Editing Bomber (section)

===Strategic bombing===

Bombing raids and interdiction operations were mainly carried out by French and British forces during the War as the [[Luftstreitkräfte|German air arm]] was forced to concentrate its resources on a defensive strategy. Notably, bombing campaigns formed a part of the British offensive at the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]] in 1915, with [[Royal Flying Corps]] squadrons attacking German railway 
stations in an attempt to hinder the logistical supply of the [[German Army (German Empire)|German army]]. The early, improvised attempts at bombing that characterized the early part of the war slowly gave way to a more organized and systematic approach to strategic and tactical bombing, pioneered by various air power strategists of the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]], especially Major [[Hugh Trenchard]]; he was the first to advocate that there should be "... sustained  [strategic bombing] attacks with a view to interrupting the enemy's railway communications ... in conjunction with the main operations of the Allied Armies."<ref name="Aerial"/>

When the war started, bombing was very crude (hand-held bombs were thrown over the side) yet by the end of the war long-range bombers equipped with complex mechanical bombing computers were being built, 
designed to carry large loads to destroy enemy industrial targets. The most important bombers used in World War I were the French [[Breguet 14]], British [[de Havilland DH-4]], German [[Albatros C.III]] and Russian 
[[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]]. The [[Russian Empire|Russian]] [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]], was the first four-engine bomber to equip a dedicated strategic bombing unit during [[World War I]]. This heavy bomber was unrivaled in the early stages of the war, as the Central Powers had no comparable aircraft until much later.

Long range bombing raids were carried out at night by multi-engine [[biplane]]s such as the [[Gotha G.IV]] (whose name was synonymous with all multi-engine German bombers) and later the [[Handley Page Type O]]; the majority of bombing was done by single-engined biplanes with one or two crew members flying short distances to attack enemy lines and immediate hinterland. As the effectiveness of a bomber was dependent on the weight and accuracy of its bomb load, ever larger bombers were developed starting in World War I, while considerable money was spent developing suitable bombsights.{{clear}}
[[File:B-17 on bomb run.jpg|thumb| A [[USAAF]] [[B-17 Flying Fortress]] heavy bomber from [[World War II]]]]