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

2. 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.

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

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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?

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

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

21. 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,
"Germany during the Second World War." History Study Center,
editCitation.do?reset=true&citationType=studyunit&openUrl=
openurl?url_ver=Z |res_dat=xri:ho-us|rft_dat=xri:ho:sup:1033&=&QueryName=studyunit&ItemID=10.33
History.com. 2009,
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.

23. Questions?