Nobody talks about the firebombing of dresden and many many other german cities, and people rarely talk about hiroshima and nagasaki. The sirens stopped and after a short period of silence the first wave of. 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 was controversial because dresdena historic city located in. During the whole war, 1,236 people were killed in coventry, and coventry had more than dozen of the aircraft plants.
The history and legacy of the allies most controversial attack on germany. American fire bombing and atomic bombing of japan in. Contrast the purpose and results of the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki with the firebombing of dresden. The deadliest air raid in history daily planet air. The history and legacy of the allies most controversial attack on germany charles river editors on. But few in the united states are aware that the attack even took place. David irving would claim in his 1963 book, the destruction of dresden, that the bombing was the biggest single massacre in european history. Still, dresden was known for its beauty and was called the florence. How come the bombings of dresden, hiroshima and nagasaki are. Each contributor writes from his or her own perspective, offering the reader a panoramic.
The bombing was controversial because dresdena historic city. 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. Back in the 1960s and 70s, kurt vonnegut was a bestselling author and considered one of the countrys most brilliant postwar novelists. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Account for the readiness of the government to discuss one event but not the other. Top 5 weird ww2 german prototypes that actually flew duration. How are the bombings of hamburg and dresden viewed in your. This was one of germanys cultural capitals, a city renowned for its elegant architecture and regal atmosphere, yet in february 1945 the allies dropped almost 4,000 tonnes of explosives, laying waste to the iconic. And while the german blitz over england became the subject of many books and movies, the. The britishamerican bombing of dresden took place between. Like dresden, the hiroshima story was supposed to parallel 911 and the feelings of loss that oskar experienced. The britishamerican bombing of dresden took place between february 15, 1945 during the final months of world war ii. Till february 1945 the beautiful city was never bombed and for the fugitives a save city. Last night, the raf also hit oil plants at nuremberg, bonn and dortmund.
Whats the best historynonfiction book on the bombing of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Extremely sad and incredibly depressing dresden and. But the allies firebombing of dresden and nuclear destruction of hiroshima and nagasaki. Feb 19, 2015 originally posted by bus man the blood of dresdens dead, however many of them there were, is on hitlers hands and his alone. 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. 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. Whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden. 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. The dresden bombing took more planes, but it saved the lives of some jewish persons. After the hiroshima and nagasaki bombings, as well as the firebombing of japan, the dresden bombing holds an important place in history.
Im trying to learn more about the history of the bombing of dresden, and am looking for the most reliable yet accessible source. 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. If you want to find another book from sinclair mckay just type the title or author in the top search box. Even before the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki, the march 1945 firebombing of tokyo left more than 100,000 dead. 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. Nov 12, 20 it is twice as many as in hiroshima, 71,879. 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. It doesnt jibe with what we are taught about how good guys behave. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic that stirs the conscience of humanity the new york times. A distinguished commission of german historians titled dresden commission of historians for the ascertainment of the number of victims of the air raids on the city of dresden on 14 february 1945 estimates the likely death toll in dresden at. Hiroshima has a figure of about 45,000 on the first day of attack and some 1520,000 or more during the next four months from radiation burns. Gargi pradhan, grace fassio, rachel willson, julia peter, jahnavi prasanna. By comparison, the bombing of dresden a month earlier had resulted in around 25,000 deaths. Mar 28, 2009 the reason people are so vocal with their criticism of things like the atomic bomb attacks on hiroshima and nagasaki and the firebombing of hamburg and dresden is because those were carried out by the allies and the allies were supposed to be the good guys.
As a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories of those. All this happened, more or less, is how vonnegut introduces the novel. As part of four different raids between february 15, heavy bombers of the british royal air force and the us army caused unimaginable destruction to the city of dresden, the capital of the. Kate selbig, vibhav peri, kushagra verma, evan zhu. 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.
Why is the usa not condemned for the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. But its easy to sit here most of a century later and second guess the past. Dec 01, 2016 this article has reflected on the political dynamics that lie behind the differential treatment of the firebombing and atomic bombing of japan in both japan and the united states, events that brought disaster to the japanese nation, but also contributed to ending a bitter war and paved the way for the rebirth of a japan stripped of its empire. 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.
Like fire bombing civilians in nice, legal wars with a clear moral purpose. The bombing of dresden, 1945 pdf book by sinclair mckay has a great rating 4. But his assertion that dresden was the hiroshima of germany. Today marks the seventieth anniversary of the american firebombing of tokyo, world war iis deadliest day. This article has reflected on the political dynamics that lie behind the differential treatment of the firebombing and atomic bombing of japan in both japan and the united states, events that brought disaster to the japanese nation, but also contributed to ending a bitter war and paved the way for the rebirth of a japan stripped of its empire. Kristina fulton, read every good book about nuclear bombs, spent years. Battle over aleppo is over, russia says, as evacuation deal reached dresden, germany, after u. An astounding,000 people gathered on both sides of dresdens elbe river on february th to link arms in solidarity.
