Reinhard Scheer
Commanded by "Kapitänleutnant" Odo Löwe, "L 19" left her Danish base at Tondern at noon on 31 January 1916, one of nine navy Zeppelins to raid England that night. This was part of a new, more aggressive strategy that had been brought to the German Navy with the recent appointment of Reinhard Scheer as its commander-in-chief. The head of German naval airships, "Fregattenkapitän" Peter Strasser, was on board "L 11", leading the attack personally. He had orders to bomb targets of opportunity in central and southern England, reaching Liverpool if possible.