The present volume, apocalypse 1945, revises and updates that work on the basis of information which has become available since 1963. Since the soviet invasion in january, millions of terrified trekkers, desperate to put as much space between themselves and the red army as possible, had fled through dresden. The three main instances of incendiary warfare in wwii began in hamburg in 1943 and followed by dresden and tokyo in 1945. 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. Between october 7, 1944 and april 17, 1945 dresden was bombed by an estimated 2,500 bombers.
The attraction dresden had for bomber command was that the centre of the city should burn easily and magnificentlv. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed more than 1,600 acres. Translated and published around the world, it became a bestseller in many countries. Moreover, two the most ardent killers of dresden churchill. Bombing of dresden in world war iiarchive 2 wikipedia. Tuesday february 1945 by frederick taylor 544pp, bloomsbury. 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. Apr 02, 2007 the general interest chapters include jeremy crang on famous philologist victor klemperers dresden with its horrific detail of nazi antisemitism as well as his experience in the raid. The bombing of dresden in february 1945 has remained one of the most controversial aspects of world war two.
Of all the many names it was known by, nothing better described dresden in february, 1945, than refugee city. A pile of bodies awaits cremation after the firebombing of dresden, february 1945. Some people in dresden and elsewhere claim that the bombing of dresden by the raf and the usaaf is a war crime. 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 a 1965 letter to the guardian, irving later adjusted his estimates even. There have been many books on the bombing of dresden. Whats the best historynonfiction book on the bombing of.
From 1940 onward, the allies bombed germany and the occupied countries as thoroughly as they could manage. Tuesday, february, 1945 1st by taylor, frederick isbn. Newspaper articles immediately following the bombing feb. Well rounded history of the controversial bombing of dresden between february and 15, 1945. A pile of bodies awaits cremation after the bombing of.
First, if the reader expects the storyline to read as does the formulaic but comprehensive works of martin middlebrook, the reader might be disappointed. Royal air force and the us army caused unimaginable destruction to the city of dresden, the. Dresden ww2 bombing raids killed 25,000 people but. The bombing of dresden saw much of the citys great architecture and rich culture destroyed in one night. Jan 24, 2014 whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden. In february 1945 the allies obliterated dresden, the florence of the elbe. 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 bombing of dresden by the british royal air force raf and united states army air force usaaf between february and february 15, 1945 were war crimes. Was dresden a legitimate military target or was the bombing. Churchill bombed dresden as payback for coventry the.
It also puts the bombing of dresden in context as well as giving a short history of saxony and the city of dresden. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime victor gregg as a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories of those terrible. The tragic irony of the raid on dresden, a medieval city renowned for its rich. The idea for the fire came to friedrich accidentally one night in february 2002, and since its publication, the book has been translated into ten languages, sparking debate. Nov 05, 2009 on the evening of february, 1945, a series of allied firebombing raids begins against the german city of dresden, reducing the florence of the elbe to rubble and flames, and killing.
Between feb and 15 in 1945 dresden was destroyed in four raids by the royal air force and the us army air force. Despite these official reports, irving inflates the death toll in order to, by comparison, diminish the role of auschwitzbirkenau in the holocaust as well as the number of jews murdered throughout the war. Nov 12, 20 there were several tragic pages in the long history of dresden, but the real catastrophe took place here from february th to 15th, 1945. In his book dresden, mckay has made good use of the oral history archive available in the city to reconstruct the personal stories of survivors. Feb 15, 20 i survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime victor gregg. We have to look at dresden in the light of the morality of the time. David irving 1945 air raid on dresden killed more than 300,000. 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. Was the allied bombing of dresden a possible war crime. It is wellwritten, fastpaced and informative as well as opinionated. Also in 1965, the final report on the dresden deaths, given by the dresden.
