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The bombing of major German cities was decided by the Allies in the framework of Operation Astrapovrodo, in order to break the resistance of Nazi Germany and strengthen the Soviet offensive actions on the Eastern Front.
From 13 to 15 February 1945, 1,100 American and British planes emptied over 4,000 tons of incendiary and explosive bombs, literally leveling Dresden. 88% of its buildings were destroyed and it is estimated that over 35,000 civilians lost their lives. Revisionist historian David Irving puts the death toll at 135,000.
Nazi propaganda spoke of a war crime and sought to gain worldwide sympathy at a time when it was clearly losing the war. A similar view was expressed after the war by many intellectuals from across the political spectrum, including Nobel Prize-winning writer Ginter Grass and the British Simon Jenkins, director of the London Times, and Christopher Hitchens, journalist and author. They argued that Dresden, a city of intense intellectual activity and glorious monuments, had no military targets to attract the interest of Allied planes.
The Anglo-Americans countered that the bombing was a perfectly justified action, since the city was home not only to military forces but also to industries that supplied the Nazi military machine. And because history is written by the victors, the bombing of Dresden was not discussed by any international tribunal and still divides historians today over its legality.
Source: sansimera.gr
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