Dresden Before and After WWII By Ciara, Lily, Morgan, and Bridget

Summary- Prior to Bombing Dresden is the capital of the Free State of the Saxony Region in Eastern Germany. It was home to the Electors and Kings of Saxony which explains the excessive palaces, museums, and historical artwork. The River Elbe runs through the center of the city, with more than 2.4 million residents the city was often juxtaposed to the appearance and atmosphere in Prague. Prior to WWII, Dresden was called “the Florence on the Elbe” and was one of the most beautiful cities due to ample art and architecture. It was also given the nickname “the jewelry box” (Encyclopedia Britannica) Dresden was neither a major industrial center nor a wartime production hub making it an unlikely target for an attack. (Bombing of Dresden)

Post Bombing An estimated 35,000 to 135,000 were killed by the attack Very few buildings were still standing, but those that remained were completely gutted The whole city was basically leveled Historical buildings like the Zwinger Palace, the Dresden State Opera House and several grand churches were rebuilt from the rubble Rest of the city was rebuilt as plain modern buildings (Bombing of Dresden) It was estimated to cost over 100 million dollars to rebuild the city (costelloe)

Pre and Post Bombing Visuals

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Importance to WWII Devastation that resulted from the attack proved the power of strategic bombing and the how widespread the effect can be (Encyclopedia Britannica) The Germans used the attack as propaganda painted the Allied forces as monsters for killing so many civilians inflated number of dead to 10x the actual number released pictures of burned/dead children in neutral countries insisted Dresden had nothing to do with the war, was just a culture center British claim that the ultimate goal was to bomb large population centers and prevent relief supplies from going through felt it was necessary (New World Encyclopedia)

Example of German Propaganda by German artist Herbert Smagon

Impact on Modern Times In modern times, the result of this bombing has been a lot of controversy regarding whether or not it was definitely necessary and justifiable considering how late in the war it happened. The Royal Air Force commander who ordered the controversial firebombing of Dresden said he would do it again in an interview filmed 30 years after the end of the conflict (1977). Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, was the one to give the green light for the 1945 bombing which reduced the city in Saxony, Germany, to rubble. In the interview Sir Arthur had with BBC reporters, the RAF chief defending his decision. (Hills) Harris also wrote in his autobiography: ‘I know that the destruction of so large and splendid a city at this late stage of the war was considered unnecessary even by a good many people who admit that our earlier attacks were as fully justified as any other operation of war. Here I will only say that the attack on Dresden was at the time considered a military necessity by much more important people than myself, …’. (Traynor)

Impact on Modern Times After discussing the tragedy as a group, we tried to come to a common consensus on whether or not we think the US Military would demolish another foreign nation’s land to the extent that they did in Dresden and we think that because of the air raids that that having happened in the recent past in Middle Eastern countries and the fears that ISIS and other terrorist organizations have instilled upon the general American population, it is a possibility that something like this could happen again but we also agreed that it might not happen again because it would tarnish foreign relations and soldiers would most likely be forced to help refurbish that particular nation for a long time after the hypothetical ‘attack’.

Bibliography "Dresden". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., Web. 07 Dec Hills, Suzannah. "'I Would Have Destroyed Dresden Again': Bomber Harris Was Unrepentant over German City Raids 30 Years after the End of World War Two." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 11 Feb Web. 07 Dec History.com Staff. "Bombing of Dresden." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 07 Dec Costelloe, Kevin. "City to Rebuild Symbol of Its Destruction : Dresden: Bombed out by the Allies in World War II, a Historic Church Reminds Residents of What They Lost." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 02 Feb Web. 07 Dec /news/mn-1808_1_world-war-ii Traynor, John. "Winston Churchill and the Bombing of Dresden." The National Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec "Bombing of Dresden in World War II." New World Encyclopedia. NWE, n.d. Web. 10 Dec