The casualty figures reported by german fire and police services ranged between 25,000 and 35,000 dead. She runs, she falls, and the child flies in an arc into the fire. Was dresden a legitimate military target or was the bombing a last act of atavistic mass murder in a war already won. Searched the sub and found some info on order, but the stuff i found was fragmented or only about the books proper no or limited info on the short stories, not to mention the comic books. 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. Dresden was attacked seven times between 1944 and 1945, and was occupied by the red army after the german capitulation. Dresden was known as florence on the elbe, but its beauty and history. The destruction of dresden is a 1963 nonfiction book which describes the february 1945 bombing of dresden in world war ii. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf. The nuremberg and tokyo trials were organized as the last battles for. 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. Dec, 2008 in 1945 the geneva convention did not prohibit the general bombing of a town to destroy its industrial capacity. The bombing of dresden by the british royal air force raf and united states army air force usaaf between february and february 15, 1945 were war crimes committed by the allies of world war ii. How germanys cities died for the german journal neue illustrierte.
At about 6pm on february 1945, aircraft from raf bomber commands elite 5 group took off from swinderby in. Holocaust deniers often use the allied bombing of dresden february 14. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it. On the evening of february, 1945, a series of allied firebombing raids begins against the german city of dresden, reducing the florence of the elbe to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 5,000 people. Nicola lambournes argument with which not all will agree that the gdrs reconstruction of the city demonstrated a consciousness of dresden s cultural history. Bombs weighing over 1,000 lbs fell every seven and a half seconds and an estimated 25,000 people were killed. See also david irving, life under fire the right to be wrong at. Official reports show that between 25,000 and 35,000 people were killed during the dresden air raid. In four raids, 1,300 heavy bombers dropped more than 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. At the time of the attacks on february 14, 1945, the inhabitants of dresden were mostly women and children, many of whom had just arrived as refugees from the east. Other than stylistic npov improvements, i would like to know is this is true. 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.
By the next morning, more than 4,500 tons of high explosives and incendiary devices had been dropped on the unprotected city. At about 6pm on february 1945, aircraft from raf bomber commands elite 5 group took. Aftermath from february to february 15, 1945, during the final months of world war ii 193945, allied forces bombed the historic city of dresden. It is also in my opinion a particularly evenhanded work. On the evening of february, 1945, a series of allied firebombing raids begins against the german city of dresden, reducing the florence of the elbe to rubble and flames. The bombing of dresden, 1945 sinclair mckays the fire and darkness is an odd sort of book as it documents the firebombing of dresden on february,14 of 1945. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Whole refugee families must have been engulfed by the dresden holocaust, with nobody surviving to report them as missing. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden. Whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden. I wrote this book, which earned a lot of money for me and made my reputation, such as it is. The article calls the bombing one of the greatest night attacks of the war, and reports that the raf sent 1,400 aircraft over germany to support the red armys. The 1945 dresden raid was surely one of the most destructive airraids. An overview of the widespread destruction in the centre of dresden, later in 1945.
Why did the us fire bomb dresden and murder all those. Tuesday, february 1945 and over 8 million other books. 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. On the evening of february, 1945, a series of allied firebombing raids begins. It is oft repeated that churchill ordered the firebombing of dresden as a vicious payback for the german bombing of coventry which. In 1965 i worked with a phd in mathematics who claimed that he had worked on the mathematics of firestorms. Moreover, two the most ardent killers of dresden churchill and eisenhower were granted after the war by the second premiership and doubleterm presidentship, respectively, in their countries. Fire storm over dresden the unremembered holocaust. Irving, whose influential book on dresden was the first in english to present the case against the legitimacy of the attack, claimed that 25,000 people may have been executed in auschwitz, but that five times that number had been killed in dresden in one night. Not one military unit, not one antiaircraft battery was deployed in the city. Dresden by frederick taylor is a very good book about the devastating bombing of dresden in 1945. At toyko the fire bomb raid of march 910, 1945, killed 83. Together with the 600,000 refugees from breslau, dresden. On the eve of valentines day, 1945, world war ii in europe was nearly over.
