The Firebombing of Dresden By DS (B), WR (B), NA (B), AC (B)

Thesis The intense Allied air raid and firestorm of Dresden, a German city with no military values, resulted in complete destruction of the town and immense civilian casualties, leading to the questioning of wartime morality.

Before We Start... What do you remember about frontline civilians from the Spielvogel reading (April 24th) P.858-859? Bombing was first used on civilians WWI Italian General Giulio Douhet: Public bombings coerce government into making peace

Context: Luftwaffe Attacks German Luftwaffe subjected London to raids, September 1940 German raids were spread all over the city Destruction of smaller cities Heavy casualties and lowered morale War production was not greatly affected by the attacks

Timeline Early September 1940 German Luftwaffe bombs London and other towns nightly

Short Overview February 13 - 15, 1945 The Allies conducted a 3-Day bombing on the German city of Dresden The British began bombing on the night of February 13 The following afternoon, the U.S. joined the assault Result: Destruction of Dresden - Frontline Civilians controversy

Dresden Capital of the German state of Saxony, in the eastern part of Germany Dresden had NO military bases NO major communication centers NO heavy industry Declared a hospital town, and “The City of the Refugees” Civilian town with no military significance Rich in culture and architecture

Goals Demoralize the German population “Of the utmost importance that every person in Germany should realize that this time Germany is a defeated nation.” -Roosevelt (Infobase) Hasten the conclusion of the war

What Happened Feb. 13 After series of delay: British RAF night raid Firestorm caused by massive amount of bombs and incendiaries Feb. 14: U.S. daylight raid Feb. 15: Another wave of bombing February 13-15, 1945 Allied forces dropped 3,900 tons of bombs on Dresden Historians say as many as 35,000 to 135,000 died Move was extremely controversial, even some Allied leaders called it unnecessary

Firebombing v.s. Bombing Firebombing was used to damage a target, usually an urban area Use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs When a firebomb hits the ground, it sparks a flame, which quickly spreads among buildings, engulfing entire towns in flames A highly explosive bomb would not have done the same amount of damage as a firebomb did

Timeline February 13, 1945 In the evening, a series of Allied raids begin - RAF drops about 3,900 tons of bombs February 15, 1945 Another raid is carried out by the Allies, consisting of 210 bombers February 14, 1945 U.S. joins in a daytime raid, dropping another 400 tons of bombs Early September 1940 German Luftwaffe bombs London and other towns nightly

Leaders: Allies Winston Churchill- British Prime Minister, ordered the Royal Air Force to bomb Dresden Franklin D. Roosevelt- United States President, agreed to bombing Dresden Josef Stalin- Soviet Leader, met with Roosevelt and Churchill to demand Dresden to be bombed Arthur Harris (not on Who’s Who)- Leader of the British Bomber Command Bombing raids began under his instructions as he was leader of the British Bomber Command

Leaders: Axis Adolf Hitler- ordered desperate counteroffensive against Allies (Luftwaffe bombed London and other cities), which led to the Allies bombing the city of Dresden as revenge

Why Dresden? All of this was part of the Allied effort to target German cities with massive blanket bombing campaigns in an effort to diminish German morale Having never previously been attacked in the war, the city offered increased value for terror bombing, since the population was inexperienced Allies wanted to scare Germany into surrendering

Front-Line Civilians Noncombatants Unarmed, or didn’t have high technology weapons “The screaming of those who were being burned alive was added to the cries of those not yet hit.” -Victor Greg Do you think this tactic is effective during war time?

Outcomes “Eight square miles of the city was ruined, and the total body count was between 35,000 and 135,000” German morale was not sapped: desire to live Morals were lowered as military bombed civilians

Impact German Propaganda against the Allies Goebbels exaggerated number of deaths: 250,000 Loss of the war could not be blamed on home-front collapse “Terror bombing” campaign against Germany: controversial Allied actions “The idea was to hasten the end of the war. Only one person who ever got any benefit from the bombing of Dresden, and he is me. I wrote an antiwar novel that made lots of money”. ---Vonnegut (Miller) Goebbels exaggerated number of deaths stating that as many as 250,000 people died

Timeline February 15, 1945 February 13, 1945 February 14, 1945 Another raid is carried out by the Allies, consisting of 210 bombers February 13, 1945 In the evening, a series of Allied raids begin - RAF drops about 3,900 tons of bombs February 14, 1945 U.S. joins in a daytime raid, dropping another 400 tons of bombs April 17, 1945 The destruction of Dresden is concluded with the U.S. Air Force sending 572 bombers March 2, 1945 U.S. bombs Dresden again with 400 aircrafts Early September 1940 German Luftwaffe bombs London and other towns nightly

Donuts Symbolization! Glazed = firebombs Glazed with Sprinkles = incendiaries Chocolate = the rocks left after the city had burn down to ashes

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. "Dresden Bombing." Facts on File, History, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/ 264627?q=dresden%20bombing. Biesinger, Joseph` A. "Dresden." Facts on File, History, 2006, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/ 267117?q=dresden. "Bombing of Dresden." Facts On File, History, 2004, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/ 45491?q=bombing%20of%20dresden. Encyclopedia Britannica. 13 Feb. 2015, www.britannica.com/event/bombing-of-Dresden. "Germany during the Second World War." History Study Center, www.historystudycenter.com/citation/ editCitation.do?reset=true&citationType=studyunit&openUrl=http://gateway.proquest.com/ openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004|res_dat=xri:ho-us|rft_dat=xri:ho:sup:1033&=&QueryName=studyunit&ItemID=10.33 History.com. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-dresden. Miller, Donald L., and Henry Steele Commanger. The Story of World War II. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2001. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. 9th ed., Stamford, Cengage Learning, 2015.

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