View source for Civilian casualties of strategic bombing

[[Image:The Sandman a B-24 Liberator, piloted by Robert Sternfels.jpg|thumb|right|B-24 "Sandman" on a bomb run over the Astra Romana refinery in [[Ploieşti]], [[Romania]], during [[Operation Tidal Wave]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Duga |first=James |author2=Stewart, Carroll |title=Ploesti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KV8Ma-VA6fIC&pg=RA1-PA180 |access-date=2009-03-26 | isbn=978-1-57488-510-1 | year=2002 | publisher=Brassey's}}</ref>]]
[[File:Uman after Russian missile strike, 2023-04-28 (03).png|thumb|Residential building in [[Uman]] ([[Cherkasy Oblast]] of Ukraine) after [[Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure (2022–present)|Russian missile strike]] on 28 April 2023.]]

[[Strategic bombing]] is the use of [[airpower]] to destroy [[Industrial sector|industrial]] and [[economy|economic]] [[infrastructure]]—such as [[Factory|factories]], [[Oil refinery|oil refineries]], [[railroad]]s, or [[power station]]s—rather than just directly targeting [[military base]]s, [[supply depot]]s, or enemy [[combatant]]s. Strategic bombing may also include the intent to [[Dehousing|dehouse]], [[Demoralization (military)|demoralize]], or inflict [[civilian casualties]], and thus hinders them from supporting the enemy's [[war effort]].<ref>Brauer, Jurgen. ''Castles, Battles, and Bombs: How Economics Explains Military History''. p 199. [[University of Chicago Press]]; Reprint edition (2008) {{ISBN|0-2260-7164-2}}.</ref> The bombing can be utilized by [[strategic bomber]]s or [[missile]]s, and may use [[general-purpose bomb]]s, [[guided bomb]]s, [[incendiary device]]s, [[chemical weapon]]s, [[biological weapon]]s, or [[nuclear weapon]]s.

This article is currently not comprehensive, but lists strategic bombing of cities and towns, and human death tolls starting from before [[World War II]].

==Spanish Civil War (July 18, 1936 – April 1, 1939)==
{{Main|Spanish Civil War}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City/Town
! Country
! Date
! Estimated death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
| [[Madrid]]
| [[Spain]]
| 28 August 1936 	March 1937
| 1,490
| [[Luftwaffe|German Luftwaffe]] "[[Condor Legion]]" and the [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| First modern bombing in history.
|-
| [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]]
| [[Spain]]
| 1 April 1937
| 159
| [[Luftwaffe|German Luftwaffe]] "[[Condor Legion]]"
| See: [[Bombing of Jaén]].
|-
| [[Guernica]]
| [[Spain]]
| 26 April 1937
| 153
| [[Luftwaffe|German Luftwaffe]] "[[Condor Legion]]" and the [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| Considered to be the first aerial attack that caused widespread destruction of a city in [[military aviation]] history.<br/>See: [[Bombing of Guernica]].
|-
| [[Barcelona]]
| [[Spain]]
| 16–19	March 1938
| 1,000–1,300
| [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| See: [[Bombing of Barcelona]].
|-
| [[Alicante]]
| [[Spain]]
| 25 May 1938
| 275–393
| [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| See: [[Bombing of Alicante]].
|-
| [[Granollers]]
| [[Spain]]
| 31 May 1938
| 100–224
| [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| See: [[Bombing of Granollers]].
|-
| [[La Garriga]]
| [[Spain]]
| 28–29	January 1939
| 13
| [[Italian Fascist]] [[Aviazione Legionaria]]
| See: [[Bombing of La Garriga]].
|}

==Second Sino-Japanese War (July 7, 1937 – September 1, 1939, merged into World War II on September 1, 1939)==
{{Main|Second Sino-Japanese War}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City/Town
! Country
! Date
! Estimated death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
| [[Nanking]]
| [[China]]
| 25 September 1937
| 600
| [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]]
| See: [[Battle of Nanking#Aerial bombardment of Nanking|Bombing of Nanking]].
