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The bombing attack on Dresden, Germany, stands among the most controversial Allied actions of World War II. From February 13 to 15, 1945, 800 bombers dropped some 2,700 tons of explosives and incendiaries, decimating the German city. Tens of thousands died.
American prisoners of war had heard the “whump a whump” of distant aerial bombings many times before. But on February 13, 1945, they heard Dresden’s fire sirens howl right above their heads. German guards moved them two stories down into a meat locker. When they came back to the surface, “the city was gone,” remembered writer and social critic Kurt Vonnegut—one of the American POWs who witnessed the Dresden bombing.
Observers noted early on that the bombing of Dresden not only meant the death of civilians but the destruction of a center of European culture and Baroque splendor. Since the rule of August the Strong (1670-1733), the “German Florence” on the Elbe, was home to famous collections of art, porcelain, prints, scientific instruments and jewelry.
Many Germans perceived a particular injustice in the late bombing of Dresden in February 1945—a sentiment that gained some international traction in the postwar years. Dresden was a densely crowded city in the winter of 1945, filled with refugees fleeing the advancing Red Army. For most of them, the end of the war looked near and inevitable and a full-scale attack was unnecessary.
www.history.com
American prisoners of war had heard the “whump a whump” of distant aerial bombings many times before. But on February 13, 1945, they heard Dresden’s fire sirens howl right above their heads. German guards moved them two stories down into a meat locker. When they came back to the surface, “the city was gone,” remembered writer and social critic Kurt Vonnegut—one of the American POWs who witnessed the Dresden bombing.
Observers noted early on that the bombing of Dresden not only meant the death of civilians but the destruction of a center of European culture and Baroque splendor. Since the rule of August the Strong (1670-1733), the “German Florence” on the Elbe, was home to famous collections of art, porcelain, prints, scientific instruments and jewelry.
Many Germans perceived a particular injustice in the late bombing of Dresden in February 1945—a sentiment that gained some international traction in the postwar years. Dresden was a densely crowded city in the winter of 1945, filled with refugees fleeing the advancing Red Army. For most of them, the end of the war looked near and inevitable and a full-scale attack was unnecessary.
Why Was Dresden So Heavily Bombed? | HISTORY
By the end of the three‑day Allied bombing attack of World War II, the German city had been leveled and tens of thousands were dead.
www.history.com
