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Zeppelin airship shot down, Southfields, WW1
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Zeppelin airship shot down, Southfields, WW1
Zeppelin (Schutte-Lanz) airship shot down by Captain William Leefe Robinson VC, as seen through a telescope from Southfields, 3 September 1916, First World War. Painting by Walter Hunt.
1916
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Media ID 23056014
© Liss Fine Art / Mary Evans Picture Library
Airship Crash Crashed Flames Hunt Lanz Leefe Robinson Shot Telescope Walter Zeppelin Schutte Southfields
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In the inky blackness of a September night in 1916, the fiery spectacle of a Zeppelin airship crashing to the ground in Southfields, London, was a haunting and unforgettable sight. This evocative painting by Walter Hunt captures the moment as seen through the lens of a telescope, as the brave actions of Captain William Leefe Robinson VC unfolded. The First World War raged on, and the threat of Zeppelin raids loomed large over the British capital. On the fateful night of September 3, 1916, the German Schutte-Lanz airship LZ 72 was making its way across the English Channel, laden with explosives and intent on wreaking havoc. But the skies above Southfields were not to be the final resting place for this deadly adversary. Captain Leefe Robinson, a young and determined pilot with the Royal Flying Corps, was on patrol that night. He spotted the Zeppelin in the distance and gave chase, determined to bring it down. With the aid of his observer, 2nd Lieutenant W.F. Shuttleworth, he closed in on the enemy, firing a barrage of incendiary bullets. The Zeppelin, engulfed in flames, began to plummet towards the ground. As the night sky was illuminated by the fiery inferno, the people of Southfields watched in awe and terror as the airship came crashing down. The painting captures the raw power and intensity of the scene, with the black, red, and orange hues of the flames contrasting against the dark night. The oil slick that spread across the ground below, a testament to the destruction wrought by the falling airship. This painting, a poignant reminder of the courage and determination of Captain Leefe Robinson and the sacrifices made during the First World War, continues to captivate and inspire viewers to this day.
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