A Brief History
On November 1, 1911, the first known dropping of a bomb from an airplane in combat took place, ushering in one more way for human beings to kill each other. This first incident was merely an Italian pilot dropping 2 hand grenades from his rudimentary airplane on a Turkish position in Libya, but soon airplanes made specifically for bombing and dropping bombs specifically made for use by airplanes would darken the skies above battlefields and cities alike.
Digging Deeper
The first bomber airplane was adapted for bombing not by one of the world’s great powers, but by the Bulgarian Army in 1912, the Albatros F-2 in 1912, again, using the plane to bomb the Turks, this time in the First Balkan War, and again using grenades adapted for dropping from the air. The first airplane actually designed from the start as a bomber was the British Bristol T.B.8 and the Italian Caproni Ca 30, both in 1913. The T.B.8 carried 12 X 10 lb bombs and had a rudimentary bombsight. These planes first dropped bombs in combat after the start of World War I in 1914. At first, most planes dropping bombs did so by a crew member just dropping them over the side of his open cockpit, but racks made to hold bombs along the lower wing surface became standard.
The Great Powers involved in the Great War quickly began to develop bombing technology, with bigger planes and bigger bombs. Airships such as Zeppelins were also adapted for dropping bombs, and the people of England were shocked when nighttime raids by German airships started dropping bombs on them. Countermeasures to bombing by airship quickly made that technique a losing proposition, as fighter aircraft could easily catch the slow airships and shoot them down.
Effective bombers such as the Russian Sikorsky Muromets, the British Handley Page Type O, the German Gotha, and the French Breuget 14 were developed and saw extensive combat, including long range strategic bombing as well as battlefield interdiction.
After World War I military visionaries saw the need for large bomber fleets that could influence battles and disrupt national production and transportation. American Billy Mitchell proved airplanes could sink the largest ships by sinking interned German vessels.
Of course, not just high explosives can be dropped from airplanes, and various other weapons were developed before and during World War II, including incendiary flame weapons including Napalm, torpedoes, flares, smoke, poison gas, biological weapons, etc. The first guided bombs were used in World War II, both radio and television controlled. In 1945 the US upped the ante of aerial bombing by dropping 2 atomic bombs on Japan, forever redefining the nature of warfare. Bombers protected by guns were proven inadequate, so long range fighter escorts became necessary. Nighttime darkness also became the bombers’ friend, but radar cut through that veil.
The Germans brought tactical battlefield interdiction to a high level in World War II as a key component of their Blitzkrieg tactics, coordinating dive bombers and fighter bombers with ground troops. The British and Americans brought strategic bombing to a new, massive level, with enormous campaigns against the cities of Japan and Germany, laying waste to huge tracts of land. The Avro Lancaster, Boeing B-17, Consolidated B-24, and Boeing B-29 became the long range heavy hitters of the war, the model for future bombers. The supremacy of aircraft over ships became abundantly clear during World War II as evidenced by Pearl Harbor, Taranto, Midway, The Coral Sea, and Leyte Gulf.
After World War II giant bombers powered by jet engines became the key weapon for delivering nuclear bombs in the long Cold War. Guided bombs delivered precision result. Laser guidance, television cameras, and GPS made pinpoint targeting possible. Stealth technology took the place of guns or speed for the protection of bombers, and now unmanned aerial drones have largely replaced manned airplanes to deliver these precision weapons.
Are the days of manned bombers over? Drones can do virtually anything manned bombers can do, and at a greatly reduced cost, as life support systems add much weight, bulk and expense to the design of bombers. Drones can also be built to have much greater performance, as the limitations of the human body limit the performance parameters of current planes.
Question for students (and subscribers): Should we continue to fund and develop manned bombers, or go to an unmanned drone force? Tell us what you think about the state of affairs with bomber aircraft in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Smith, Peter C. History of Dive Bombing: A Comprehensive History from 1911 Onward. Pen & Sword Aviation, 2007.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="12139 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=12139">29 Comments
That is really interesting that the whole idea of creating fighter jets evolved from some italian guy dropping hand grenades from his plane.
It’s a scary thought to think about how easy it is for a plane or jet to fly over an area and destroy it within the blink of an eye. Dropping items from planes can save a country or destroy it. It was a turning point for wars to come. It lead to victories that might have never been won.
Bombing by airplane is truly a scary thought. It is even scarier that drones can do the same amount of damage.
While this changed military warfare forever, I don’t know if it was for the better. Its kind of scary to think of all the discoveries that quickly came after it. The article mentioned napalm, torpedoes, biological poison gas, etc. Its just scary because you wonder what else mankind can come up with to destroy.
It is sad that humanity had to get to the point where bombing people by planes was necessary. This invention has greatly increased the amount of casualties seen or that will be seen in wars in the past and the future.
Bombing from airplanes has become a very effective tactic and has evolved from manned bombings to now drones. It is scary to know how easily and area can be attacked and destroyed from a bomb dropped.