|-
| [[Guangzhou]]
| [[China]]
| 28 May and 4 June 1938<ref name="BOM">[http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=281 Bombing of Shanghai, Chongqing, and other Cities]</ref><ref name="LIFE">LIFE, June 20, 1938, Page 9</ref>
| 1,400–1,450
| [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]
| Japanese naval bombers attacked Guangzhou, killing 700–750 civilians and wounding 1,350 on 28 May 1938. Seven days later, the city was attacked again, causing an estimated 2,000 casualties (700 deaths). Combined the dates, an estimated 1,400–1,450 Chinese civilians were killed.<ref name="BOM" /><ref name="LIFE" />
|-
|}

==World War II (September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945)==
{{Main|World War II}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! City/Town
! Country
! Date
! data-sort-type="number" | Estimated death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
| [[Wieluń]]
| [[Poland]]
| 1 September 1939
| data-sort-value="1,300"| c. 1,300
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Wieluń]].
|-
| [[Warsaw]]
| [[Poland]]
| 1–27 September 1939
| data-sort-value="6,000–7,000"| 6,000–7,000{{sfn|Corum|2013|p=174}}
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Warsaw in World War II]].
|-
| [[Rotterdam]]
| [[Netherlands]]
| 14 May 1940
| 884
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Rotterdam Blitz]].
|-
| [[Berlin]]
| [[Germany]]
| June 1940  - April 1945
| 50,000
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]], [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]], French Air Force.
| Various. See [[Bombing of Berlin in World War II]]
|-
| [[Milan]]
| [[Italy]]
| June 1940 – April 1945
| 2,200<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unive.it/media/allegato/dep/n13-14-2010/Ricerche/casi/2_Baldoli.pdf |title=I bombardamenti sulle città italiane |access-date=2020-02-15 |archive-date=2017-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709075649/http://www.unive.it/media/allegato/dep/n13-14-2010/Ricerche/casi/2_Baldoli.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| [[RAF Bomber Command]], [[USAAF]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Milan in World War II]].
|-
| [[Turin]]
| [[Italy]]
| June 1940 – April 1945
| 2,069<ref>[http://www.istoreto.it/torino38-45/download/torino38-45.pdf Torino 1938-1945. Una guida per la memoria]</ref>–2,199<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0FmLAwAAQBAJ&dq=bombardamenti+torino+%222.069%22+%222.695%22&pg=PA26 Gli altri. Fascismo repubblicano e comunità nel Torinese (1943-1945)]</ref>
| [[RAF Bomber Command]], [[USAAF]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Turin in World War II]].
|-
| [[Palermo]]
| [[Italy]]
| June 1940 – August 1943
| 2,123<ref>[https://www.unilibro.it/libro/romeo-s-cur-rothier-w-cur-/bombardamenti-palermo-racconto-immagini-ediz-illustrata/9788896251713 Bombardamenti a Palermo. Un racconto per immagini]</ref>
| [[RAF]], [[USAAF]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Palermo in World War II]].
|-
| [[London]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| 7 September 1940 – May 1941
|40,000-43,000
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[London Blitz]].
|-
| [[Chushien]]
| [[China]]
| 4 October 1940
| 21
| [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]]
| 21 civilians were killed when a Japanese airplane flew over the town of Chushien and released rice and wheat plus rat fleas carrying [[Y. pestis]].<ref name="FDR">[http://uhavax.hartford.edu/bugl/bio-war.pdf Biological Weapons]</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Drisdelle R |title=Parasites. Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelcome Guests |publisher=Univ. of California Publishers, 2010| page=162f |isbn=978-0-520-25938-6}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ningbo]]
| [[China]]
| 29 October 1940
| 99
| [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]]
| 99 civilians were killed when Imperial Japanese Army Air Service bombers struck the city of Ningbo with ceramic bombs full of [[flea]]s carrying the [[bubonic plague]].<ref name="FDR" /><ref>Daniel Barenblatt, ''A Plague upon Humanity'', 2004, p.32.</ref>
|-
| [[Sukabumi]]
| [[Indonesia]]
| 6 March 1942
| 70
| [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]
| See: [[Bombing of Sukabumi]]
|-
| [[Naples]]
| [[Italy]]
| November 1940 – February 1944
| 6,000–7,000<ref>[http://www.tesionline.it/v2/appunto-sub.jsp?p=8&id=703 I bombardamenti tedeschi su Napoli - 1943]</ref>
| [[Royal Air Force|RAF]], [[USAAF]], [[Luftwaffe]]
| 
|-
| [[Liverpool]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| December 1940 to May 1941
| 4000
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| See: [[Liverpool Blitz]]
|-
| [[Birmingham]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| 19 November 1940
| 450
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Birmingham Blitz]].