Michael burleigh is won over by dresden, frederick taylors staunch defence of the bombing raid condemned by others. We found 55 books set in dresden and 14 others set nearby. A dutydance with death is a science fictioninfused antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, first published in 1969. 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 resulting operation thunderclap raised a plethora of ethical questions. The bombing of dresden, 1945 ebook description the fire and the darkness. 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. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it. American fire bombing and atomic bombing of japan in history and memory. The anonymous refugees will always make the total number unknown. As explained in the history of the bombings, the united states created a set of nuclear bombs that were dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki only 6 months after severe firebombing of japans largest and most populated cities. As historian john dower described in his 1986 book war without.
But theres a holocaust museum next to every starbucks, and dont you dare go poking into the evidence. Hiroshimas death toll is thought to be around 5,000. I read somewhere the bombing of dresden was in response to the bombing of english coventry. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe. Stung but unbowed, the royal air force raf avenged the bombings of london and coventry in 1942 when it. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the. In world war ii, perhaps the greatest single act of allied war terror was the firebombing of the florence of the elbe. Jul 29, 2009 more people died at hiroshima than dresden.
Robert oppenheimer, the physicist who headed the manhattan project, draws such questions to a focus that resembles the bead of a lasergunsight on a victims breastbone. The bombing was controversial because dresden was neither important to german wartime production nor a major industrial center. 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. Michael burleigh is won over by dresden, frederick taylors staunch defence of the bombing raid condemned by others as a war crime. May 14, 2019 possibly the most divisive episode in thrones history, the bells was redolent with reminders of realworld history. 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 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. Dresden death toll estimates introduction the bombing of dresden remains one of the deadliest and ethically most problematic raids of world war ii.
And the hiroshima and nagasaki bombings took far fewer planes, but helped end the hostilities and saved the lives of many of the remaining american pows held in hellish conditions by the japanese. Was the bombing in dresden more devastating than that of. Aug 04, 2012 was firebombing of dresden by the raf a war crime. While the use of nuclear weapons has led many to strive for deterrence against any future usage, so to have.
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. Germany would be forced to surrender three months later. 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. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a.
By comparison, the bombing of dresden a month earlier had resulted. American fire bombing and atomic bombing of japan in history. Feb 15, 20 a flower lies on a grave at the heidefriedhof cemetery during a memorial to mark the 68th anniversary of the bombing of dresden. As explained in the history of the bombings, the united states created a set of nuclear bombs that were dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki only 6 months after severe firebombing of. Once again i believe that the parallel is lost between the stories. The march 9 raid, codenamed operation meetinghouse, marked a shift in american. Why this premier cultural city was devastated during world war ii continues to be clouded. After the firestorm debating the dresden death toll. In the case of dresden, many say the city was full of refugees from the east fleeing the red army. See more ideas about dresden, dresden bombing and world war ii. 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. The novel implies a connection between 911 and the characters, but never really goes into depth about the world trade center attack. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war.
American writer kurt vonnegut was best known for his book slaughterhousefive, or the childrens crusade. The allies claimed that dresden was a communication hub and was worth firebombing. 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. Vonneguts use of the firebombing of dresden as a central event makes the novel semi. The allies showered dresden with 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and incendiary devices, resulting in a horrendous firestorm killing up to 25,000 per the more reasonable, nongerman propagandist estimates released immediately after the bombing. The atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki and the fire bombing of tokyo rival dresden for murderous destruction, but those cities were legitimate targets that contained vital war industries and military facilities. Mar 17, 2011 the documentary of the tragic bombing of dresden.
Dresden pays its respect to the victims of the 1945 allied. By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. Dresden was known as the florence on the elbe, it was a historic and beautiful city. This is for an english paper so please include sources. The bombing of dresden 1945 by crang, jeremy a, addison, paul isbn. Personally i dont think any deliberate targeting of civilians is acceptable in war, and that includes the firebombing of dresden and tokyo, as well as the nuclear bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. Feb 03, 2004 well rounded history of the controversial bombing of dresden between february and 15, 1945. Allied attack and tackled the controversial event in his book slaughterhousefive.
The deadliest air raid in history the firebombing of tokyo on march 9, 1945 marked the beginning of the end for imperial japan. Dresden is regarded by the allies as the centre of its rail network linking eastern and southern germany with berlin, prague and vienna. 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. Jan 24, 2014 whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden. It was one of the most controversial allied acts of the war. It was the highest death toll of any air raid during the war, including hiroshima and nagasaki. As an american prisoner of war, kurt vonnegut witnessed the firebombing of dresden, germany in 1945. Pictures drawn by atomic bomb survivors by japan broadcasting corporation, hiroshima by john.
On august 6, 1945, hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. Possibly the most divisive episode in thrones history, the bells was redolent with reminders of realworld history. Download or read online this books in pdf, epub and mobi format. Id agree that there is not much redeeming about the soviet system though even authors of books on the gulag. Kurt vonneguts celebrated novel about the dresden firebombing. 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. This book, john herseys journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Jan 25, 2016 kurt vonneguts celebrated novel about the dresden firebombing.
35 1220 861 343 715 913 100 9 1078 370 1040 734 625 730 1220 62 1551 295 1168 739 1319 705 1435 385 924 640 929 481 721 92 572 1105 1487 827 1486 1400 1072 1181 200 1479 49 1208