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As far as I know, the Germans first bombed London by mistake, which led to the British bombing Berlin on purpose, which led to a full-on anti-city campaign on both sides.
However... The Germans were already well-known for bombing civilian areas, as they did in Spain (during the civil war), Poland, the Netherlands, etc.
Now, given that the bombers of that day and age were horribly innacurate, it is only logical that they'd be used like this, especially given the common "total war" philosophies at the time. Anyone was a target, because everyone was part of the war effort. There were no innocent civilians because of this. The civilians killed and maimed one day would not be going back to build tanks and guns the next. Brutal, yes; but in the context of that time, it makes perfect sense.
Today, we "know" that civilians are innocent victims of war; back then they "knew" that they were simply enemies, helping to prolong the war.
(Note: I'm not defending anyone's attacks on civilians; just trying to put it in it's proper context.)
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