|-
| [[Bristol]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| 24 November 1940
| 207
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bristol Blitz]].
|-
| [[Belgrade]]
| [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]
| 6–8 April 1941
| 1,500–4,000
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| See: [[Operation Retribution (1941)]].
|-
| [[Chongqing]]
| [[China]]
| 5 June 1941
| 4,000
| [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]] and the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]
| [[Conflagration]]. Within three hours of bombing, 4,000 residents were [[asphyxiated]] to death.<br/>See: [[Bombing of Chongqing]].
|-
| [[Leningrad]]
|[[Soviet Union]]
| 19 September 1941
| 1,000
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| See: [[Siege of Leningrad]].
|-
| [[Rangoon]]
| [[Burma]]
| 23 and 25 December 1941
| 1,250–2,000
| [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]]
| Lack of adequate protection of the city caused extensive damage to houses and mass civilian casualties.<br/>See: [[Bombing of Rangoon (1941–1942)]].
|-
| [[Paris]]
| [[France]]
| 2–3 March 1942
| 600
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| See: [[Bombing of France during World War II]].
|-
| [[Cologne]]
| [[Germany]]
| 30–31 May 1942
| 411
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Cologne in World War II]].
|-
| [[Stalingrad]]
|[[Soviet Union]]
| 23 August 1942
| 955<ref name=Bergstrom2007>Bergström (2007){{Rp|p.73|date=May 2009}}</ref>
| [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Oberkommando der]] [[Luftwaffe]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Stalingrad in World War II]].
|-
| [[Mortsel]]
| [[Belgium]]
| 5 April 1943
| 936
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]]
|
|-
| [[Hamburg]]
| [[Germany]]
| 24–30 July 1943
| 42,600{{sfn|Frankland|Webster|1961|pp=260–261}}
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]] and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].{{sfn|Dyson|2006|p=3}}<br/>See: [[Battle of Hamburg (air)|Battle of Hamburg]].
|-
| [[Bologna]]
| [[Italy]]
| July 1943 – April 1945
| 2,481<ref>[http://memoriadibologna.comune.bologna.it/bombardamenti-aerei-subiti-da-bologna-95-evento Bombardamenti aerei subiti da Bologna - Storia e memoria di Bologna.]</ref>
| [[Royal Air Force|RAF Bomber Command]], [[USAAF]]
| <br/>See: [[Bombing of Bologna in World War II]].
|-
| [[Kassel]]
| [[Germany]]
| 22–23 October 1943
| 10,000
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Kassel in World War II]].
|-
| [[Augsburg]]
| [[Germany]]
| 25–26 February 1944
| 730
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]] and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Augsburg in World War II]].
|-
| [[Caen]]
| [[France]]
| 7 July 1944
| 400
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| Carried out in support of [[Operation Charnwood]], the attempt by ground forces to capture Caen. The bombing failed, as the main German armor and infantry positions to the north of Caen remained intact. In order to avoid dropping bombs on their own ground forces, the markers were dropped too far forward, pushing the bombed zone well into Caen itself and further away from the German defenses, and thus inflicting heavy French civilian casualties.
|-
| [[Darmstadt]]
| [[Germany]]
| 11–12 September 1944
| 11,500
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Darmstadt in World War II]].
|-
| [[Duisburg]]
| [[Germany]]
| 14–15 October 1944
| 2,500
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Duisburg in World War II]].
|-
| [[Ulm]]
| [[Germany]]
| 17 December 1944
| 707<ref name="ULM">[http://www.desertwar.net/bombing-of-ulm-in-world-war-ii.html Bombing of Ulm in World War II]</ref>
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<ref name="ULM" /><br/>See: [[Bombing of Ulm in World War II]].
