If these more extreme estimates have any validity, then the dresden death toll would potentially surpass the estimated 129,000226,000 killed in the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. That book, the fire, caused controversy both here and in britain by suggesting the air campaign may have been a war crime. Bombing of dresden in world war ii military wiki fandom. The committee for the compilation of materials on damage caused by the atomic bombs in hiroshima and nagasaki, hiroshima and nagasaki. Understanding the bombing of dresden book summaries, test. 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. In the original book, one pilot reported that while flying at 5,000 feet on a bombing run he saw, because of the fierce burning of dresden, a freight car shoot past his plane.
Wola massacre vs bombing of dresden in world war ii vs bombing of budapest in world war ii number of victims comparable, probably more died in wolathan in dresden. 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. We remember the worst war crime in human historythe. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe. On the evening of february th, 1945, the allies began a devastating series of raids on the medieval german city of dresden. 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. In late february 1945, over 300 b29s began a nightattack on the city of.
Mar 17, 2011 the documentary of the tragic bombing of dresden. Not specifically about just dresden but a great piece on the bombings of german cities and why authors and people in germany in general didnt talk much about it. Whats the best historynonfiction book on the bombing of. 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. A dutydance with death 1969, which is a satirical novel about world war ii experiences and journeys through time of a soldier named billy pilgrim. After the firestorm debating the dresden death toll.
The march 9 raid, codenamed operation meetinghouse, marked a shift in american bombing strategy. The original book dresden written prior to the mid 1960s told the truth without any revision of history or facts. Dec 01, 2016 overall, by sahr conwaylanzs calculation, the us firebombing campaign destroyed 180 square miles of 67 cities, killed more than 300,000 people and injured an additional 400,000, figures that exclude the atomic bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki which took 140,000 lives by the end of 1945. Beginning on the night of february, 1945, more than 1,200 heavy. In two days, 1,200 raf and usaaf bombers dropped 3,900 tons of. Bbc news europe horrific firebombing images published. Jan 01, 2011 many people said the firebombing, but even if you go with the very high estimate of 200,000 as one person answered, the abombs still killed more.
The deadliest air raid in history daily planet air. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Dresden is a city located in eastern germany that recently paid its respects to the thousands of people who were victims of the allied firebombing attack in february 1945. Dresden and the horror from above the washington post. Real history explains game of thrones latest twist the.
We have to look at dresden in the light of the morality of the time. 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. Some people in dresden and elsewhere claim that the bombing of dresden by the raf and the usaaf is a war crime. 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. The wola article is about 10 times shorter, no eyewitness acounts, no details of the crimes. The 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. This map shows the range of the destruction caused by the atomic bomb dropped over hiroshima. To my mind dresden was an atrocity in a way hiroshima was not, he said. In terms of physical destruction beyond that of human losses, the bombing of dresden and the resulting firestorm destroyed over 1,600 acres 6. An astounding,000 people gathered on both sides of dresden s elbe river on february th to link arms in solidarity. I read somewhere the bombing of dresden was in response to the bombing of english coventry. The allied forces massacred deliberately civilians in ordinary cities young men not at war, mothers with children, vacationers, etc. Wikipedia 1 notes that dedicated factories for gunsights, radar and electronics, antiaircraft shells fuses, gas masks.
The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. All this happened, more or less, is how vonnegut introduces the novel. American fire bombing and atomic bombing of japan in history. 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. Mark selden is a senior research associate in the east asia program at cornell university and a coordinator of the asiapacific journal. Frederick taylors wellresearched and unpretentious book is a robust defence of the dresden raids that counters recent attempts to recast the. Mar 09, 2015 it was the highest death toll of any air raid during the war, including hiroshima and nagasaki. Aftermath from february to february 15, 1945, during the final months of world war ii 193945, allied forces bombed the. That seems odd in relation to 911 because the united states was attacked on its own soil.
The three main instances of incendiary warfare in wwii began in hamburg in 1943 and followed by dresden and tokyo in 1945. 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. Dresden was raided by 3,600 planes, which dropped 650,000 incendiaries, alongside 8,000 lb. Vonneguts use of the firebombing of dresden as a central event makes the novel semiautobiographical, as he was present. Dresden pays its respect to the victims of the 1945 allied. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it. The allied forces firebombed dresden when the german nation no longer could defend itself. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war. It was the highest death toll of any air raid during the war, including hiroshima and nagasaki. Firebombing knocked out half of the factories in kobe and was part of one of the biggest attacks in the war. In the last months of world war ii, allied bombers conducted several major bombing raids on the eastern german city of dresden. A dutydance with death is a science fictioninfused antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, first published in 1969. American writer kurt vonnegut was best known for his book slaughterhousefive, or the childrens crusade. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, that took place during the second world war in the european theatre.
