The Gotha Bomber was produced in the autumn of 1916 when the limitations of the Zeppelin as a raider had become obvious. The German High Command ordered that 30 Gotha bombers were to be ready for a daylight raid on London on February 1st, 1917, but the machines were not ready until May. The first daylight raid on London was carried out by 14 Gothas on June 13th, 1917. On July 7th, 22 Gothas raided London. Night raids began in August of 1917 and continued until May 1918 when they were abandoned because of the increasingly heavy losses. At peak employment, in April 1918, 36 G.Vs were in service.

Date: 1917
Nationality: Germany
Manufactor: Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG
Type: Heavy Bomber
Wing Span: 77ft 9ins
Length: 40ft 9ins
Max Speed: 87.5 mph
Ceiling 21,325 ft
Range: 522 miles
Endurance: 4 hours
Max Load: 1,100 lb
Norm Load: 660 lb
Weight: 6,039 lb
Weight: 8,745 lbs.
Crew: 3
Armament: 1,102 lb of bombs, 3 machine guns