Dropping bombs from airplanes is probably one of the deadliest activities of a war. However, I can only imagine how inaccurate they were at first and how many innocent lives were lost because of it. Even though it is an action I do not support I am sure that with today’s technology like GPS it has become a lot more accurate. Even though this was a big discovery, I am not sure it was a good one.
Bombing from airplanes can wipe out an entire area of a country and be devastating to those that are innocently living there. It is a sad reality that it can harm as many people as save people.
I have to agree with Alexander because bombing from the air is a tragedy and can wipeout cities . This new form of attack is advantageous for the one doing the bombing but devastating for the one being bombed.
Nighttime air raids had to be one of the scariest events to live through. I cannot imagine the terror of not knowing where the bombs were coming from and where they would land next. Bombing from airplanes may be an advantage during wartime, but it is a disadvantage to the humanity of the world.
I find it hilarious that the first dropping of a bomb from an airplane was literally from a guy sticking his hand out of the window and dropping the explosive out of the plane. I didn’t realize that drones now do the dirty work, but that makes sense. Not that I condone dropping bombs, but if we are going to, drones are definitely the way to go, as opposed to man operated planes. This type of warfare completed revolutionized war and changed our attitude on battle forever, specifically giving the example of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Aerial bombing was cutting edge during World War I and then again during World War II but you can only have the upper hand in technology for so long before your enemy catches up. It didn’t take long for countries like Germany to implement aerial bombing as well and from then on both sides of the wars advanced in their tactics. It’s still hard to believe America used aerial bombing to drop two nuclear bombs.
The destruction caused by manned bombers is incalculable. But at the same time it is also important to remember how dangerous it was to be a bomber pilot. As the article said, in the early goings it was way to easy for enemy fighters to attack any bombers.
Reading about the development of airplane bombings throughout history, from the day the first bomb was dropped to the devastating bomb droppings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII times, is intersting. The nuclear bombs dropped by the United States from airplane were devastating. The residual effects can still be seen today from these terrible attacks.
During World War Two it was for sure a time for bombing. Once the first aircraft dropped hand grenades it was on from there. People were trying to get the most advanced and largest bomb so they could do lots of damage. The goal for bombing was to kill.
I never realized that the age of bombing only started during the 1911s. The British Bristol T.B.8 dropped bombs of 12×10 pounds! That is crazy, I couldn’t imagine the damage those things would create. Dropping bombs though is a risky maneuver, you never truly know what is down at the other end of the bomb, could be the people you’re looking for and it could be him and a group of innocent civilians. It’s tough but with the technology we have today, it definitely makes it easier to pick out the good from bad.
I never knew how airplane bombing started but I would have never guessed it was from someone dropping hand grenades out of the airplane. It is crazy to think that it went from hand grenades to the USA dropping nuclear bombs. It is sad to think how much damage a plane bombing can be for an area.
It is fascinating to read about the history of the bomber from the Albatros F-2 to the unmanned drones we have today. The bomber has forever changed the face of war. As time progressed we rely more and more on non-convention means like soldiers and more on ships and planes. Thus more devastation and death in war. It is unfortunate but something we have to live with and control to the best of our abilities
It is interesting to read about the development of airplane bombings throughout history. I never knew that the first airplane bombing consisted of a pilot dropping 2 hand grenades from an airplane. The history of airplane bombings has come a long way since then and is not a joke. The damage done from the US dropping 2 atomic bombs on Japan redefined the nature of warfare forever.
Air warfare evolved over the years from such a small event: an Italian pilot dropping two hand grenades on a Turkish position. Today, air warfare plays a large role in battle in the army and navy. The article mentions the Cold War, which was mainly a time of threat, including the threat of nuclear bombs. So, the threat of a country in the air was always looming.
I didn’t know that bombing started long before the atomic bombs were dropped by the US. It started in 1911 when an Italian pilot dropped two hand grenades out of his plane. Since then the usage of airplanes to drop bombs on warring countries has severely advanced. Most countries have atomic bombs in their arsenal.
Wars became more deadly when airplanes were fitted for bombs. We see proof of that in the First Balkan War. It then continues on through both Word wars, Pearl Harbor, and the Cold War.
Drones are the future of airplanes with bombs. It is safer because drones do not have a human pilot, so if it is shot down then there is no loss of life. Time and money should be placed with drone research and development as opposed to manned airplanes.
I find it interesting that the Bulgarian Army was the first to drop bombs from their airplanes on the Turks, but the American Army has always seemed so powerful and in control.
The arms race has always proved to be motivation for people to find new ways of killing people. I wonder if inventors always wanted their technology to be used for war, my guess is less actually did then didn’t.
Drones will be the next use for war and dropping bombs, its a while away but not as long away as you would think.
It is scary to see what is coming next in aerial warfare. I would not have expected the Bulgarians in the Balkan Wars to be among the first to make use of aerial bombing.
Drones are already being used for aerial attacks in the Middle East. I wish we didn’t have to have any bomber jets, but since we do I am on board with drones (actually, no one is on board with drones).
It is amazing to reflect on the advancement of guns, bombs and warfare.