I just got Battlefield 1 and there is one mission where you have to defend Britain from German Fokkers. I noticed that whenever I missed a plane, the bullets/rockets would hit London. My question to you is, is there any number or estimate for the damage or lives cost from British fighters missing and therefore hitting London?
Edit: how about planes that were shot down and similar debris?
As said, the bombing campaign against southern England by the Germans was first carried out with Zeppelins, but quickly abandoned due to losses. From may 1917 onwards, the Germans had Gotha G IV heavy bombers. The first raid they undertook on London took place on June 13 1917 killing 162 civilians, wounding 432, and due to a lack in air defense no Gotha's were shot down. Total civilian Casualties from the May 1917 - May 1918 bombing Campaign come to 836 killed, 1982 wounded. The Germans lost 62 planes in the process, of which 19 due to British aircraft / ground fire. The remainder was lost to operational accidents.
As stated the fighter aircraft of that era wouldn't have had the range to escort the bombers like they did in WWII. So no Fokker vs Sopwith Camel encounters over London. Even the Bombers were fairly maxed out in range, and at the edge of the technical capability of their era.
sources:
Raymond Fermette, the sky on fire p.262
James S. Corum, The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940 (Lawrence, KA: University Press of Kansas, 1997), p. 34-36
Aerial bombing over London was primarily done by zeppelin and later by some of the few long-range bombers available.
WW1 era fighters would have significant challenges to reach a destination that far, let alone return safely.