|-
| [[Dresden]]
| [[Germany]]
| 13–15 February 1945
| 25,000{{sfn|Neutzner|2010|p=17}}
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]] and the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Eighth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/> See: [[Bombing of Dresden in World War II]].
|-
| [[Pforzheim]]
| [[Germany]]
| 23 February 1945
| 17,600
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/> See: [[Bombing of Pforzheim in World War II]].
|-
| [[The Hague]]
| [[Netherlands]]
| 3 March 1945
| 551
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| The high rate of civilian casualties resulted due to the wrong coordinates given to RAF pilots, which dropped the bombs on the densely populated neighborhood of [[Bezuidenhout]] instead of [[Haagse Bos]], where the Germans had installed [[V-2]] launching facilities that had been used to attack English cities.<br/>See: [[Bombing of the Bezuidenhout]].
|-
| [[Tokyo]]
| [[Japan]]
| 9–10 March 1945
| 120,000-200,000
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Twentieth Air Force]]
| [[Conflagration]]. 279 [[B-29]]s dropped about {{convert|1,700|ST|MT}} of bombs, destroying 16 square miles (41&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of the city.<ref name=Mar45Chronology>[http://www.usaaf.net/chron/45/mar45.htm U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology. ''March 1945''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602071111/http://www.usaaf.net/chron/45/mar45.htm |date=2013-06-02 }} Air Force Historical Studies Office. Retrieved 3 March 2009.</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17724/page5/ |last=[[Freeman Dyson]]. |title=Part I: A Failure of Intelligence |work=Technology Review |date=1 November 2006 |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] |access-date=20 November 2009 |archive-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302153101/http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17724/page5/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://japanfocus.org/products/details/1581 David McNeill. "The night hell fell from the sky". ''Japan Focus'', 10 March 2005] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205060418/http://japanfocus.org/products/details/1581 |date=December 5, 2008 }}.</ref><ref>Rhodes, Richard. ''The Making of the Atomic Bomb''. p 599.  Simon & Schuster Paperbacks (1984) {{ISBN|0-684-81378-5}}.</ref><ref>[http://www.japanfocus.org/-Mark-Selden/2414  Mark Selden.  "A Forgotten Holocaust: US Bombing Strategy, the Destruction of Japanese Cities and the American Way of War from the Pacific War to Iraq". ''Japan Focus'', 2 May 2007].</ref> <br/>See: [[Bombing of Tokyo]]
|-
| [[Osaka]]
| [[Japan]]
| 13–14 March 1945
| 3,987
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Twentieth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Osaka]].
|-
| [[Würzburg]]
| [[Germany]]
| 16 March 1945
| 5,000
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]]
| [[Firestorm]].<br/>See: [[Bombing of Würzburg in World War II]].
|-
| [[Kobe]]
| [[Japan]]
| 16–17 March 1945
| 8,841<ref name = tact-43>21st Bomber Command Tactical Mission Report 43,  April 19th, 1945</ref>
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Twentieth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].<ref name = tact-43 /><br/>See: [[Bombing of Kobe in World War II]].
|-
| [[Taipei]]
| [[Taiwan]]
| 31 May 1945
| 3,000
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Fifth Air Force]]
| See: [[Raid on Taipei]].
