BE 12b victories over zeppelins

coyotemagic · 17 November 2009, 09:03 PM

I'm about to start Roden's BE 12b and was intrigued by the box art which implies that Lt. W E Watt, flying C3094, was involved in the destruction of L70. Does anyone have any details on this?
Thanks,
Bud

bristol scout · 18 November 2009, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coyotemagic

I'm about to start Roden's BE 12b and was intrigued by the box art which implies that Lt. W E Watt, flying C3094, was involved in the destruction of L70. Does anyone have any details on this?
Thanks,
Bud

HI Bud,
Major E.Cadbury (of the chocolate family) piloting a D.H.4 and Capt. R.Leckie--his chilly gunner got the Zepp. L70 with Strasser himself on board, off the Norfolk coast.
Other aircraft would have been involved---but as far as I am aware--they are the one's credited with bringing her down.

L70 was the most powerful airship---powered by seven 290h.P. Maybach engines--but she was almost helpless against Pomeroy tracer bullets.

Down below under the clouds the Schooner AMETHYST saw the flaming nightmare come through the clouds and hit the sea.

The D.H.4 team almost got L65 also!!! During the entire raid not one bomb was dropped on land!!

Fregattenkapitan Peter Strasser (and his crew) paid the ultimate price for not heeding the lessons of defeat for the Airship---namely that because of superior aircraft by 1918 defence was more powerful than attack

Dave.

coyotemagic · 18 November 2009, 08:14 AM

Thanks, Dave. Thats tasty information (the Cadbury connection). Still, do you know anything about Lt. Watt and C3094?

bristol scout · 18 November 2009, 08:18 AM

Incidently, there is a super photo. of C3094 in 'Fighter Squadrons Of The R.A.F.' on page 192 but it belonged to 76 Squadron---which was a Home Defence Squadron ---with B.E.12b's--but was based in Ripon, Yorkshire for defence of the Yorkshire area---and saw no action until 1919 when it was disbanded.

Dave.

coyotemagic · 18 November 2009, 08:24 AM

Thank you, Dave. That helps a lot.
Cheers,
Bud

crankcase · 18 November 2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bristol scout

HI Bud,
Major E.Cadbury (of the chocolate family) piloting a D.H.4 and Capt. R.Leckie--his chilly gunner got the Zepp. L70 with Strasser himself on board, off the Norfolk coast.
...
Dave.

Dave,
Speaking of Cadbury, perhaps you saw this quotation from a descendant recently, commenting on Kraft's hostile bid for Cadbury:
"Felicity Loudon, the granddaughter of former Cadbury Brothers managing director Egbert Cadbury, has also been an outspoken critic of any deal, saying she was "particularly saddened by the possibility of one of the last remaining British icons disappearing into an American plastic cheese company."

marc

bristol scout · 18 November 2009, 11:08 AM

Plastic cheese---I like that marc. I must confess to quite liking the stuff, but then I'll eat just about any sh-t my good lady put's in front of me (not to mention all of it I take from her, kids and grand-kids)

Cheers,
Dave.