Civil casualties

[rammjaeger]

In 1919 the "Times" reported 1913 people were killed or wounded by German airship attacks in WWI. Circa 9% of this number were military persons. Another 2907 people were wounded or killed by airplane attacks, ca 22% of this number were military persons.
Can anybody report numbers of wounded and killed civil and military persons for the air attacks against France 1914-1918?

[Graeme]

Rammjaeger

An article appeared in Volume 4 Number 3 of Over The Front, detailing the 46 raids carried out upon Paris between 30 August 1914 and 15 September 1918. The article quotes 275 people killed and 723 injured and that 14 aeroplanes and 1 airship were brought down by the defences. I don't recall having seen figures for other targets in France.

Graeme

[rammjaeger]

Thank you, Graeme!

Did the article only report civil casualties or is this number the total of civil and military casualties? It would be hard to believe that not one military person was hit in all raids.
As well I hoped I could establish that airplane attacks had a significant higher percentage of military persons hit compared to Zeppelin raids.

VBR
Rammjaeger

[Graeme]

Rammjaeger

I've been going through the article to see if I had missed separate mention of civilian and military casualties, but the figures are quoted as combined totals.

In theory, the German raids were upon military targets alone but in practice accurate navigation at night was virtually impossible and Paris, as the seat of Government, was deemed a military target with the exception of hospitals, areas of predominantly residential dwellings and "buildings of artistic merit".

A large number of bombs fell in the suburbs where the majority of casualties would have been civilians. I would imagine that the proportion of French civilian casualties to French military casualties would have been in much the same proportion as the British casualties reported in The Times.

Graeme

[rammjaeger]

Thanks for your help, Greame!