Bombs on civil targets

[Hans]

Gentlefolks,
when did the bombardement of civil targets began? And where? Of course I am familiar with the Zeppelin raids and the First Battle of Britain.

Wasn't there a (small) raid on Mannheim in 1914?
Or in the Balkan Wars of 1912? Tunisia?

I can't remember exactly. I definitetely don't want to start a 'you were the first' debate. Just the facts please.

[jempie]

Hello!
No idea if there were civil goals bombed pre WWI, but when it goes about WWI in France at Luneville there are claims there was before the official declaration of war by the Germans was handed over to the French by Mr. Schoen at Paris, a bombing raid...Some 5 bombs were dropped at Luneville city, one at the manoeuvre field from it,
at 5 h 45' claims the French...that was +/- 1 h before the declaration was handed over at 6 h 45'
at Paris on 3rd August 1914!
Thinks there are simular claims from the German side?
Both parties claims into Yellow, Blue, White and other "color books", from those days the other started the war as first!

VBR
Jempie.

P.S. tried already but attachment fails, wondering why?

This is a very interesting question, since aviation in those times was very much concerned with "firsts" and incredible feats.

I believe I had read somewhere that the Italian colonial forces had used aircraft to bomb Libyan tribes during its colonial struggle pre-1914, but have not found confirmation- perhaps it was by dirigible or balloon. I used as my source, "Aviation Year by Year" (2001, Bill Gungston,Editor-in-chief, Dorling Kindersley Ltd.). The book does have a couple of interesting leads to the first civilian bombings in 1914.

1) p.112 "Luneville, France, August 3. On the day that Germany declares war on France, a German airplane flies over and drops six bombs, causing slight damage."
2) p.119 "Two injured as German Pilot bombs Paris. Paris, August 30. The peace of a Parisian Sunday was shattered today when a German pilot buzzed the city center and dropped three bombs near the Gare de l'Est railroad terminal, injuring two people and causing minor damage. As stunned citizens watched the Rumpler Taube airplane disappear..." It appears that leaflets were also dropped with warnings to surrender the city.
3) p.120. "Civilians killed in British raid on Cologne. Antwerp, Belgium, October 8... ...Flight Lt. Marix and Squadron Commander Spenser Grey, flying Sopwith Tabloids, hit Cologne railroad station and an airship base in Düsseldorf..." Apparently there was confusion and impatience waiting for fog to lift at the target, and while Marix managed to hit a hangar and explode an airship, Grey only managed to bomb civilians in Cologne.
4) p. 121. "Germans drop first bomb on England. Dover, England, December 24. At 10:45am today the first German bomb to fall on British soil landed perilously close to Dover Castle, an important barracks, and exploded in the back garden of Thomas Terson..." This was apparently the second raid attempt on England, this time by a Friedrichshafen FF29 seaplane.

I had several thoughts on this, first of all that the first bombings on civilians were apparently accidental (although the Paris incident-hmmmm). Second, there had been attacks on military or transportation targets before, but no real thought to destroy or intimidate civilian centers (although the writer H.G.Wells had predicted its horrors). And finally, most importantly, I now realize the most important point. By dropping a bomb on a British Garden, that most honored, noble and characteristic trait of the British people, the Germans managed to infuriate the British nation to such a degree that total war became inevitable!

Best regards,
marcus

Many historians claim it started with
Shermans March to the Sea.
In the American Civil War

Well, far be it from me to deny Sherman all his reputation- however, if we're going to deviate from the aviation thread, we can surely go to Frederick the Great's bombardment of various European cities, aw heck, let's just go back to the first guys who flung disease-ridden corpses over the castle walls with catapults.

Best regards,
marcus