There were over half a million homeless refugees in the streets of dresden, fleeing the red army siege of breslau to the east. For victor klemperer the bombing of dresden had actually brought salvation. The new york times first reported the bombing on 14 february 1945. On january 1, 1945, the german army general staff secretly classified dresden a defensive areapart of a line of lastditch resistance to the red armys advance. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe. 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. He lives in grosvenor square, london, and is the father of. Together with the 600,000 refugees from breslau, dresden was filled with nearly 1. On the night of february, 1945, seven hundred and ninetysix lancaster bombers of the royal air force took off from bases in england, flew a zigzag course to germany, and unloaded more than. 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. Bombing of dresden in world war ii archive 1 % of dresden and germany bombed to ruins removed. Fire and fury the allied bombing of germany and japan.
Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. You dont need to be a history hunt to know about the most obscure and surprise bombing of the wwii in the capital of the german state of saxonydresden. As one of the few surviving jews in the city, he had spent the th february distributing official letters warning most of the remaining jews to report for deportation. Despite these official reports, irving inflates the death toll in order to, by comparison. Far from an account of two catastrophic days in february 1945, the book surveys the whole history of the city of dresden from its thirteenthcentury foundation to the recent turn of the century postcommunist years, a comprehensive overall story which taylor has thoroughly researched and sets out vividly. British and american bombers dropped 3,500 tons of fire and explosive bombs on the city. Randall hansen and sinclair mckay detail the personal stories and. A dutydance with death is a science fictioninfused antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, first published in 1969. During the evening of february an 14, 1945, dresden was attacked by 772 english and 311 american bombers. After the firestorm debating the dresden death toll. The war film or miniseries must be concerned with world war ii or the sinojapanese war and include events which feature as a part of the war effort for short films, see the list of world war ii short films. In 1965, irvings tb47 was shown to be a clumsy forgery after the real tb47 turned up. The most appalling air attack of ww iia ballantine war book mass market paperback 1965.
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. Dresden in ruins, 1945 by unknown artist pictures of dresden before and after the wwii bombing retro pin what happened on february the fire bombing of dresden. There was a 2004 metafilter thread on the book 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.
Cold war rhetoric and sensationalist presentations in history books and movies have clouded the facts ever since. Firestorm over dresden germany full the allied massacre. The destruction of dresden is a 1963 book by david irving, in which the author describes the february 1945. Fire storm over dresden the unremembered holocaust holocaust over dresden, known as the florence of the north. A mushroom cloud rises over the city of nagasaki on august 9, 1945, following the. Foreword to the original 1963 edition of the destruction of dresden, by air marshal sir robert saundby. Discover chicago, illinois historical newspaper archives from 18412012 in more than 3. From february to 15, 1945, american and british bombers unleashed a devastating firestorm on the beautiful city of dresden. Till february 1945 the beautiful city was never bombed and for the fugitives a save city. The original book dresden written prior to the mid 1960s told the truth without any revision of history or facts. The bombing of dresden was a british american aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, during world war ii in the european theatre.
By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. Germany would be forced to surrender three months later. Feb, 2015 it was just another target and one town on fire is very much the same as another only the acreage was greater. Bombing of dresden in world war iiarchive 7 wikipedia. For beginning on the night of february th, 1945, occurred the destruction of dresden. Jan 01, 2005 readers should not be misled by the title of this massive work. Allied strategic bombing raid against the german city of dresden.
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. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the. 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 allies decided to use incendiary bombs, over 3900 tons of them, over the city of dresden. Dresden files chronological order planning my next readthrough of the series and wanted to be able to experience the dresdenverse in chronological order. From 1940 onward, the allies bombed germany and the occupied countries as thoroughly as they. You see, i have a copy of your original book which was printed by landverlag gmbh dortmund, germany in 1951.
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