With the Allies, two methods were used.

The USAAF focused on precision daylight bombing, using the Norden bombsight. This was a mechanical computer that also took control of the aircraft controls -- the bombardier was actually flying the bomber with the bombsight during the final bomb run. Supposedly, the Norden bombsight could factor in altitude, ground speed, and (if it could be ascertained) wind speed. In practice, accuracy wasn't all that great.

The British practiced night area bombing, with bombs being aimed on flares released by pathfinders... aircraft that preceded the main bomber force that dropped large colored flares indicating the aim point. If anything, the British bombing was less accurate than the US bombing, but the British were focused on destroying cities with area bombing.

Both the British and US air forces made up for the relative inaccuracy of their bombing with numbers... major bombing raids would employ several hundred bombers.

Germany did develop a couple of early guided bombs, the Fritz X and Henschel HS293. These were quite accurate when employed, but required the bomber to visually guide the bomb to the target... which became almost impossible when the Allies controlled the airspace over the potential targets.

Both Germany and Japan made extensive use of dive bombers, which were fairly accurate, albeit somewhat dangerous to the bomber crews, and required numerous small bombers with limited bomb carrying ability. A primary reason the Heinkel 177 heavy bomber failed was a requirement that it be able to dive bomb, which affected the design and resulted in a less than successful level bomber.

Japan did develop one accurate bomb, the Okha piloted bomb. It failed to make a serious impact for the same reason the German guided bombs did not succeed... the Okha had a fairly short range, and required a bomber to deliver it close to the target, at a time when the US Navy had complete control of the air over potential targets.

Precision guided bombs, as we know them today, did not appear until around 1971-1972, at the end of the Vietnam war, and weren't really employed in any great number until the first Gulf War of 1990.

With the Allies, two methods were used.

The USAAF focused on precision daylight bombing, using the Norden bombsight. This was a mechanical computer that also took control of the aircraft controls -- the bombardier was actually flying the bomber with the bombsight during the final bomb run. Supposedly, the Norden bombsight could factor in altitude, ground speed, and (if it could be ascertained) wind speed. In practice, accuracy wasn't all that great.

The British practiced night area bombing, with bombs being aimed on flares released by pathfinders... aircraft that preceded the main bomber force that dropped large colored flares indicating the aim point. If anything, the British bombing was less accurate than the US bombing, but the British were focused on destroying cities with area bombing.

Both the British and US air forces made up for the relative inaccuracy of their bombing with numbers... major bombing raids would employ several hundred bombers.

Addendum: early in the war, the Germans developed a night time navigation system that involved two precision radio beams that would intersect over the target. Those beams, known as Knickebein, became what was called The Battle of the Beams. The British detected those beams, and developed countermeasures to bend them off of the target. Knickebein was really only truly successful once: the raid on Coventry on 14 November, 1940, that destroyed a substantial portion of the city.

Germany did develop a couple of early guided bombs, the Fritz X and Henschel HS293. These were quite accurate when employed, but required the bomber to visually guide the bomb to the target... which became almost impossible when the Allies controlled the airspace over the potential targets.

Both Germany and Japan made extensive use of dive bombers, which were fairly accurate, albeit somewhat dangerous to the bomber crews, and required numerous small bombers with limited bomb carrying ability. A primary reason the Heinkel 177 heavy bomber failed was a requirement that it be able to dive bomb, which affected the design and resulted in a less than successful level bomber.

Japan did develop one accurate bomb, the Okha piloted bomb. It failed to make a serious impact for the same reason the German guided bombs did not succeed... the Okha had a fairly short range, and required a bomber to deliver it close to the target, at a time when the US Navy had complete control of the air over potential targets.

Precision guided bombs, as we know them today, did not appear until around 1971-1972, at the end of the Vietnam war, and weren't really employed in any great number until the first Gulf War of 1990.