It also puts the bombing of dresden in context as well as giving a short history of saxony and the city of dresden. Newspaper articles immediately following the bombing feb. During the course of the war approximately 85% of the city was destroyed due to german mass bombings, heavy artillery fire and a planned. I have been to germany many times, but never to dresden. The bombing of dresden has been used by holocaust deniers and pronazi polemicistsmost notably by british writer david irving in his book the destruction of dresdenin an attempt to establish a moral equivalence between the war crimes committed by the nazi government and the killing of german civilians by allied bombing raids. 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. The bombing of dresden a summary from about 10 pm on the night of february 1945 until noon the following day, the east german city of dresden was the subject of one the most intense bombing raids of the second world war. Dresden was struck by fighter planes, which resulted in the destruction of the city. Dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, was firebombed by allied air forces the british royal air force raf and the united states army air force usaaf over three days february 15, 1945 near the end of world war ii. New book examines the bombing of dresden a tale of. It also may refer to german bombing raids during the warsaw uprising in 1944.
Several german cities were targeted but it is the bombing of dresden, and its utter destruction, that came to. The bombing of coventry and dresden scrapbookpages blog. It is wellwritten, fastpaced and informative as well as opinionated. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime this article is more than 7 years old. Jan 24, 2014 whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden. Whats the best historynonfiction book on the bombing of. Victor gregg is a 93 yearold survivor of the dresden firebombing of wwii, and this book is based on his recollections of. I cant stand the thought of standing where so many people were burned to death 65 years ago today. When kurt vonnegut was at work on his hugely influential antiwar novel, he was writing to save his own life, his daughter said. The bombing of dresden 1945 by crang, jeremy a, addison, paul isbn. From dresden on the 50th anniversary of slaughterhousefive. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden youtube. Whats the best historynon fiction book on the bombing of dresden.
The dresden files, book sixteen by jim butcher from amazons fiction books store. By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. 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. The bombing was controversial because dresdena historic city. 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. 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. On the night of and 14 february 1945 the raf bombed the city of dresden, causing devastating fires which obliterated the historic city centre and killed many thousands of people. The 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 ww2. Germany would be forced to surrender three months later. Memory and the politics of commemorating destruction, to be launched on thursday, april 2, dr joel tracks the way the story around the bombing of dresden has been written, rewritten and appropriated since 1945. Movie about dresden stirs criticism in germany germans have never been sure how to deal with the world war ii bombing of the city of dresden. In all the news stories today, the number of people killed in the bombing of dresden is given as 25,000. When the supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, harry dresden, chicagos only professional wizard, joins the white councils security team to make sure the talks stay civil.
The attraction dresden had for bomber command was that the centre of the city should burn easily and magnificentlv. Theres no love lost between harry dresden, the only wizard in the chicago phone book, and the white council of wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. Frederick taylors wellresearched and unpretentious book is a robust defence of the dresden raids that counters recent attempts to recast the. May 02, 2015 pictures of dresden before and after the wwii bombing may 2, 2015 ian smith 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 saxony dresden. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war. The format of several different writers was intended to expand the perspective, but it was largely repetetive and judgemental. 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. Knowing that refugees from the east had since fled there in panic and fear, the americans joined in with 2,000 bombers. A dutydance with death is a science fictioninfused antiwar novel by kurt vonnegut, first published in 1969. Vonneguts use of the firebombing of dresden as a central event makes the novel semi. 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. No single preceding book on the bombing war has so succinctly summed up the complex responses felt. According to irisheyz, a poster on the website library thing the dresden files series order. A survivors story, february 1945 reprint by victor gregg isbn.
The dresden files is a series of contemporary fantasymystery novels written by american author jim butcher. Dresden had very little industrial activity, and it was a target only once before in a small raid by the us air force in october of 1944. Here is a panoramic reassessment of the evidence and the issues, including the question of whether the bombing of the city constitutes a war crime. The present volume, apocalypse 1945, revises and updates that work on the basis of information which has become available since 1963. As a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. There must be tons of human bone meal in the ground. The new york times first reported the bombing on 14 february 1945. Due to the nonchronological storytelling, other parts. Otherwise we shall come into control of an utterly ruined land. The destruction of dresden is a 1963 nonfiction book which describes the february 1945 bombing of dresden in world war ii. Sixty years later these raids remain one of the most notorious, and also one of the most controversial, episodes in the history of the second world war.
