The Gotha G.V was among Germany's long-range heavy bombers of World War I. This classic airplane took over from the ungainly Zeppelins that had been used previously as bomb platforms over London and other targets. The word 'Gotha' evoked a nervous horror among the English civilian populace in World War I, much like the terms 'V-1' and 'V-2' would during World War II. In both instances, the fear of injury was mixed with an intense frustration that nothing was being done to remedy the situation.
The Gotha bombers evolved from the 1915 G.II and G.III versions that were successful on both the Eastern and Western fronts. These were soon followed by the improved G.IV and G.V aircraft, which were larger and more strongly built. As Raymond Fredette relates in his remarkable book, The Sky on Fire, they carried the brunt of the German attack against England.
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