KAISER BILL'S AIR FORCE : ANGRIF ENGLAND!

With Gotha IV 604 loaded with bombs, ground technicians prepare for crew embarkation

But in March of that year, as the slaughter continued on the Western Front, it seemed that at least the skies over England were now safe. For eight consecutive months no Zeppelin had dared to cross the North Sea from Germany. Little did those who kept the home fires burning know of the Kaiser's new secret aerial weapon.

With a wingspan of 78 feet, the Gotha IV heavy bomber dwarfed every other aeroplane, could reach speeds of 88 mph and had a ceiling of 16 000 feet, well above the reach of any Allied fighter. The twin engined Gotha IV even featured an early oxygen system, allowing the three man crew to fire any of three machine guns and generally function at such a high altitude. More importantly for its intended angrif (objective ) of England, the Gotha could carry a bomb load of over 2 200 lbs, ten times more than any other Great War fighting aircraft and was unique in being able to reach Britain from its continental bases.

The "England Geschwader" was formed with 36 Gotha bombers in March 1917 in occupied Belgium with the aim of destroying the morale of the British civilian population. At 5.00pm on 25 May 1917, 21 Gotha bombers crossed the Essex coast in line astern at 12 000 feet and flew unhindered up the Thames estuary. However, as a thick haze of smoke over London made accurate bombing impossible, the formation banked to port and headed for their secondary objective of Folkestone, the major supply port for the British armies in France.

The sky over Kent was clear and the holiday resort - despite the privations of total war - was thronged with visitors for the start of the annual Whitsun weekend. The Gothas approached from the landward side at 14 000 feet, spent ten minutes over the target and flew back out to sea, closing into a diamond formation so that the combined fire power of 63 machine guns could be brough to bear on any pursuing fighters.

None appeared, but back in Folkestone 60 bombs had left 95 people dead and 260 injured - more havoc than any Zeppelin had ever wrought. An eye witness described how "The whole street semed to explode, with smoke and flames everywhere. Worst of all were the screams of the wounded and dying, and mothers frantically searching for their children."

The Gothas of the "England Squadron" finally attacked London on their third attempt on 13 June 1917. On a beautiful clear day 20 Gothas reached Liverpool Street, dropping three bombs directly on the railway station and more on the densely populated area nearby. 162 people were killed and almost 500 were injured before the German aircraft returned to base without loss. Of these, 18 were children from Upper North Street School in Poplar. They received the largest funeral that the East End had ever seen and are commemorated by a monument in a park near their school.

Similar attacks on London and the Channel ports continued throughout the summer of 1917 - one stray bomb killed 131 Naval ratings asleep in their barracks at Chatham - although improved defence systems forced the bombers to switch to night time raids. London in particular was protected by a ring of searchlights and anti-aircraft guns and fighter patrols by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Like the novel deployment of barrage balloons with steel cables designed to cut through the wings of enemy aircraft, these were co-ordinated from a newly created facility in Horse Guards Parade.

However, by the autumn of 1917, the Luftstreitkrafte had developed an even more powerful bomber. Nicknamed the "Giant", this four engined biplane had a wingspan of 138 feet, a crew of nine, six defensive machine guns, a gyro compass, a radio direction finder and an electrically operated two ton bomb load. Ground radio stations also monitored each aircraft's flight path so that for the first time in history an aircraft could fly blind in bad weather.

By September 1917 the England Squadron had 92 operational Gothas and five Giants and night time raids continued into 1918. At one point, nearly half a million Londoners were camped out in the Underground.

The biggest aerial assault in history then began in May 1918 with 38 Gothas and 3 Giants. However, ten Gothas had to turn back before they had even reached the English coast and under intense attack only 16 Gothas arrived over London. Seven were shot down and the raid only caused minimal damage.

In its total career, the England Squadron dropped 2 500 bombs and killed over 800 people for the loss of 43 Gothas and two Giants. Had these raids begun earlier the outcome of the Great War might have been significantly different but with Germany and its allies being starved into submission by British naval blockades their main legacy was to prepare Britain for the next major aerial attack from the Continent in 1940.

The crew of Gotha IV 604 receive their orders and are briefed on the latest intelligence.