|-
| [[Aomori, Aomori|Aomori]]
| [[Japan]]
| 29 July 1945
| 1,767<ref name="TED">Wainstock. ''The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb''. Page 9</ref>  
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[Twentieth Air Force]]
| [[Firestorm]].<ref name="TED" /><br/>See: [[Bombing of Aomori in World War II]]
|-
| [[Hiroshima]]
| [[Japan]]
| 6 August 1945
| 70,000 – 126,000
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[393rd Bomb Squadron]]
| The first of the only two [[nuclear weapon]]s used in combat. [[Uranium]]-based nuclear weapon: codename [[Little Boy]].<br/> Between 50,000 and 60,000 were killed, including 20,000 Korean slave laborers. Some 70,000 others suffered burns or died by the end of 1945 and in the years afterwards.<ref name="YET">{{cite book|title=The Use of Nuclear Weapons and the Protection of the Environment during International Armed Conflict (Studies in International Law) |author=Erik Koppe |publisher= Hart Publishing|pages=35–45|isbn=1-8411-3745-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Bombing to Win: Airpower and Coercion in War|last=Pape|first=Robert|year=1996|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-8311-0 |page=144}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10269571/The-Atomic-Bombings-of-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki |title=The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |author=The Manhattan Engineer District |date=June 29, 1945 |publisher=docstoc.com] |work=[[Project Gutenberg]] [[Ebook]] |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Real History of World War II: A New Look at the Past |url=https://archive.org/details/realhistoryofwor00axel |url-access=registration |author=Alan Axelrod |publisher=Sterling |page=[https://archive.org/details/realhistoryofwor00axel/page/350 350] |date=May 6, 2008}}</ref><ref name="PAL">{{cite web|title=Total Casualties: The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |url=http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/MED/med_chp10.shtml|access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> See: [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].
|-
| [[Nagasaki]]
| [[Japan]]
| 9 August 1945
| 39,000–80,000
| [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[393rd Bomb Squadron]]
| The second of the only two [[nuclear weapon]]s used in combat. [[Plutonium]]-based nuclear weapon: codename [[Fat Man]].<br/> Between 34,850 and 39,850 were killed, including 23,200 to 28,200 Japanese industrial workers and 2,000 Korean slave laborers. Some 50,000 others suffered burns or died by the end of 1945 and in the years afterwards.<ref name="YET" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Nuke-Rebuke: Writers & Artists Against Nuclear Energy & Weapons (The Contemporary anthology series) |pages=22–29 |date=May 1, 1984 |publisher=The Spirit That Moves Us Press}}</ref><ref name=pal>Mary Palevsky, Robert Futrell, and Andrew Kirk. [http://research.unlv.edu/innovation/issues/summer2005/pdf/nuclearpast.pdf Recollections of Nevada's Nuclear Past] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003085814/http://research.unlv.edu/innovation/issues/summer2005/pdf/nuclearpast.pdf |date=2011-10-03 }} ''UNLV FUSION'',  2005, p. 20.</ref><ref name="PAL" /> See: [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].
|}

==1991 Gulf War (August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991)==
{{Main|Gulf War}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City/town
! Country
! Date
! Estimated death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
|[[Baghdad]]
|[[Iraq]]
|13 February 1991
|408
|[[United States Air Force]] (USAF)
|See: [[Amiriyah shelter bombing]]
|-
| [[Fallujah]]
| [[Iraq]]
| 14 February 1991
| 50–150
| [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF)
| A [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) fighter jet fired two [[Laser-guided bomb|laser-guided missiles]] which were aimed at a bridge which was used as part of an [[Iraqi Armed Forces|Iraqi military]] supply line on 14 February 1991. The missiles malfunctioned and struck Fallujah's largest marketplace (which was situated in a residential area), killing between 50 and 150 non-combatants and wounding many more. After news of the mistake became public, an RAF spokesman, [[Group captain|Group Captain]] David Henderson issued a statement noting that the missile had malfunctioned but admitted that the Royal Air Force had made an error. Coalition warplanes subsequently launched another attack on the bridge, with one missile hitting its target while two others fell into the river and a fourth struck another marketplace in Fallujah, due to its laser guidance system once again malfunctioning.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Sherry|last=Virginia|title=Needless Deaths in the Gulf War: Civilian Casualties During the Air Campaign and Violations of the Laws of War|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|year=1991|isbn=978-0-3000-5599-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|first=A. P. V.|last=Rogers|title=Law on the Battlefield|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7190-6136-3}}</ref>
