Although the Allies considered Dresden (the capital of the German state of Saxony) a military target, several historians regard Dresden more as a cultural landmark than anything else and assert that the number of civilians killed was excessive to a criminal degree.
According to British historian Frederick Taylor:
The destruction of Dresden has an epically tragic quality to it. It was a wonderfully beautiful city and a symbol of baroquehumanism and all that was best in Germany. It also contained all of the worst from Germany during the Nazi period. In that sense it is an absolutely exemplary tragedy for the horrors of 20th Century warfare . . .
Reasons for the attack
Early in the year 1945, the higher Allied Western political-military leadership started to consider how they might aid the Soviets with the use of the strategic bomber force. The plan was to bomb Berlin and several other eastern cities in conjunction with the Soviet advance. The discussions were codenamed Operation Thunderclap. In the end the initial plan was shelved and a more limited plan was made. Sir Charles Portal, the Chief of the Air Staff, noted on January 261945, that "a severe blitz will not only cause confusion in the evacuation from the East but will also hamper the movement of troops from the West"."Dresden Bombing Is To Be Regretted Enormously", interview with Frederick Taylor, Spiegel Online, February 11, 2005
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 332, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 212, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 212, see bibliography
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 332, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 213, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, pages 206-208, see bibliography
^The Dresden Raids letter to the Editor from The Times 1966/07/07 a correction to "The Destruction of Dresden". By David Irving Pub: William Kimber; London 1963; In this letter Irving, who had previously used figures as high as 250,000 admitted the confirmed casualty figures were actually 18,375, expected to rise to 25,000 including when those not registered in the city were taken into account. Despite the admission of his mistake contained in the letter, he has still used figures as high as 100,000 in articles and books on his own web site fpp.org some written as late as 2004.
^Eyes Open to the Past, RA Magazine, Spring 2003, Verified 2005/02/26 from http://195.172.125.151/03SPRING/grass.htm. N.B. this source appears to be a personal workstation and not the official online version of the magazine which was non-functional at the time of verification
^Still Explosive, RA Magazine, Spring 2003, Verified 2005/02/26 from http://195.172.125.151/03SPRING/grass.htm. N.B. this source appears to be a personal workstation and not the official online version of the magazine which was non-functional at the time of verification
^Still Explosive, RA Magazine, Spring 2003, Verified 2005/02/26 from http://195.172.125.151/03SPRING/grass.htm. N.B. this source appears to be a personal workstation and not the official online version of the magazine which was non-functional at the time of verification
^Was Churchill Responsible?, author unknown, UK National Archives, verified 2005/02/26 N.B. this material also quotes without comment numbers of dead six times the official numbers.
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 344, see bibliography
^Still Explosive, RA Magazine, Spring 2003, Verified 2005/02/26 from http://195.172.125.151/03SPRING/grass.htm. N.B. this source appears to be a personal workstation and not the official online version of the magazine which was non-functional at the time of verification
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 345, see bibliography Churchill quote source: "The Strategic Air Offensive against Germany" (SOA), HMSO (1961) vol 3 pp 117-9
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 431, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 430, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 432, see bibliography
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 346, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 432, see bibliography
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 346, see bibliography Harris quote source: Public Records Office ATH/DO/4B quoted by Lord Zuckerman "From Apes to Warlords" p.352
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 433, see bibliography
^ "The Bombers" by Norman Longmate", page 346, see bibliography
^Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor, page 432, see bibliography
Bibliography
Taylor, Frederick. Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945. By Frederick Taylor;