The city of dresden was a historic center of europe, and was known worldwide for its splendid architecture. First, if the reader expects the storyline to read as does the formulaic but comprehensive works of martin middlebrook, the reader might be disappointed. The bombing of warsaw in world war ii refers to the aerial bombing campaign of warsaw by the german luftwaffe during the siege of warsaw in the invasion of poland in 1939. Even though the city was in its last gasps, 820 raf bombers decided to paw at the dead mouse of a city in another attack. Death masks the dresden files, book 5 kindle edition by butcher, jim. Dresden by frederick taylor is a very good book about the devastating bombing of dresden in 1945. All this happened, more or less, is how vonnegut introduces the novel. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases. Oct 22, 2015 according to irisheyz, a poster on the website library thing the dresden files series order.
Dresden had very little industrial activity, and it was a target only once before in. Dresden also had a history of antisemitism that was vibrant even by german standards, and after 1933 the city fully embraced nazism. It looked a lot like dayton, ohio, more open spaces than dayton has. Understanding the bombing of dresden book summaries, test. 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. 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. Pictures of dresden before and after the wwii bombing. 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.
The bombs created a huge fire that destroyed every building in the city and killed around 25,000 civilians. The bombs created a huge fire that destroyed every. He returns to his hotel room, falls asleep, and timetravels back to 1945 in dresden, where the book ends. Dresden bombings dresden bombing facts dk find out. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The bombing of dresden has been used by holocaust deniers and pronazi polemicistsmost notably by british writer david irving in his book the destruction of dresden in an attempt to establish a moral equivalence between the war crimes committed by the nazi government and the killing of german civilians by allied bombing raids. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Beginning on the night of february, 1945, more than 1,200 heavy. Jul 15, 2014 american author kurt vonnegut 19222007, who was a prisoner of war in dresden during the allied attack and tackled the controversial event in his book slaughterhousefive, said of postwar dresden. 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. This is a detailed but certainly not dry account of the bombing of dresden on the th february, 1945, shortly before the end of the war in europe. Firestorm the bombing of dresden 1945 assembles a cast of. American writer kurt vonnegut was best known for his book slaughterhousefive, or the childrens crusade. Feb 12, 2015 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. Critical essays understanding the bombing of dresden the bombing of dresden began february, 1945, and lasted through april 17 a period of two months yet even today, it remains one of the most controversial military decisions in modern warfare. Foreword to the original 1963 edition of the destruction of dresden, by air marshal sir robert saundby. Tuesday february 1945, the guardian 7th february, 2004 attempts to treat the bombing of dresden as a war crime perpetrated against the innocent inhabitants of a historical cultural centre of no industrial or military significance began two days after the attack. We found 55 books set in dresden and 14 others set nearby.
The tripartite conferences held at yalta and malta altered allied bombing policy and led to the attacks of eastern german cities, in support of the soviet advances. 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. 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 european theatre. I dont have time to write a book, so some salient points. It was the capital of saxony, and located along the banks of the elbe river.
Some 25,000 people perished in the firestorm that raged through the city. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. How germanys cities died for the german journal neue illustrierte. The original book dresden written prior to the mid 1960s told the truth without any revision of history or facts. When, on the th and 15th february 1945, 722 heavy bombers burned the city to the ground. Feb 15, 20 i survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime this article is more than 7 years old. The firebombing of dresden was an americanbritish attack, and it happened during the last months of the war. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf and 527 of the usaaf dropped more than 3,900 tons of high. Death masks the dresden files, book 5 kindle edition by. 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.
From about 10 pm on the night of february 1945 until noon the following day, the east german city of dresden was the subject of one the most intense bombing raids of the second world war. Prequel welcome to the jungle graphic novel book 1. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it. Sinclair mckays the fire and darkness is an odd sort of book as it documents the firebombing of dresden on february,14 of 1945. The bombing was controversial because dresdena historic city located in.
Till february 1945 the beautiful city was never bombed and for the fugitives a save city. Translated and published around the world, it became a bestseller in many countries. The bombing of dresden in world war ii by the allies remains controversial after more than 50 years. The britishamerican bombing of dresden took place between february 15, 1945 during the final months of world war ii. 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.
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. Of dresdens prewar jewish population of six thousand, a. The book uses the public commemoration of the citys wartime destruction as a case study to. 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 the german city of dresden by the allies was one of the most controversial events of world war ii.
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