Even more importantly, the destruction of dresden attempts to acquaint a largely ignorant world outside of germany with one of the most horrific military atrocities of world war two. Dresden was a cultural mecca known for its impressive art collection. Seventyfive years ago this week, in the final months of world war ii, the. This was a cultural center where there were no military targets.
The scale of the death and destruction, coming so late in the war, along with significant questions about the legitimacy of the targets destroyed have led to years of. That it happened to have been committed by the righteous allies, rather than the usual culprits disturbs many people to no end. The destruction of dresden most germans who died in world war ii were killed during the last year of war, and the firebombing of dresden, an old saxon city, was the most infamous case. If it was expected in either london or washington that the destruction of dresden, despite its negligible military significance, would at least shatter german morale, this hope was soon to be disappointed thanks to paul joseph goebbels skillful exploitation of the disaster. Theres a story about arthur bomber harris, the chief of raf bomber command during the height of world war two. The inferno the destruction of dresden, the florence of the elbe. In the days that followed, they and their us allies. The allied destruction of dresden wasnt the biggest or deadliest aerial bombardment of a german city during world war ii. Bombing of dresden, during world war ii, allied bombing raids on february 15, 1945, that almost completely destroyed the german city of dresden. When david irving wrote his classic work the destruction of dresden in 1963, many socalled experts doubted its accuracy. Mar 07, 2017 second and concluding part of the 2videos the destruction of dresden, following the threeprong allies attack, the aftermath in the city, whwn, after some initial effort, it became impossible.
Germans gather to remember the 25,000 victims of dresden. Dresden was not a garrison city and its industry was located far away from the citys core. On february 1945, british aircraft launched an attack on the eastern german city of dresden. President frankwalter steinmeier urged germans to defend democracy on the 75th anniversary of the destruction of dresden in world war ii on thursday, as the emboldened far right rattles the. Quotes from destruction of dresden by david irving lord. Feb 12, 2012 moral bombing the destruction of dresden 12022012 by artist1900 at the conference in casablanca 1943, the allies had agreed on unconditional surrender as the final goal of the war. The air raid on pforzheim, a little jewellerymanufacturing town in wurttemberg, ten days after the destruction of dresden would create the last firestorm of the war, killing 17,600 people almost one in four of the towns population in the space of twenty minutes. The book is based on a series of 37 articles written on the strategic bombing during world war ii by david irving called wie deutschlands stadte starben english. 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. They decided to prepare the germans for accepting their conditions by the strategy of moral bombing which had been applied. Destruction of dresden by david irving, first edition. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war.
The bombing was controversial because dresdena historic city. The destruction of dresden is a 1963 book by david irving, in which the author describes the february 1945 allied bombing of dresden in world war ii. The inferno the destruction of dresden, the florence of. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. 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. He is a former reporter for the new york bureau of the associated press. Feb 12, 2020 david irving would claim in his 1963 book, the destruction of dresden, that the bombing was the biggest single massacre in european history. Editions of the destruction of dresden by david irving. Evans, the cambridge professor who represented deborah lipstadt during the irving trial, wrote. To a degree, dresdens reputation as one of europes great art and architectural treasures also started in destruction when, in 1491, half the city was devastated by fire. How germanys cities died for the german journal neue illustrierte.
The destruction of dresden by david irving goodreads. He was educated at the state university of new york at oswego and hobart college. Dresdens inhabitants knew only too well the devastation that mass bombing raids had brought to other german cities. The destruction of dresden is a 1963 nonfiction book which describes the february 1945 bombing of dresden in world war ii. That it happened to have been committed by the righteous allies, rather than. The panorama dresden 1945 tragedy and hope of a european city by berlinbased artist yadegar asisi is more than 30 meters high and has a 100meter circumference. Germany remembers 75 years since dresdens destruction. The allied destruction of dresden, 75th anniversary antiwar. As air marshal sir robert saundby comments in his foreword, the bombing of dresden was a great tragedy, the purposes of which are difficult to determine. The us and uk air forces killed 25,000 people when they carpetbombed dresden at the end of the second world war. Still today there is a question mark over the motives for the destruction of one of europes sites of. Topics the destruction of dresden language english. Apocalypse in dresden, february 1945 the national wwii.
