Strategic bombing during World War I

Strategic bombing during World War I (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918) was mainly carried out by the United Kingdom and France for the Entente Powers and by Germany for the Central Powers. Most countries fighting in the war used some form of strategic bombing. The aerial bombing of cities, meant to lower the enemy's spirit, began when Germany started bombing cities early in the war. A plan for a group of air forces to attack Germany together was discussed but never came to be.

Early attempts at strategic bombing led to the creation of special bomber airplanes during World War I. At first, bombs were dropped by hand and aimed without special tools, but by the end of the war, bombsights were developed. World War I also saw the start of air raid warnings and shelters, as well as the design of anti-aircraft artillery and ways to organize air defenses. Many people who supported strategic bombing between the wars, such as Italy's Giulio Douhet, America's Billy Mitchell, and Britain's Hugh Trenchard, led airplane groups during World War I. Improvements in airplane technology during and after the war made many believe that "the bomber will always get through", and this idea shaped plans for strategic bombing during World War II.

Germany

Main article: German strategic bombing during World War I

The first strategic bombing in history happened when a German airship dropped bombs on the city of Liège in Belgium on August 6, 1914. Soon after, German pilots began dropping bombs on Paris, France, during battles. Later, Germany used large airships to bomb cities in England. At first, the German leader asked not to bomb London to protect his family members there, but this rule was dropped after England bombed German cities.

These bombing raids caused damage to buildings and hurt many people, though they did not greatly affect the war. Over time, Germany switched from using airships to bigger airplanes for bombing. Despite many attacks, the damage caused was not very large, and many people in London had to hide in shelters to stay safe.

Britain

The Royal Naval Air Service carried out the first strategic bombing missions for the Entente Powers on 22 September 1914 and 8 October 1914, targeting Zeppelin bases in Cologne and Düsseldorf. The airplanes used twenty-pound bombs, and at least one airship was destroyed. Later, on 21 November 1914, they flew over Lake Constance to attack Zeppelin factories in Friedrichshafen and Ludwigshafen. On 25 December, the Cuxhaven Raid became the first attack using sea-based airplanes launched from ships against a strategic target. The RNAS also attacked Constantinople in 1915 and 1917.

After the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918, the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George promised to respond to German air raids. On 19 July, the first aircraft carrier-based air raid in history, the Tondern raid, targeted a German Zeppelin base. The British created the Independent Force on 6 June 1918 to carry out long-range bombing on industrial targets deep in German territory. Although the war ended before Britain’s large Handley Page V/1500 bomber could be used, the British dropped 660 tons of bombs on Germany, more than twice what Germany dropped on England. The planned first raid on Berlin was cancelled when the war ended with the armistice.

France

France created a special bombing group called Groupe de Bombardement No. 1 (GB1) in September 1914. The French were careful not to bomb their own land, even when it was held by German forces. They were also worried about German attacks in return, since their cities were close enough for German planes to reach. Even so, GB1 flew missions far behind enemy lines, targeting German supplies and troops to help the French Army. They used light bombers, often changing reconnaissance craft to carry bombs. One important plane they used was the Breguet 14, made from 1917 until 1926.

On December 4, 1914, French pilots bombed the city of Freiburg im Breisgau for the first time, marking the start of such attacks by the Entente powers.

Italy

On 1 November 1911, during the Italo-Turkish War, the Kingdom of Italy carried out the first aerial military mission in history when Giulio Gavotti dropped bombs by hand on Turkish positions in the Libyan desert. During World War I, Italy, like France, chose not to bomb civilian areas because many targets had many Italian residents or were in places Italy planned to claim after the war. Italy had heavy bombers before entering the war, with Giovanni Caproni building the multi-engine Caproni Ca.1 in 1914, which could carry four small bombs.

In August 1915, the Ca.1s were placed in the 21° Squadriglia of the Corpo Aeronautico Militare. Between October and November 1915, these planes attacked Austro-Hungarian railroads and supply depots. Later, Ansaldo SVA aircraft performed photography and attacks. On 28 February 1918, four SVA planes flew from Ponte San Pietro to strike Innsbruck, targeting railroad yards. Innsbruck and Bolzano were attacked again on 29 October 1918.

Gabriele D'Annunzio flew over Vienna in August 1918, dropping leaflets that warned he would return with bombs, but no further raids happened before the war ended.

Russia

The Russian Empire had a special airplane called the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets during the first year of the war. This airplane could carry a lot of bombs and stay in the air for many hours. In August 1914, Russia made a group of these airplanes for bombing missions and placed them near Warsaw. Their main targets were places where supplies were kept, where soldiers gathered, and transportation networks like train stations on the Eastern Front. By March 1918, when Russia stopped fighting, about seventy of these airplanes had flown over 350 missions.

In August 1915, Russian airplanes bombed a city called Constantinople.

Austria-Hungary

During World War I, pilots from Austria-Hungary flew bombing missions over Venice, especially after the fighting moved closer to the city. One serious attack happened on February 27, 1918, affecting parts of central Venice. People in Venice took steps to protect themselves, such as turning off lights and covering shiny objects to make the city less visible at night. These bombings were hard on the city's traditions and way of life.