Unlike firestorm, which focuses exclusively on the bombing of dresden in february 1945, among the dead cities casts a critical eye at area bombing throughout the war, including the usaafs xxi bomber commands firebombing of japanese cities starting in march 1945. On the evening of february th, 1945, the allies began a devastating series of raids on the medieval german city of dresden. Nonetheless, it was during this timeframe that the allies conducted one of the most notorious attacks of the war. The history and legacy of the allies controversial bombing campaigns near the end of world war ii. Jun 08, 2015 the allied attack on dresden in february 1945 was arguable one of the most destructive events of the second world war barring the atomic strikes.
A well researched and dispassionate account the latest edition, 2007, is now available for sale and as a free download 1. Mar 18, 2010 up to 25,000 people died in the allied bombing of dresden during world war ii fewer than often estimated, an official german report has concluded. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the firebombing of dresden and tokyo. The dresden firebombing was a series of joint united states air force usaf and royal air force raf bombing raids conducted against the german city of dresden in 1945. The allies claimed that dresden was a communication hub and was worth firebombing. Regarding the allied decision to target dresden, some proponents of the war crime position argue that an awareness of the devastation known to be caused by firebombing and the effect on the civilian population below was greater than that justified by military necessity and establishes their case on a prima facie basis. The bombing of dresden was different, canadians knew, from the very first sketchy details. Postwar saxony came under communist rule and its capital, dresden, began rebuilding, with some classic baroque dresden buildings recreated.
The firebombing of dresden original newsreel youtube. Dresden had no military targets to speak of, and was overflowing with refugees this was february of 1945, and the war was going badly for the nazis. Bombing of dresden 1945, remembrance, 15 february source. A series of allied firebombing raids begins against the german city of dresden, reducing the city to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 5,000 people. The firebombing of dresden on the night of th february, the allies bombed dresden in two waves, three hours apart. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Dresden was known as the florence on the elbe, it was a historic and beautiful city. The first round of bombing consisted of high explosives, which would expose wooden frames of buildings. The city wasnt a high value target from a military perspective, and it was renowned for its cultural significance. Slaughterhousefive was read widely as a graphic statement on the futility of war, capturing the zeitgeist of the time, when antivietnam war protests were at their zenith. The reader will learn about the bombing but the focus of the book is the morality of the bombing of the city so late in world war ii. Four bombing raids conducted by british and american air power dropped nearly 4,000 tons of conventional and incendiary bombs on the german city and.
On and 14 february 1945, allied bombers reduced the centre of the elbe city to rubble and. Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs in popular usage, any act in which an incendiary device is used to initiate a fire is often described as a firebombing. The idea of area bombing, or as some cynically state, city killing, was a new concept to warfare, with the aim of destroying large areas, indiscriminate of. One of the most controversial series of attacks in the entire conflict spanning world war ii was carried out in february, 1945, on the culturally significant and ancient german city of dresden. How people rebuilt after the horrific firebombing of dresden. B17s from 8th air force were the other arm of the dresden attacks.
Feb 15, 20 i survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime this article is more than 7 years old. Bombing of dresden 1945, remembrance, 15 february. David irving would claim in his 1963 book, the destruction of dresden, that the bombing was the biggest single massacre in european history. The controversial american and british bombing of dresden in world war ii towards the end of the war killed approximately 25,000, many of whom were civilians, and destroyed the entire city centre. Dresden burned for many more days, littering the streets with charred corpses, including many children. Dresden was a much more controversial target for civilianaffecting bombing than hamburg because, to almost all accounts, it really wasnt industrial at allsuch a cultural epicenter, in fact, that it was called elbflorenz, or florence of the elbe. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it. By the end of the bombing, the city of dresden had been severely damaged, with an estimated 90% of the city center being completely destroyed in the dresden firebombing. Bombing of dresden in world war iiarchive 7 wikipedia.
Nora lang, 83, who survived the february, 1945 firebombing by allied planes of the city of dresden, holds a plate on which one of the painted roses turned black from the heat of the fire in a. The history and legacy of the allies controversial bombing campaigns near the end of world war ii charles river editors on. Estimates of civilian dead range from 24,000 to 40,000. Department of energy has estimated that after five years there were perhaps 200,000 or more fatalities as a result of the hiroshima bombing, while the city of hiroshima itself has estimated that 237,000 people were. Nearly 1,300 tons of bombs were dropped on the ancient city between the royal air force and the u. As a royal air force memo put it before the attack, dresden, the seventh largest city in germany and not much smaller than manchester is also the largest unbombed builtup area the enemy has got. Though checked at the battle of the bulge in the west and with the soviets pressing hard on the eastern front, the third reich continued to mount a stubborn defense. Time travel, and dresden slaughterhousefive part 1.
