Cuxhaven Raid The Cuxhaven Raid ( ; i . e . Christmas Raid ) was a British ship - based air - raid on the German naval forces at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day , 1914 . Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried to within striking distance by seaplane tender s of the Royal Navy , supported by both surface ships and submarines . The aircraft flew over the Cuxhaven area and dropped their bombs , causing damage to shore installations . It was described at the time as an " air reconnaissance of the Heligoland Bight , including Cuxhaven , Heligoland and Wilhelmshaven . . . by naval seaplanes " during which " the opportunity was taken of attacking with bombs points of military importance " in northern Imperial Germany . Planning . The Zeppelin sheds at the Nordholz Airbase near Cuxhaven were out of range of UK - based aircraft , so a plan was developed for three seaplane tenders ( , ( Captain ; Squadron - commander C . D ' E . Malone , who was also air commander for the raid ) ( Captain ; Lieutenant E . D . M . Robertson ) and ) Captain ; Lieutenant Frederick Bowhill ) , supported by the Harwich Force , a group of cruiser s , destroyer s and submarine s commanded by Commodore Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt , to launch three seaplanes each from their station near Helgoland in the German Bight . The objective was to reconnoitre military installations in the area and , if possible , bomb the Zeppelin sheds at Cuxhaven . Lieutenant Erskine Childers RNVR , the yachtsman and author of " Riddle of the Sands " , who had sailed the area before the war , provided the navigational briefing and accompanied Flight Commander Cecil Francis Kilner as navigator and observer . Raid . On Christmas Day , 1914 , the first combined sea and air strike was executed by the Royal Navy , aimed at locating and if possible bombing the dirigible sheds housing German Zeppelins , in a pre - emptive strike to prevent the airships from attacking the United Kingdom . The air temperature was just above 0 °C and of the nine seaplanes lowered to the water , only seven ( three Mono - Gnome Short Improved Type 74 " Folder s " , two Short Type 81 Folders and two further " Folders " , the Short Type 135 and the Short Type 135 , all carrying three bombs ) were able to start their engines and take off . Those unable to take part , a Short Type 81 ( serial no . " 122 " ) and a Short " Improved Type 74 " ( serial no . " 812 " ) , were winched back on board . Fog , low cloud and anti - aircraft fire prevented the raid from being a complete success , although several sites were attacked . Nevertheless , the raid demonstrated the feasibility of attack by ship - borne aircraft and showed the strategic importance of this new weapon . According to a telegram dated 7 January 1915 , held in the " Churchill Archives Centre " , at Churchill College , Cambridge , the " Admiralty Chief Censor intercepted message from Hartvig , Kjobenhaven to the Daily Mail , reporting that the British aerial raid on Cuxhaven [ Germany ] had forced the German Admiralty to remove the greater part of the High Seas Fleet from Cuxhaven to various places on the Kiel Canal . " It is worth noting that the crews of all seven aircraft survived the raid , having been airborne for over three hours . Three aircraft , a 100 hp Short ' Improved Type 74 ' ( RNAS serial no . " 811 " , flown by Flt . Lt . C . H . K . Edmonds ) , a 160 hp Short Admiralty Type 81 ( RNAS serial no . " 119 " , Flt . Cdr . R . P . Ross ) , and a Short Admiralty Type 135 ( RNAS serial no . " 136 " , Flt . Cdr . C . F . Kilner with Lt . Erskine Childers as his observer ) , regained their tenders and were recovered ; three others ( one " Admiralty Type 81 " , RNAS serial no . " 120 " , Flt . Lt . A . J . Miley , and two 100 hp Short ' Improved Type 74 ' folders , RNAS serial nos . " 814 " ( Flt . Sub - Lt . V . Gaskell - Blackburn ) and " 815 " ( Flt . Cdr . D . A . Oliver ) ) landed off the East Friesian island of Norderney and their crews were taken on board the submarine , under the command of Lieutenant - Commander Martin Nasmith ( the aircraft being scuttled to prevent them from falling into enemy hands ) ; the seventh aircraft , a Short Admiralty Type 135 ( RNAS serial no . " 135 " ) piloted by Flt . Lt . Francis E . T . Hewlett , suffered engine problems and was seen to ditch into the sea some off Helgoland . Hewlett was posted as missing , but he was found by the Dutch trawler " Marta van Hattem " , which took him on board and returned him to the port of Ymuiden in Holland , where he disembarked on 2 January 1915 whence he made his way back to England . German reaction . After the raid there was no response by the German High Seas Fleet . In fact no ship moved towards the sea , so that interception by surface ships was impossible ' In Contrast , the German Air Arm was very active . Seaplanes and airships set out to discover the position of the attacking force . One reconnaissance seaplane , a Friedrichshsfen FF19 ( Nr 85 ) stayed aloft for five hours 52 minutes , a remarkable achievement for the period . Another seaplane from Heligoland spotted the British , but due to not having radio had to return to the island to report . Sighting was also made by the airship L6 , but due to a generator failure reporting was not initially made . The attacking force had been sailing in formation at a speed of 20 knots , but due to boiler difficulties , this speed could not be made by HMS Empress , which lagged astern of the formation . Consequently the first combat was against this vessel . Two Friedrichshafen seaplanes attacked with bombs , and although one small bomb exploded only 20 feet off of the bow , no damage was done to the ship or crew . The Zeppelin L6 followed by attacking with both bombs and machine gun fire . The crew of the Empress attempted to drive the Zeppelin away , initially with rifle fire as their 12 pounder in the stern was blanked by the superstructure . No damage was done to either ship , seaplanes or airship . Further attacks on the retiring force were attempted by submarines U - 20 , U - 22 & U - 30 but the maneuvers by the British prevented any success . The British force returned to home waters without loss or damage . Decorations ensuing from the action . For their part in the Cuxhaven Raid , Cecil Kilner and Flight Lieutenant Charles Humphrey Kingsman Edmonds , R . N . were awarded the DSO ; Chief Petty Officer Mechanic James William Bell and Chief Petty Officer Mechanic Gilbert Howard William Budds were awarded the DSM .