Aerial warfare

[expat]

70 years to the day that the town of Guernica, Spain was bombed. The first time aerial warfare was used to bomb civilians.  

Matt

[ATI_7500]

I wonder why...did the spanish republicans insult the F

[dcunning30]

I always thought the Spanish Civil War was a convienent opportunity for Hitler to test out his Luftwaffe as the Condor Legion.

[ATI_7500]

Actually, it was.


Maybe they wanted to see how civilians reacted to air bombing?

[ozzy72]

And they found that civilians explode exactly the same way soldiers do when a bomb is dropped on 'em

[expat]

And they found that civilians explode exactly the same way soldiers do when a bomb is dropped on 'em

They are also easier to find, unlike soldiers who are dress in green, brightly coloured civilians tend to stand out more

Matt  

[ozzy72]

unlike soldiers who are dress in green

Makes me think of those immortal lines of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam "This camouflage thing doesn't work for me, you go in the jungle and I can't see you!"

[beaky]

70 years to the day that the town of Guernica, Spain was bombed. The first time aerial warfare was used to bomb civilians.  

Matt

Not quite the first time...the Germans had bombed London with zeppelins and later Gothas during WWI.

[ATI_7500]

Not quite the first time...the Germans had bombed London with zeppelins and later Gothas during WWI.

As did the Entente with cities like Karlsruhe

[beaky]

Not quite the first time...the Germans had bombed London with zeppelins and later Gothas during WWI.

As did the Entente with cities like Karlsruhe

Not forgetting that... but I believe it just happens that the Kaiser's air forces were the first to employ what became known as strategic bombing, where industry or population centers are targeted in order to pre-empt direct confronttion with military forces.

It should be noted that in a zeppelin, at night, with bombing technology that was laughably crude by today's standards, they could hardly be expected to even know they were hitting the right town, let alone make sure no civilians were hurt. In fact, the first time the zeppelins hit London, it was a mistake.
 
Even the more precise nighttime and even daylight bombing raids by the Allies during WWII killed and maimed thousands of civilians, whether that was intended or not (and sometimes it was). Dropping bombs on cities is an imprecise business.

Back to the original thought: here's a tidbit from Wikipedia, for what it's worth:


"The first ever aerial bombardment of civilians was on January 19, 1915, in which two German Zeppelins dropped 24 fifty-kilogram high-explosive bombs and ineffective three-kilogram incendiaries on the Eastern England towns of Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn, and the surrounding villages. In all, four people were killed, sixteen injured, and monetary damage was estimated at