During the whole war, 1,236 people were killed in coventry, and coventry had more than dozen of the aircraft plants. Top 5 weird ww2 german prototypes that actually flew duration. 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. Many people said the firebombing, but even if you go with the very high estimate of 200,000 as one person answered, the abombs still killed more. May 14, 2019 possibly the most divisive episode in thrones history, the bells was redolent with reminders of realworld history. 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. 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. Vonneguts use of the firebombing of dresden as a central event makes the novel semi. How people rebuilt after the horrific firebombing of dresden. 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. Jul 29, 2009 dresden 24,000 and 40,000 civilian casualties. David irving would claim in his 1963 book, the destruction of dresden, that the bombing was the biggest single massacre in european history. By comparison, the bombing of dresden a month earlier had resulted in around 25,000 deaths. 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.
Both hiroshima and dresden were attacks by the united states of america. 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. In 1945 the geneva convention did not prohibit the general bombing of a town to destroy its industrial capacity. Overall, by sahr conwaylanzs calculation, the us firebombing campaign destroyed 180 square miles of 67 cities, killed more than 300,000 people and injured an additional 400,000, figures that exclude the atomic bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki which took 140,000 lives by the end of 1945. See more ideas about dresden, dresden bombing and world war ii. The conventional firebombing of dresden from about bombers was roughly comparable with the atomic bombing of hiroshima or nagasaki in terms of destruction and victims. 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. Newman, author of an upcoming book on hiroshima, agrees. Bombing of dresden in world war iiarchive 15 wikipedia. State and citizen responses to the us firebombing and atomic bombing of japan, vol.
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. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime this article is more than 7 years old. It was the single most destructive bombing of the most destructive war in historyincluding hiroshima and nagasakiand all the more horrendous because little, if we remember the worst war crime in human historythe firebombing of dresden, february 15, 1945 carolyn yeager. An astounding,000 people gathered on both sides of dresdens elbe river on february th to link arms in solidarity. Tuesday february 1945, the guardian 7th february, 2004. 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. Little boy killed 80k right away, with 60k more dying by the end of the year from nuclear fallout sickness. Was the bombing in dresden more devastating than that of. 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.
Feb 06, 2004 frederick taylors wellresearched and unpretentious book is a robust defence of the dresden raids that counters recent attempts to recast the nation that gave the world auschwitz as the second. By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. As a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories. 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. Strategic bombing survey, field report covering air raid protection and allied subjects tokyo n. The bombing of dresden 1945 by crang, jeremy a, addison, paul isbn. On the evening of february, 1945, a series of allied firebombing raids began against the german city of dresden, reducing the florence of the elbe to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 5,000 people. By late 1943 dresden was already overstretched and finding it hard to accept more outsiders. 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. Critical essays understanding the bombing of dresden the bombing of dresden began february, 1945, and lasted through april 17 a period of two months yet even today, it remains one of the most controversial military decisions in modern warfare. 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. By comparison, the atomic bombing of hiroshima resulted in a radius of total destruction of about 1 mile 1.
American fire bombing and atomic bombing of japan in. Firebombing of dresden in 1945 there are many conspiracy theories surrounding it. Battle over aleppo is over, russia says, as evacuation deal reached dresden, germany, after u. It was the single most destructive bombing of the most destructive war in historyincluding hiroshima and nagasakiand all the more horrendous because little, if. Mr friedrich collected the photos from town archives across germany while touring the country last year presenting a book about the allied bombing. Tuesday, february, 1945 that dresden had been accepting refugees from the devastated cities of the ruhr, and from hamburg and berlin, ever since the british bombing campaign began in earnest. 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. Oct 22, 2003 mr friedrich collected the photos from town archives across germany while touring the country last year presenting a book about the allied bombing. The physical, medical and social effects of the atomic bombing new york. Extremely sad and incredibly depressing dresden and. I also highly recommend the book on the natural history of destruction by w. Possibly the most divisive episode in thrones history, the bells was redolent with reminders of realworld history.
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