Bombs
Bombs.In aerial warfare, the term bomb is applied to a wide range of containers filled with explosive, incendiary, or fissile material, or with chemical/biological agents, and designed for use as air‐delivered offensive weapons. Fusing and detonating devices are included, and external fins are usually fitted for directional stability. In the late twentieth century, particular attention has been given to the aerodynamics of bombs, and to devising methods of delivering them accurately.
When World War I began in 1914, little thought had been given by the military of Britain, France, or the United States to an air offensive. Most airplane bombs weighed about 20 pounds and were hand‐held. German airships, however, were equipped with racks that carried bombs of 110 pounds, and both Russia and Italy had built large aircraft capable of carrying total loads of over 1,000 pounds of bombs. From 1915 on, the first strategic bombing offensive was...
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