How did early pilots drop bombs from airplanes?

In the early days of military aviation, dropping bombs was a manual and primitive process. During the early stages of World War I, pilots or observers often carried small bombs loose in the bottom of the cockpit, simply throwing them overboard by hand when they reached their target.1

As techniques evolved, more specialized methods were developed to improve accuracy and reliability:

• Manual Release Mechanisms: The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) introduced rudimentary bomb carriers, which functioned like a pipe rack mounted beside the observer's cockpit. Small bombs were held in place by a pin; the observer would release them over the target by pulling a string attached to the pin.2
• Early Bombing Experiments: Following early tests with dummy bombs in 1910, designers began creating the first bombsights to assist in calculating the release point, as the bomber had to account for the aircraft's movement and the trajectory of the falling bomb.32
• Combat Evolution: The first aerial bombing raid occurred in 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War, when a pilot dropped four grenades on enemy positions. By the later years of World War I, specialized bomber aircraft were developed to carry significantly larger payloads, transitioning from these manual methods to more structured military operations.21