It is oft repeated that churchill ordered the firebombing of dresden as a vicious payback for the german bombing of coventry which churchill is often accused of allowing to burn rather than reveal his access to the german codes. By comparison, the bombing of dresden a month earlier had resulted in around 25,000 deaths. Over two days and nights in february 1945, american and british bombers dropped 2,400 tons of high explosives and 1,500 tons of incendiary bombs on the german city of dresden. It follows the life and experiences of billy pilgrim, from his early years to his time as an american soldier and chaplains assistant during world war ii, to the postwar years, with billy occasionally traveling through time itself. By 1963, there was a new zwinger, by 1985 a new semper opera house. With the citys population swollen from refugees fleeing the soviet advance from the east, the death toll from fire and suffocation is unknown, but probably lies between 25,000 and 100,000. The idea of area bombing, or as some cynically state, city killing, was a new concept to warfare, with the aim of destroying large areas, indiscriminate of populationindustryetc. This article is concerned with aerial incendiary bombing as a. Despite the controversy surrounding the attack on dresden, allied bombing policy did not change. Dresdens firebombing haunts rebuilt german city bbc news. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden.
In two days, 1,200 raf and usaaf bombers dropped 3,900 tons of. The deadliest air raid in history daily planet air. With felicitas woll, john light, benjamin sadler, heiner lauterbach. Bombing of dresden still a matter of debate the globe. February, 1945 night, 2,700 bombs were dropped bombing of dresden. The march 9 raid, codenamed operation meetinghouse, marked a shift in american bombing strategy.
The resulting operation thunderclap raised a plethora of ethical questions and global controversy, damaging the allies public image and moral high ground. I was expecting more of a war book describing the bombing of dresden, the units involved in the destruction of the city and casualty statistics for both sides. Harrowing world war two archive footage shows the bombing of dresden 73 years on from the day the city was annihilated by allied planes. Bbc news up to 25,000 died in dresdens wwii bombing report. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf and 527 of the united states army air forces usaaf dropped more than 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. About the allied bombing of dresden and its relevance to the modern day. Return to dresden 1986 full movie download full hd. The bombing of dresden in february 1945 has remained one of the more controversial aspects of world war two.
Critics say that the military value of the bombing did not justify dresdens near destruction and that the city could have been spared, like rome, paris, and kyoto. Aftermath from february to february 15, 1945, during the final months of world war ii 193945, allied forces bombed the historic city of dresden, located in eastern germany. For churchill it was revenge for german attacks on london with v1 and v. Firebombing of dresden in 1945 there are many conspiracy theories surrounding it. The german city of dresden remembers the allied firebombing that killed 25,000 people at the end of world war two. British planes dropped explosive and incendiary bombs on dresden during the night of february th, 1945. It wasnt b17 flying fortresses that did the job, as marshall had predicted, but the new longdistance b29s based in saipan and tinian. Altogether 2,600 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped creating a huge firestorm that destroyed dresden.
On the 75th anniversary of the destruction of dresden in the second world war, the city commemorates with numerous events. A romance between a british pilot hiding in germany and a german nurse is shown on the background of massive allied bombing of dresden towards the end of world war 2. By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. One guest at this gala was the canadian navigator of one of the bomber planes, returning to dresden on a mission of peace that brought him faceto.
Video from an american news report in 1945 shows the. This raid, known as operation meetinghouse, caused incredible destruction, killing. The bombing of dresden, 1945 or read the fire and the darkness. But with more than 40,000 war dead by the second month of 1945, there was little objection in the country. Bombing of tokyo, march 910, 1945, firebombing raid codenamed operation meetinghouse by the united states on the capital of japan during the final stages of world war ii, often cited as one of the most destructive acts of war in history, more destructive than the bombing of dresden, hiroshima, or nagasaki. In four raids, at least 3,900 tonnes of bombs were dropped. This study analyzes the allied air raids, discovering the true extent of the damage within the city and the raids ultimate significance to the allied war effort. Bombing of dresden still a matter of debate the globe and mail. B17s used the new technology of radar guided bombing as well as the norden bomb sight for their attacks.
