The Destruction of Dresden

Before February, 1945, Dresden was a city largely untouched by war. It was also an undefended city, packed with refugees fleeing from the advancing Russians. More people were to die there than at Hiroshima or Nagasaki. In one of the most devastating raids on Germany almost 2,000 Allied bombers dropped 3,000 tons of bombs, including 650,000 incendiaries, on the center of Dresden. The result was a fire-storm that virtually erased the city and killed 135,000 people. These are the facts that lie at the center of this account of the Dresden raid. The author also examines the reasons why Dresden was selected for destruction and the planning that led to the attack.