombing of the palaces by Entente and the National Defense movement in Thessaloniki. Retrieved from
http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/pos-ksekinise-o-ethnikos-dixasmos-pou-xorise-tin-ellada-se-vasilikous-kai-antivasilikous-o-vomvardismos-ton-anaktoron-apo-tin-antant- the-pogrom-at-the-weight-of-the-Venizelists-and-the-national-movement / (last accessed 04/03/22)
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100 years since the overthrow of Zeppelin in Thessaloniki. 31 impressive photos (2016). Retrieved from
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