A large German bomber, capable of bombing England. The plane is powered by two engines, and holds a crew of three with a pilot and front and rear gunners. The plane is likely a Gotha bomber, originally built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik, then built under license by Siemens-Schukert Werke and Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (LVG). Note the ground crew pushing on the lower wing and the men holding the tail up as the plane is moved backwards. Sanke postcard number 1040.

Deutsches Riesen-Flugzeug

(Englandflieger)



1040

Postkartenvertrieb W. Sanke

Berlin No. 37

Nachdruck wird gerichtlich verfolgt



German giant aircraft

(England flyer)



1040

Postcard distributor W. Sanke

Berlin No. 37

Reproduction will be prosecuted

Other views: Larger, Larger

Sunday, December 2, 1917

"The anger of the people in the threatened areas was turned on Coventry during this tense period, when thousands of workers in the local aircraft engine industry went on strike.

Coventry was denounced as 'the center of the contempt of the British Empire.' The Lord Mayor pleaded in vain with the workers to serve as 'loyal soldiers in the munitions shops.' A Royal Naval Air Service chaplain was flown from the front in France to preach patriotism in the strikebound city. Aircraft even dropped leaflets on Coventry on 2 December, calling 'for an increase in aircraft production'."

Quotation Context

From Monday, September 24 to October 1, 1917, ninety-two German Gotha bombers took part in the Autumn Moon Offensive against England. Fifty-five of the two-engine planes reached England with twenty or fewer making it to London. A handful of Staaken Giant bombers also took part in the raids, with one reaching the capital. On six of the eight nights the bombers struck. A total of 69 people were killed and 260 wounded, some by shell casings from the British defensive barrage. Before the raids had ended, over 300,000 people had taken shelter in the London Underground. A raid on the night of October 31-November 1 struck southeast of London.

Source

The Sky on Fire by Raymond H. Fredette by Raymond H. Fredette, page 167, copyright © 1966, 1976, 1991 by Raymond H. Fredette, publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press, publication date: 1991

Tags

1917-12-02, 1917, December, Coventry