Studio RT Ltd

Description

We are pleased to offer for sale this detailed watercolour by the English War Artist Norman Gregory Arnold, who has signed the painting in the lower right hand corner and inscribed it verso. The painting depicts the German Zeppelin L70, (Captain P. Strasser) which was shot down over the English Channel on 6th August 1918 by a British DH4 aircraft. This was the last raid of the war. Actually, we have discovered that the Zeppelin L70 was shot down over the southern North Sea, off the coast of Norfolk, near Cromer.

The old label on the back of the watercolour card states the following:

German Naval Airshop Zeppelin L70 (LZ112
Captain P. Strasser
Showing camouflage Hull & Cars
Brushed Black & Grey Matt New Crosses Layout 3
Shot down by British DH4 Aeroplane
6th Aug. 1918 English Channel
Last raid fof the War

Norman G. Arnold (19 September 1892 – 7 December 1963) was a British art director who designed the sets for over a hundred and twenty films.

Arnold studied architecture, interior decoration & design. During the First World War, Arnold served in the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of Lieutenant and worked in the Armaments School. In 1918, Arnold was appointed to be an official war artist, as the person in charge said that all war artists in his sub-section had to be serving members of the RAF, and they should concentrate on technical detail rather than artistic impression. He was tasked with portraying types of aircraft, methods of aerial fighting and specific famous air battles on the Western Front. He produced a number of water-colour paintings which are now housed in the Imperial War Museum in London, including the 24 x 36 inch painting The Last Flight of Albert Ball VC., a postcard of which will be offered with the watercolour. There are ten watercolours in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, only 5 of which may be viewed online.

The Imperial German Navy Zeppelin LZ 112, given the tactical number L 70, was an x-class / L70-class World War I Zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy.
History

LZ 112 was the first of three Zeppelins of the x-class built for the Imperial German Navy. The third and last of the x-class, Dixmude made its first flight on 9 July 1920 and was surrendered to the French authorities four days later.
Final bombing raid

On 28 November 1916 a new commander of the Zeppelin force was appointed by imperial decree Peter Strasser "Leader of Airships" (Führer der Luftschiffe F.d.L.). He was instrumental in the development of long-range bombing and the development of the rigid airship as an efficient, high altitude, all-weather aircraft. He was a major proponent of the doctrine of bombing attacks on civilian as well as military targets, to serve both as propaganda and as a means of diverting resources from the front line.

We who strike the enemy where his heart beats have been slandered as 'baby killers' ... Nowadays, there is no such animal as a noncombatant. Modern warfare is total warfare.
— Peter Strasser

As such late in the war Strasser planned a five Zeppelin raid on the United Kingdom. The raid would be dynamic with the exact target changing depending on the weather. His orders were to attack south or middle England hoping to even reach London. On the afternoon of 5 August 1918, LZ 112 took off from Friedrichshafen with four other airships. They headed for the east coast of England, timing their flight to arrive off the coast just after dark. The commander of LZ 112 was Fregattenkapitän Peter Strasser, the Führer der Luftschiffe ("Leader of Airships", the commander of all Naval airships). However, the airship squadron was spotted out at sea by the Leman Tail lightship, which signalled their course and position to the Admiralty.

British RAF Major Egbert Cadbury was attending a charity concert at which his wife was performing when an RAF orderly found him. Cadbury drove back to the airfield, where he was informed that three Zeppelins had been reported about 50 miles (80 km) to the north-east, and knowing there was only one aircraft available, an Airco DH.4, he grabbed his flying kit and ran for it, beating a rival pilot to the cockpit by a split-second. With Captain Robert Leckie in the rear gunner's seat, Cadbury climbed up to over 16,000 feet (4,900 m) by jettisoning his reserve fuel and some small bombs, where he saw three Zeppelins ahead and above him. He later recounted:

At 22.20 we had climbed to 16,400 feet and I attacked the Zeppelin ahead slightly to the port so as to clear any obstruction that might be suspended from the airship. It was a most fascinating sight – awe inspiring – to see this enormous Zeppelin blotting the whole sky above one. The tracers ignited the escaping gas, the flames spreading rapidly and turning the airship into a fireball in less than a minute. The LZ 112 dived headlong into the clouds. It was one of the most terrifying sights I have ever seen to see this huge machine hurtling down with all those crew on board.

Cadbury and Leckie, and another pilot Lieutenant Ralph Edmund Keys, then attacked and damaged another Zeppelin, which promptly turned tail and headed for home. All three received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

These airmen, Cadbury & Leckie, had already shot down two Zeppelins: prior to LZ 112, Cadbury had downed L 21 and Leckie, L 22.

As a postscript to this incident, on 7 August 1918, the skeletal remains of L 70 was discovered on the seabed in 48 feet of water off the coast of Cromer, Norfolk. During the next three weeks the remains were brought ashore,and in the wreckage were discovered some of the crew of 21. including the commander Fregattenkaptain Peter Strasser. Over the following three weeks, all 21 crew were recovered, some in the wreckage, some that were washed ashore all were given a burial at sea with full military honours.

The painting has been newly framed in a 2 1/8 inch black wooden frame with silver line detail. It will be supplied with new brass hangers, new brass picture wire and will be ready to hang.

Image size: 20 1/8 x 14 1/2 inches - 51.1cm x 36.85cm

Frame size: 24 3/8 x 18 3/4 inches - 62cm x 47.65cm

Medium: Watercolours on card

Condition: Excellent. The frame is new. Please note that due to the age of the old label on the watercolour card, we have covered it with a new backing board, but have supplied a copy of the label attached to this.