Raids over Britain. .

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Just ordered a copy of this book from Amazon. Hoping to add a bit more knowledge to the subject.
Rob.

[Attila57]

Nice find Rob. Also an Italian city was bombed by an airship.

Naples in March 1918 was hit by an airship "Zeppelin" took off by Jandol in Bulgaria It was a complete surprise. The airship was spotted at Termoli by flak, but it was impossible to raise the fighter planes, it seemed for a telephone line failure.
The airship bombed with 40 bombs the area of Granili causing 5 deaths and 10 wounded. After bombed Posillipo causing 11 deatha and 35 wounded and then damaged Ilva's industrial plants.

[Linz]

I wonder how the the people who first ordered the Zeppelins to attack cities would react if they knew of the lives lost through the continuation of their idea in WW2. Not only of those killed in enermy cities but also in their own countries cities.
Would they still be proud? Or consider it right?
This is in no way a slight against the incrediblly brave bomber pilots and crews.
Linz

[Attila57]

I wonder how the the people who first ordered the Zeppelins to attack cities would react if they knew of the lives lost through the continuation of their idea in WW2. Not only of those killed in enermy cities but also in their own countries cities.
Would they still be proud? Or consider it right?
This is in no way a slight against the incrediblly brave bomber pilots and crews.
Linz

I agree Lindsay. During a war, things happen that we always wonder why in times of peace but curiously repeated in the next war... This is in no way a slight against the incrediblly brave bomber pilots and crews.

[Baldrick62]

Not signed by any of the Central Powers -

Declaration (XIV) Prohibiting the Discharge of Projectiles and Explosives from Balloons. The Hague, 18 October 1907.

The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Powers invited to the Second International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments, inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of 29 November (11 December) 1868, land being desirous of renewing the declaration of The Hague of 29 July 1899, which has now expired,

Declare:
The Contracting Powers agree to prohibit, for a period extending to the close of the Third Peace Conference, the discharge of projectiles and explosives from balloons or by other new methods of a similar nature.
The present Declaration is only binding on the Contracting Powers in case of war between two or more of them.
It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between the Contracting Powers, one of the belligerents is joined by a non-Contracting Power.
The present Declaration shall be ratified as soon as possible.
The ratifications shall be deposited at The Hague.
A ' procès-verbal ' shall be drawn up recording the receipt of the ratifications, of which a duly certified copy shall be sent, through the diplomatic channel, to all the Contracting Powers.
Non-Signatory Powers may adhere to the present Declaration. To do so, they must make known their adhesion to the Contracting Powers by means of a written notification, addressed to the Netherlands Government, and communicated by it to all the other Contracting Powers.
In the event of one of the High Contracting Parties denouncing the present Declaration, such denunciation shall not take effect until a year after the notification made in writing to the Netherlands Government, and forthwith communicated by it to all the other Contracting Powers.
This denunciation shall only have effect in regard to the notifying Power.

In faith whereof the Plenipotentiaries have appended their signatures to the present Declaration.

Done at The Hague, 18 October 1907 in a single copy, which shall remain deposited in the archives of the Netherlands Government, and duly certified copies of which shall be sent through the diplomatic channel, to the Contracting Powers.

[csadn]

I wonder how the the people who first ordered the Zeppelins to attack cities would react if they knew of the lives lost through the continuation of their idea in WW2. Not only of those killed in enermy cities but also in their own countries cities.
Would they still be proud? Or consider it right?
Linz

Probably the latter, given that Industrial Targets tended to be found in cities. Precision-guided munitions are an outgrowth of the notion of "hit the military target, not the civvies surrounding" which was the ideal strategic bombing aspired-to.

[Jager]

I wonder how the the people who first ordered the Zeppelins to attack cities would react if they knew of the lives lost through the continuation of their idea in WW2. Not only of those killed in enermy cities but also in their own countries cities.
Would they still be proud? Or consider it right?
This is in no way a slight against the incrediblly brave bomber pilots and crews.
Linz

It wasn't only the Germans who considered bombing cities, just that they got to do it first on a noticable scale. There were a number of proponents in many countries of the use of airpower against cities, both pre-war and during. None of them have clean consciences

[Baldrick62]

Within 4 months after the first flight of a manned heavier-than-air craft -

"As a peace machine, the value [of the airplane] to the world will be beyond computation. Would a declaration of was between Russia and Japan be made, if within an hour thereafter, a swiftly gliding aeroplane might takes its flight from St. Petersburg and drop half a ton of dynamite above the was offices? Could any nation afford to war upon any other with such hazards in view?"
— John Brisben Walker, owner of Cosmopolitan, 'Cosmopolitan,' March 1904.

[csadn]

"[...]Could any nation afford to war upon any other with such hazards in view?"
— John Brisben Walker, owner of Cosmopolitan, 'Cosmopolitan,' March 1904.

No -- but that's not going to stop them, is it?