|}

==NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (1999)==
{{main|Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Date
! Death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
| [[Varadin Bridge]] in [[Novi Sad]], [[Serbia]]
| 1 April 1999
| 1
| NATO
| <ref name="BlicPZ">{{cite web|url=http://www.blic.rs/vesti/vojvodina/drzava-nikada-nije-pomogla-deci-zrtava-nato-bombardovanja/kv99ec4|author=Milan Laketić|title=Blic: ''Država nije pomogla deci žrtava NATO bombardovanja''|language=sr|date=March 24, 2015|access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Nogovac]], [[Orahovac, Kosovo|Orahovac]], [[Kosovo]]
| 2 April 1999
| 11
| NATO
| <ref name="YUFP">{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/84677932/NATO-Crimes-in-Serbia-Yugoslavia-Documentary-Evidence-24-March-24-April-1999-Part-I|title=NATO Crimes in Serbia (Yugoslavia)|date=May 1999|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref>{{rp|39}}
|-
| Oil refinery in [[Pančevo]], Serbia
| 4 April 1999
| 3
| NATO
| Three workers killed by NATO airstrikes.<ref name="B92PR">{{cite web|url=http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2010&mm=04&dd=04&nav_id=422267|title=B92: ''Pomen radnicima rafinerije''|language=sr|date=April 4, 2010|access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> Subsequently, 80,000 tons of oil ignited into flames, and the concentration of [[carcinogens]] over Pančevo rose 10,500 times higher than local laws allowed at the time.<ref name="RTSPan">{{cite web|url=http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/57/srbija-danas/2256771/posledice-nato-bombardovanja-u-pancevu-.html|title=RTS: ''Posledice NATO bombardovanja u Pančevu''|language=sr|date=March 24, 2016|access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| Electric heating plant in [[Belgrade]], Serbia
| 4 April 1999
| 1
| NATO
| One civilian killed by NATO airstrikes.<ref name="GJK">{{cite web|url=http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2001/11/11/srpski/DO01111001.shtml|author=Ljiljana Staletović|title=Glas javnosti: ''Brane se malim brojem poginulih''|language=sr|date=November 11, 2001|access-date=August 6, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Vranje]], Serbia
| 5 April 1999
| 2
| NATO
| Two civilians killed and 15 injured by NATO airstrikes on a city neighbourhood.<ref name="Slovo1">{{cite web|url=http://slovojuga.org.rs/da-se-ne-zaboravi-18-godina-od-nato-bombardovanja/|author=Dragan Ilić|title=Слово Југа: ''Да се не заборави: 18 година од НАТО бомбардовања''|language=sr|date=March 24, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| Town of [[Aleksinac]], Serbia
| 5–6 April 1999
| 12
| NATO
| On the night of April 5–6, 1999, 12 civilians killed in the mining town of Aleksinac by NATO airstrikes.<ref name="AleksinacPo">{{cite web|url=http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/38606/Aleksinac-ne-zaboravlja-zrtve|author=Toma Todorović|title=Политика: ''Алексинац не заборавља жртве''|language=sr|date=April 6, 2008|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref> A total of 35 homes and 125 apartment units were destroyed, with no obvious military target in the vicinity according to the Serbian newspaper ''[[Politika]]''.<ref name="AleksinacPo"/>
|-
| Train in [[Leskovac]], Serbia
| 12 April 1999
| 20–60
| NATO
| See [[Grdelica train bombing]].
|-
| Albanian refugee column in [[Gjakova]], Kosovo
| 14 April 1999
| 73
| NATO
| See [[NATO bombing of Albanian refugees near Gjakova]].
|-
| Serbian refugee camp at Gjakova
| 21 April 1999
| 4–5
| NATO
| <ref name="LATM">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-22-mn-29914-story.html|author=Paul Watson|title=Los Angeles Times: ''Refugee Serbs Blame NATO in Camp Bombing''|website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 22, 1999|access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Veritas">{{cite web|url=http://www.veritas.org.rs/wp-content/bilteni/Bilten11.pdf|author=Savo Štrbac|title=Veritas: ''Bilten #11''|language=sr|date=April 2000|access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Radio Television of Serbia]] headquarters, Belgrade
| 24 April 1999
| 16
| NATO
| See [[NATO bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters]].
