Warneford attacks Zeppelin at Ghent

On 7 June 1915 at Ghent, Belgium, Reginald Alexander John Warneford, VC (1891- 1915), a Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) officer, flying a Morane-Saulnier Type L, attacked and completely destroyed the German airship LZ37 in mid air. He had chased the airship from the coast near Ostend and, despite its defensive machine-gun fire, succeeded in dropping his bombs on it, the last of which set the airship on fire. The explosion overturned the attacking plane and stopped its engine. Having no alternative, Warneford had to land in hostile country, but after 35 minutes spent on repairs, he managed to restart the engine and returned to base. For his bravery, Warneford received the Victoria Cross. Painting by Raymond Sheppard

Attacked Attacks Blimp Bombs Chased Completely Dropping Exploding Extreme Ghent Heroic Heroism Morane Ostend Rnas Saulnier Sheppard Warneford

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