The Dresden bombings of February 1945 were barbaric and ruthless, and by many are regarded a war crime

Dresden Bombings

The Dresden bombings of February 1945 were barbaric and ruthless, and by many are regarded a war crime. Many fail to see a strategic target in Dresden, whereas others see the railways and production facilities as good reason for the bombing.

The historic city up to 1945 had hardly been touched by allied bombing, and not knowing this was due to bomber and escort range issues, the local party leader had suspected it was due to the historical side and beauty of Dresden, and that it was preserved due to its relatively low input into the German war effort.

The locals who, comparatively to residents of North West Germany, had had an easy wartime, were not used to air raid procedures or locations to shelter. Due to the aforementioned reasons, the local leader had put a low importance on shelters and anti-air defences. Between the 13th and 15th of February, over 2,000 allied planes flew over Dresden at a loss of 7 bombers.

Hundreds of thousands of incendiary bombs were dropped on the unprepared citizens and the respected figure is that 25,000 lost their lives. The air was so hot on the ground that if someone ran between houses upon a gust of air, it was so hot that it would kill them dead.

People baked alive in underground shelters and many were killed in the open with nowhere to go, burning alive. The main shelter was excavated from rubble, and when opened, of the hundreds in there, none lived. The heat had melted their bodies into a thick gloop. All that remained were few scattered bones, and no bodies or ID could be made up.

Clams of the death & wounded toll go up to 500,000, however it is impossible to truly know. I have recently visited Dresden, and there are large areas of the city which are simply brand new. It was razed to the ground. I have visited the memorial in the Bundeswehr Museum Dresden, and I would urge you all to visit locations of historical importance. We must remember the victims of atrocities, at the hands of Allies or Axis, in any war or attack or even pandemic such as we see today. Our memory keeps them alive.

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