The bombing of dresden in february 1945 has remained one of the most controversial aspects of world war two. Critics say that the military value of the bombing did not justify dresden s near destruction and that the city could have been spared, like rome, paris, and kyoto. A pile of bodies awaits cremation after the bombing of. Commemorating the legacy of the wwii bombing of dresden. A dutydance with death is a science fictioninfused antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, first published in 1969. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden youtube. By july 1943, harris had perfected the technique of firebombing to the point that the allies were able to create a firestorm in hamburg, killing 50,000 civilians. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf and 527 of the united states army air forces usaaf dropped more than 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and.
Dresden, a city unaffected by bombing up to that point in the war, lost many thousands of civilians in the firestorm that was created by the allies. In the last months of world war ii, allied bombers conducted several major bombing raids on the eastern german city of dresden. Bombing of dresden in world war ii archive 1, that was before this current edit war started, and the figure 35,000 5,000 was in the article for 2 years. Citizens lay flowers on the altmarkt at a memorial for the victims of the bombing of dresden in the second world war 75 years ago. But with more than 40,000 war dead by the second month of 1945, there was little objection in. Nora lang, 83, who survived the february, 1945 firebombing by allied planes of the city of dresden, holds a plate on which one of the painted roses turned black from the heat of the fire level 1 2 points 4 years ago.
The bombing of dresden, 1945 online books in pdf, epub and mobi format. General timeline for the firebombing of dresden 1990. Firebombing dresden for example was a punitive stikesic which had zero military purpose and destroyed a great city and hundred of thousands of civilians many of them refugees from all over eastern europe. Nov 05, 2009 a series of allied firebombing raids begins against the german city of dresden, reducing the city to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 5,000 people. The famous 1989 demonstrations around east germany german democratic republic for democracy also drew dresdeners onto the streets. After the war restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city, including the katholische hofkirche, the zwinger and the.
A pile of bodies awaits cremation after the firebombing of dresden, february 1945. At the end of wwii, dresdeners thought they would be spared. Nov 24, 2017 bombing dresden, at soviet request in 1945, was not even ordered by churchill. Dresden the worst war crime of wwii 600,000 dead the holocaust unleashed on dresden had no strategic or tactical advantage whatsoever for the americans or the british. Bombing dresden posed a moral dilemma for the allies dresden was a cosmopolitan city filled with glorious buildings, home to the arts and music, and with a rich history. Yet there is no reason to suppose he would not have met his allys appeal. Dresdens annihilation shown in world war two video. Bombing of dresden 15 february though this will soon be knocked off the main page after its posting for one of several debates about what the german reich should have or should not have done, thanks to member revision for making a thread on this anniversary of the evil that was the bombing of dresden, germany when the reich was in its. Dresden tends to come up quite a bit in ww2 bad history thanks to people like david irving. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, during world war ii. Churchill bombed dresden as payback for coventry the. Germany was clearly on the verge of full collapse, and dresden was unable to defend itself.
On february 15, 1945, british and american bombers using incendiary bombs created a firestorm in the center of dresden, germany, gutting over thirteen square miles of the city. The dresden historians commission published its report after five years of research into the 15 february 1945 air raid by britain and the us. Bombing of dresden was an attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, that took place in the final months of the second world war in the european theatre. From reading some other accounts of the yalta conference i have always thought winston churchills and stalins decision to firebomb dresden was more about revenge. With the british, in particular, targeting german cities until the end of the war against the nazis. The firebombing occurred in dresden, germany bombing of dresden. The history and legacy of the allies controversial bombing campaigns near the end of world war ii kindle edition by charles river editors. Feb, 2015 in memory of the dresden firestorm music. On the 73rd anniversary of the firebombing of dresden, dan snow accompanies british veteran victor gregg, a pow in dresden during the raid, as he returns to the city for a historic meeting with irene uhlendorf, who was just 4 years old on the night of the bombing. All this happened, more or less, is how vonnegut introduces the novel. Aerial ls smoke rising after bombs have been dropped. Wikipedia 1 notes that dedicated factories for gunsights, radar and electronics, antiaircraft shells fuses, gas masks. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden three arrows. Firebombing dresden a war crime february, 2020 february 14, 2020 renegade 23 comments the allies firebombed one of the most beautiful cities into oblivion, along with all her innocent civilians and refugees who had flooded in seeking shelter.
Estimates of the civilian death toll range from 70,000 to 5,000 or more. Was the bombing in dresden more devastating than that of. As a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories. Following the air raids on london, winston churchill ordered the firebombing of dresden as an act of revenge against nazi germany at the end of world war ii. National history day junior individual documentary 2008. I think it should clearly be listed as one of reputable source or do not use reputable, but list the figure and the source, wikipedia.