Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Mathy achieved rare accolades during the Great War. He was one of the very few Germans whose name was a household word in Britain. During the “zeppelin scourge” of 1915 and 1916, Mathy was known (and feared) as the most daring and audacious of all the airship raiders.
Born in Mannheim on April 4, 1883, Heinrich Mathy decided (while still a boy) that he wanted a career in the Imperial German Navy. He was an exceptional cadet who achieved command of his own ship much earlier than most!
Having been selected for a possible role with the naval staff, Mathy spent two years at the marine academy. It was during his two summers there (in 1913 and 1914) that he was able to fly in the dirigible airships first created by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
This airship first made its presence known during the Great War with the bombing of Antwerp, Belgium on August 25, 1914. Germany had thirteen zeppelins when the conflict began. Of them, only one (the L3) belonged to the Imperial German Navy.
When 1915 dawned, Mathy was transferred to airships at the insistence of Fuhrer der Luftschiffer (leader of airships) Peter Strasser. The former was to take part in his first raid on England only days later on January 13th. However, Mathy was forced to turn back because of bad weather. One week later, the British witnessed the first zeppelin raid on their country. On the last day of May 1915, the airship first appeared in the skies over London.
Months later, Mathy flew on several raids over northern England and London. On September 8, 1915, his L13 airship caused great fire damage to the heart of London. Further damage was done when Mathy returned over the capital on the night of October 13th and 14th…
By the summer of 1916, Mathy was in command of a new ship, the LZ 72 (designated L31 by the navy). These new super-zeppelins were superior to their predecessors, as the ceilings were improved. The L31 participated in a reconnaissance role during the Sunderland raid of August 19, 1916.
Mathy was ready for more attacks on London. During the night of August 24th and 25th, the capital was bombed yet again, causing considerable damage. However, the L31 was damaged upon landing back in Germany.
Sixteen zeppelins were assembled for yet another raid on London when September 1916 opened. But while the L31 was grounded for repairs, news came in that a British airplane had managed to shoot down one of the airships (the Schütte-Lanz SL 11) using incendiary bullets. And so on September 3, 1916, a German airship was downed by the enemy for the very first time during the war!
Soon, more zeppelins were crashing to Earth in flames by the faster, more agile airplanes. It became apparent to Mathy that the days of the airship as a terror weapon were numbered. He wrote:
“It is only a question of time before we join the rest. Everyone admits that they feel it. Our nerves are ruined by mistreatment. If anyone should say that he was not haunted by visions of burning airships, then he would be a braggart.”
It was a premonition…
Mathy and his crew “joined the rest” when L31 attacked London for the last time on the night of October 1-2, 1916. Several miles north of the capital, the L31 was caught in searchlights and anti-aircraft fire. During this engagement, a second lieutenant named Wulstan J. Tempest was on patrol and spotted the zeppelin. He proceeded to engage the airship with incendiary rounds, causing the ship to burst into flames and crash in a field near Potter’s Bar (north of London).
The body of Heinrich Mathy was found some distance from the wreckage, partially embedded in the corner of a field. It was obvious that his last act had been to leap clear of the falling inferno rather than wait for the crash. According to some accounts, Mathy lived for a few minutes after striking the earth.
Originally buried at Potter’s Bar, the bodies of Mathy and his crew were moved in the early 1960s to Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. A new cemetery had been constructed there for the burial of all the Germans who died on British soil during both World Wars. Mathy was buried there along with his crew near the entrance. Included in the cemetery were the commanders and crews of the other three airships shot down over England.
Heinrich Mathy was just thirty-three years old when he perished in the early morning hours of October 2, 1916.