Hoffman is an independent scholar based in coeur dalene, idaho. Those who have forgotten how to cry will learn it again when dresden goes down. Moral bombing the destruction of dresden about germany. Stung by foreign revulsion at this new st valentines day massacre, the british prime minister who had ordered it penned an angry minute to his chief of staff, even before the war ended, rasping that the destruction of dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of allied bombing. The allied destruction of dresden, 75th anniversary. But it is by far the most infamous, largely due to kurt vonneguts antiwar masterpiece slaughterhousefive. Germans gather to remember the 25,000 victims of dresden bombings. The book became an international bestseller during the 1960s debate about the morality of the world war ii area bombing of the civilian population of nazi germany. Wiking1940 destruction of dresden encyclopaedia metallum.
The destruction of dresden david irving, david irving, walter hahn on. Jul 15, 2014 dresden in ruins after allied bombings, february 1945. My darling, darling wife, i doubt that this letter will ever reach you. In the englishspeaking world, the term like dresden can be synonymous for a fire with immense destruction. While he was being driven to london from a military base in high wycombe, his speeding car was pulled over by an irate police constable. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Beginning on the night of february, 1945, more than 1,200 heavy. The destruction of dresden three months before the end of the second world war, a series of five air raids between th and 15th february 1945 practically erased the centre of. The united states army air force had bombed it twiceonce in early october 1944 and again three months later. Dresden marks 75th anniversary of citys destruction. David irving has analyzed, in an objective manner, the causes and result of this gratuitous act. The scale of the destruction in dresden was some of the most horrific of the air war in europe, and the attack has been condemned as a war crime. The destruction of dresden three months before the end of the second world war, a series of five air raids between th and 15th february 1945 practically erased the centre of dresden and extensive areas of the suburbs.
And day by day, sir winston hoped that he would be able to impress stalin with the demonstration of what allied air power could achieve so near the russian allies. British historian frederick taylor wrote of the attacks. The destruction of dresden veterans today military. The bombing of dresden remains controversial and is subject to an ongoing debate by historians and scholars regarding the moral and military justifications surrounding the event. Second and concluding part of the 2videos the destruction of dresden, following the threeprong allies attack, the aftermath in the city, whwn, after some initial effort, it became impossible.
The poet gerhart hauptmann also found haunting words to describe that night. Nevertheless, sir arthur harris had already selected dresden, now only sixty miles from the front, for destruction. A well researched and dispassionate account the latest edition, 2007, is now available for sale and as a free download 1. Feb, 2020 dresden marks 75th anniversary of citys destruction. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. Its town center was of little to no military significance. While nothing could dispel the tragedy of the lives lost, there was one bright spot amid the destruction. The destruction of dresden occurred toward the end of wwii. Sixtynine years ago today, most of the people living in the city center perished. Why the terrible destruction of dresden was justified. The terrifying story of the mightiest allied air attack of ww ii by david irving and a great selection of related books.
The city was rebuilt in a more renaissance style, the royal palace being a prime example, which had become the permanent home to the royal family in 1485. February marks the 75th anniversary of what vonnegut, who survived the bombing as a prisonerofwar. It shows the city from a 15meterhigh viewing platform, so viewers get a sense of the totality of the destruction. Until the attack, dresden, germanys seventh largest city with 600,000 inhabitants, had largely escaped the mass destruction inflicted on other urban centers. The bombing was controversial because dresdena historic city located in. At the end of world war ii the city of dresden was in ruins, all its buildings destroyed and thousands of civilians dead.
The city, with a population of 350,000, was a cultural landmark in northern germany with many world famous museums and historic buildings. The destruction of dresden has an epically tragic quality to it. For days, the propaganda ministry in berlin poured out, both in its. Destruction of dresden by david irving, first edition abebooks.
February marks the 75th anniversary of what vonnegut, who survived the bombing as a prisonerofwar, called carnage unfathomable. But it is by far the most infamous, largely due to kurt vonneguts. David irving would claim in his 1963 book, the destruction of dresden, that the bombing was the biggest single massacre in european history. The britishamerican bombing of dresden took place between february 15, 1945 during the final months of world war ii. Was the destruction of dresden an allied war crime. In the last months of world war ii, allied bombers conducted several major bombing raids on the eastern german city of dresden.
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