Firebombing of Dresden By: Emily Wang, Jennifer Wang, Zoe Chau, Tina Feng, and Cindy Xiao

Thesis During the Second World War, the Firebombing of Dresden led to high civilian casualties and destruction of cultural relics, ultimately proving the hypocrisy of both the Allies and Axis Powers.

Reasons for the Firebombing In retaliation to Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1945 and Hitler’s bombing raid of London during the Battle of Britain (“Dresden Bombing”). Winston Churchill advocated for an increased number of British air raids against Germany (“Bombing of Dresden”). Bullet two: Before the firebombing, ...

Reasons for the Firebombing Would disrupt the flow of refugees into the city (“Dresden”). Dresden was full of refugees fleeing from the Red Army moving eastward from Russia (“Dresden”). Would destroy Germany’s main communications center in the city (“Dresden”). (“Múlt-kor”)

Reasons for the Firebombing Held industries dedicated to producing military equipment (Biddle 60). Also create confusion and slow the German military (“Dresden”). (“Dresden”)

Decision to Attack Dresden Dresden didn’t have much strategic significance. January, 1945-British General Arthur Harris made Operation Thunderclap to attack major cities. Harris believed that every Nazi city should be a target. Harris wanted to put Dresden at the top of the list, but bad weather delayed the attack. (“Dresden Bombing”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden February 13-15, 1945: The firebombing occurred in Dresden, Germany (“Bombing of Dresden”). February 13, 1945 (Night), 2,700 bombs were dropped (“Bombing of Dresden”). (“Bombing of Dresden”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden Aided by weather conditions, the hazard turned into a firestorm, resulting in the incineration of tens of thousands of civilians (“Bombing of Dresden”). (“Dresden”)

Cause of the Firestorm High explosive bombs destroyed buildings by exposing the wood timbers inside. The next wave of bombers dropped bombs designed to create fires. The rubble created fuel for the spreading fire in the city. (“Dresden Bombing”) (“"Wreckage of Dresden in 1945”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden On February 14, 1945, the US Air Force continued the attack by dropping another 400 tons of bombs (“Bombing of Dresden”). (“Dresden”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden March 28th 1945: Winston Churchill famously quoted in his memorandum that “Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of Allied bombing" (“Dresden Bombing”). (“Sir Winston Churchill”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden 1990: after the reunification of Germany, the government decided to rebuild a new city which encircled around the former Dresden city; this effort still continues into the 21st century (“Bombing of Dresden”). (Tucker)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden 1945: 2017: (“Dresden”) (“Dresden”)

General Timeline for the Firebombing of Dresden December 2005: German persecutors determined the bombings to be a Holocaust. They later chose not to pursue court action . (“Dresden”) (“Dresden Bombing”)

Germany Allies Allied advances in the front Site of event (“Two Front War”)

Military Strategies Bombing in two waves, three hours apart to expose German emergency teams and increase casualties. First wave: high explosives, more than 2000 tons of explosives released. Second wave: Incendiary round that would burn everything around it. German air defenses were weak: only six bombers shot down from Allied side. (“Dresden”)

Lower morale of Germans even more by bombing a culturally rich city. Military Strategies Lower morale of Germans even more by bombing a culturally rich city. Demonstration of strength for the Soviets (who had requested the Allies’ help in the form of bombings). (“Dresden”)

Statistics Bombers: 796 Avro Lancasters and 9 Mosquito Fighter bombers. Bombs: 1,478 tons of high explosive bombs and 1,182 tons of incendiaries was dropped in total. Deaths: 50,000 civilians And the city lay in ruins. (“Dresden”) (“Dresden Bombing”)

What Goebbels said (“Dresden Bombing”) Goebbels made propaganda surrounding the bombing of Dresden. He exaggerated the amount of people who died. Goebbels claimed that 202,040 civilians died rather than the 50,000. This was seen as a failure on the part of Herman Göring, the commander of the Luftwaffe (air force). Goebbels blamed Herman for the firebombing, claiming that the air force was supposed to stop events like this. (“Dresden Bombing”)

Controversy that Surrounds the Dresden Bombing Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda, viewed the bombing of Dresden as an indiscriminate bombing of an innocent civilian target. His claims that the Allies had abandoned strategic bombing practices in favor of "terror bombings" followed the discussion of Dresden through later years. Historians have since largely discounted Goebbels' claims regarding the number of bombing deaths. (“Dresden Bombing”)

Why is this Controversial? Dresden didn’t have any military. It had military surrounding the town, but it was far enough away that the city didn’t need to be bombed. (“Dresden Bombing”) (“Dresden”)

What Made the Bombing Successful? Favorable weather conditions assisted the bombers' ability to accurately hit their targets. The absence of German military forces in the area. No anti-aircraft fire impeding their objectives, resulting in very little resistance to the attack. (“Dresden Bombing”)

Analysis - Thesis reminder During the Second World War, the Firebombing of Dresden led to high civilian casualties and destruction of cultural relics, ultimately proving the hypocrisy of both the Allies and Axis Powers.

Analysis Importance of battle: Neither side is really the “good guy” Moral Dilemma: High civilian casualties: 35,000 - 135,000 deaths (“Dresden”). Totally destroyed 15 sq km: schools, churches, theaters, etc. ~88% of all buildings destroyed (“Dresden”). But no real advantages gained (“Dresden Bombing”).

Analysis Impact on WWII: No significant impact on the war itself, since the bombings only occurred in civilian areas and not in the industrial areas. “Lowering morale” not conclusively proven: Military objectives insufficient and did not warrant the casualties. (“Dresden Bombing”)

Visual Representation https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5pHOL9R9lAecDBCY2RkLWNqVUE/view?usp=sharing

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. “Dresden Bombing.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/264627?q=dresden bombing. Accessed 2017. Battlefront Atlas. Digital image. Wikimedia. Army Map Service, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. Biddle, Tami. “Sifting Dresden‟s Ashes”, The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Spring 2005). Print. "Bombing of Dresden." The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica.Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Feb . 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. www.britannica.com/event/bombing-of-Dresden. "Dresden." DRESDEN. Stanford University, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/ firebombing/websitedresden1.htm. Dresden. Digital image. Heti Válasz. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. http://valasz.hu/vilag/drezda-felfoghatatlan-pusztulasa-a-csapas-es-az-emlekezes-kepei-122534. "Dresden Bombing." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/309658. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Works Cited "Dresden Bombing." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/309658. Accessed 19 Apr. 2017. Múlt-kor. Digital image. Múlt-kor. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. http://www.steampunk.dk/?p=8307. “Sir Winston Churchill.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Winston-Churchill. Accessed 19 Apr. 2017. Tucker, Spencer C. "Dresden Bombing." Battles that Changed History: An Encyclopedia of World Conflict, ABC-CLIO, 2011, pp. 539-541. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=rent4432&v=2.1&it=r&id=G ALE%7CCX1760900204&asid=97c1dd031fb9711fdaf37969085ac222. Accessed 19 Apr. 2017. Two Front War. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017. http://cultura.hu/aktualis/a-jaltai-konferencia/.