|-
| Town of [[Surdulica]], Serbia
| 27 April 1999
| 16–20
| NATO
| <ref name="CNNsurd">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9904/28/kosovo.02/|title=CNN: ''Children reported killed when NATO bomb missed target''|website=[[CNN]] |date=April 28, 1999|access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name="RTSurd10">{{cite web|url=http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/9/politika/57991/surdulica-deset-godina-kasnije.html|title=RTS: ''Surdulica, deset godina kasnije''|language=sr|date=April 27, 2009|access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Milic">{{cite web|url=http://www.okradio.rs/vesti/lokalne/bombardovanje-odnelo-sestoro-milica-_39339.html|author=Dušan Đorđević|title=OK Radio: ''Bombardovanje odnelo šestoro Milića''|language=sr|date=March 24, 2014|access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| Lužane bridge near Podujevo, Kosovo
| 1 May 1999
| 23–60
| NATO
| See [[Lužane bus bombing]].
|-
| Town of Prizren, Kosovo
| 1 May 1999
| 12
| NATO
| 12 civilians killed.<ref name="PrizRoma">{{cite web|url=http://www.romea.cz/en/news/world/prizren-in-the-shadow-of-aircraft|author=Lukáš Houdek (translated into English by Gwendolyn Albert)|title=Prizren in the shadow of aircraft|language=en|date=June 16, 2011|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Second Chechen War (1999–2009)==
{{Main|Second Chechen War}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City/Town
! Country
! Date
! Estimated death toll
! Attacking force
! Notes
|-
| [[Elistanzhi]]
| [[Chechnya]], [[Russia]]
| October 7, 1999
| 34
| [[Russian Air Force]]
| See: [[Elistanzhi cluster bomb attack]]
|-
| [[Grozny]]
| [[Chechnya]], [[Russia]]
| October 21, 1999
| 118
| [[Strategic Missile Troops|Russia's Strategic Missile Troops]]
| The use of [[Scud]] [[ballistic missiles]] against various civilian and government/military targets. See also: [[Grozny ballistic missile attack]].
|}

==Libyan Civil War (2011)==
{{main|Casualties of the 2011 Libyan Civil War}}

==See also==
* [[Aerial bombardment and international law]]
* [[Aerial bombing of cities]]
*[[Casualty recording]]
*[[Roerich Pact]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Bergström, Christer. Dikov, Andrey and Antipov Vladimir|title=Black Cross Red Star: Air War Over the Eastern Front: Everything For Stalingrad, Volume 3|year=2006|publisher=Eagle Editions|isbn=978-0-9761034-4-8}}
* {{cite journal|last=Corum|first=James S.|title=The Luftwaffe's Campaigns in Poland and the West 1939–1940: A Case Study of Handling Innovation in Wartime|journal=Security and Defence Quarterly|date=2013|volume=1 |issue=1|pages=158–189|doi=10.35467/sdq/103158|doi-access=free}}
* {{Citation |last=Dyson |first=Freeman |author-link=Freeman Dyson |date=1 November 2006 |title=Part I: A Failure of Intelligence |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/article/406789/a-failure-of-intelligence/ |journal=Technology Review |page=[http://www.technologyreview.com/article/406789/a-failure-of-intelligence/page/3/ 3] |access-date=2009-04-24 |archive-date=2012-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729063708/http://www.technologyreview.com/article/406789/a-failure-of-intelligence/ |url-status=dead }}
* {{Citation |last1=Frankland |first1=Noble |last2=Webster |first2=Charles |title=The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany, 1939–1945, Volume II: Endeavour, Part 4 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |year=1961 |pages=260–261}}
* {{Citation |last=Neutzner |first=Matthias |year=2010 |url=http://www.dresden.de/media/pdf/infoblaetter/Historikerkommission_Dresden1945_Abschlussbericht_V1_14a.pdf|title= Abschlussbericht der Historikerkommission zu den Luftangriffen auf Dresden zwischen dem 13. und 15. Februar 1945|language=de |pages=17, 38–39, 70–81 |publisher= Landeshauptstadt Dresden |access-date=7 June 2011|display-authors=etal}}
* Wetta, Frank J., and Martin A. Novelli. "Good Bombing, Bad Bombing: Hollywood, Air Warfare, and Morality in World War I and World War II." ''OAH Magazine of History'' 22.4 (2008): 25-29. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25162196 online]

[[Category:Civilian casualties|strategic bombing]]
[[Category:Strategic bombing]]