The War Illustrated, Volume 1, No. 1, Page 31, September 16, 1939.

Hardly had a state of war between Britain and Germany come into operation when on Sept 4th the R.A.F. began its offensive. Sweeping across the North Sea, bombers raided the German fleet and did damage to an extent surpassing far that which would have satisfied their most ardent hopes.

Displaying that audacity and dash which characterized their predecessors of the last war, the R.A.F. commenced hostilities against Germany with a lightening raid on the German fleet in its harbours at Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven and Brunsbuttel at the entrance of the Kiel Canal.

Their work was well done, for the official communique issued after their exploit records that several direct hits with heavy bombs were registered on a German battleship in Schilling Roads, off Wilhemshaven, which resulted in severe damage, while at Brunsbuttel the attack was carried out on a battleship lying alongside the mole, again causing heavy damage. It should be added that the operation was carried out in very unfavourable weather conditions, and that the attacking aircraft had to meet both air attack and heavily concentrated anti-aircraft fire. Small wonder that in the circumstances some of the raiders failed to return.

The daring exploit reminds us of one of the first of the innumerable gallant episodes in history of Britain’s air-force. It was on Christmas Day of 1914 that nine British seaplanes, with some submarines in support, made a raid on the German base at Cuxhaven. So small and low-powered were the seaplanes of those days that they could not be relied upon to fly across the North Sea, let alone take with them a supply of bombs, however light. Hence the planes were carried most of the way across the water in three cross-Channel steamers, Engadine, Riveria and Empress, each of which had been fitted up to carry seaplanes.

By 6 a.m. on Christmas morning, the little flotilla had reached a position twelve miles north of Heligoland, and an hour later 7 of the seaplanes flew off to their destinations. The other 2, however, failed to take off, and their flights were consequently abandoned.

The remaining five sped across the sea to the German coast. Heavy frost and fog on land made bombing difficult, and what was worse, by the time the missiles had been dropped upon the objectives, fuel was rung short. The attacking ‘planes turned about to return to their parent ships. Only three of the pilots returned at once, though the others were picked up later-three by a British trawler.

The air attack was not directed against the German High Seas Fleet, for such small bombers, however intrepidly flown, could not hope to do damage to ant worthwhile extent to the enormous fleet that Germany had built in readiness for "Der Tag." The actual objective was to destroy Zeppelins-then the only enemy aircraft that could reach England and return-some of which were housed in sheds at Cuxhaven. A reconnaissance of German harbours was another object, and in this the raid was more successful than in destroying the Zeppelins.

Today it is a very different story, for serious damage to two out of a fleet that can boast only two battleships of 26,000 tons and three "pocket battleships" of 10,000 tons each, may justifiably be described as a major naval disaster.