Description:

WRECKAGE OF DOWNED ZEPPELIN L31
Pair of relics from the famous zeppelin L 31, shot down as it attempted to bomb London on Oct. 1, 1916. The two relics, 3 in. and 5 in. long, are mounted to a period mat with the smaller section simply engraved: 'POTTERS BAR OCT. 1ST 1916', the location and date the zeppelin was shot down. Beneath, the display is captioned: 'Pieces of the wreckage of Zeppelin L-31 commanded by Lt. Commander Heinrich Mathey, shot down over Potters Bar om 1st October 1916 by Lt. Tempest R.F.C.' Set in a period frame with no glass. The L-31, a 'Super Zeppelin', was commanded by 32 year old Captainleutnant Heinrich Mathy. Mathy was considered Germany's most experienced and daring zeppelin commander, and by October of 1916 he had been on more raids and dropped more tons of bombs than any other air ship commander. The London raid of 1 October, 1916, would be the last raid for the L-31 and her crew. A pilot of the Home Defense Squadron No. 39, Lieutenant Wulstan Joseph Tempest, knew the 11-ship Zeppelin formation was headed for London. The L-31 was captured by British spotlights, allowing Tempest to intercept it. He attacked the L-31 head on, firing a burst of incendiary, trace and ball ammunition into the bow of the air ship, then dove and fired another burst from underneath. As he turned to make another pass from the tail end of the zeppelin, Lieutenant Tempest could see a red glow erupt from within the zeppelin just before the L-31 burst into flames. The zeppelin managed to make it to Potters Bar in the south of England, just 20 miles from London, before it crashed. Germany's top airship commander, Heinrich Mathey, jumped from an unknown altitude rather than burn with his ship. He died at the crash site. Rare relics from an infamous zeppelin crash site.

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June 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000