1. Firebombing of Dresden
Faith, Manisha, Anna, Laura

2. Thesis
Roosevelt and Churchill (on the Allies side) launched an air force attack on the defenseless city of Dresden, Germany in order to uphold their promise to Stalin to help with the advancement of Soviet forces ultimately leading to civilian casualties, the city’s destruction, and controversy over the reason behind the bombing. Joseph Goebbels (propaganda minister) and the Germans argued that the Allies simply conducted the Dresden bombings to implement terror upon its citizens while the Allies argue that this was necessary in the plot to bring the Nazis down making the Firebombing of Dresden one of the more controversial actions during World War II. However, this controversy did not change the Allied bombing policy and left the British still targeting German cities until the end of the war against the Nazis.

3. Dresden Before the Bombing
Dresden was the capital of the state of Saxony, situated on the Elbe River.
Called “Florence on the Elbe” due to its architecture and art
Before the bombing, it had never been previously attacked during WWII
Refugees flooded into the city shortly prior to the bombing as Soviet troops advanced to the city's east.
Population estimate (at the time of bombings): over 650,000 people
Dresden was not important to German wartime production
Never suffered a major Allied attack → controversy for why it was so suddenly bombed
Contribution to the war effort was minimal compared with other German cities making it a very unlikely target.
City defenses were minimal
Arrow stands for “led to”
Dresden was also called the “Florence of Elbe”
The picture on the top right corner is called the “Sistine Madonna” by Raphael. This painting is found in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.
Can anyone name another famous painting by Raphael? (hint: It’s in this room!)
Refugees were trying to escape the advancing Red Army
Interesting fact:Russia leader Vladimir Putin was a KGB spy stationed in Dresden during the late 1980s

4. Dresden
Before the Bombing
After the Bombing

5. Who planned the bombing?
Franklin Roosevelt Winston Churchill Josef Stalin William Paananen
U. S President British Prime Minister Soviet Premier Educational Instructor
When we say who was responsible for the bombing, we don’t mean who actually carried it out but these were the men who planned it.

6. Lead-up to the bombing
At the beginning of the war, Germany invades Poland using the Luftwaffe to conduct bombing raids on Polish cities
The next year, Hitler orders a bombing campaign against London and other British cities during the Battle of Britain
To retaliate, the RAF strategically bombs German cities in the night (industrial and military targets)
The inaccuracy of the bombs made Great Britain switch to area bombing in 1942, despite the increased chance of civilian casualties
In 1943, the U.S. Air Force begins strategic bombing against German cities (industrial and military targets) but during the daytime for accuracy

7. Lead-up to the bombing (cont.)
In the west, Hitler’s counteroffensive against the Allies in Belgium’s Ardennes forest failed
In the east, the Red army captures East Prussia and reaches the Oder River
By February 1945, both the Allied ground forces and bombing campaigns close in on Germany
From February 4th to the 11th, the “Big Three” Allied leaders (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) meet at Yalta (in the USSR)
They decided on what German territory would be conquered by which power
Churchill and Roosevelt promise Stalin to continue the bombings against eastern Germany to prepare for advancing Soviet forces

8. Who carried out the bombing?
Arthur Harris British Royal Air Force Lt. General James Doolittle U.S. Eighth Air Force
Leader of RAF Bomber Command Commander of the U.S. Eighth Air Force
(British)
The firebombing of Dresden was a dual effort between two allied commanders: Arthur Harris, leader of the RAF bomber command and Lieutenant General James Doolittle of the US Eighth Air Force. Fun fact about Arthur Harris is that he had two nicknames: the press knew him as “Bomber Harris” while within the RAF he was known as “Butcher Harris.” Funny thing about General James Doolittle is that his name is “Do little” but he did a lot! Unfortunately for Doolittle he didn’t have as cool a nickname as Harris did, his was “Jimmy”.

9. Reason Behind the Bombing
In the summer of 1944, plans for a large and intense offensive targeting Berlin and eastern cities had been discussed, then shelved on August 16.
It was noted though that aircraft raids should not be taken away from the current primary tasks of destroying oil production facilities, jet aircraft factories, and submarine yards
In 1945, the Allies' political-military leadership started to consider how they might aid the Soviets by using a strategic bomber force.
The plan was to bomb Berlin and several other eastern cities in conjunction with the Soviet advance.
The Allies were at war with Nazi Germany

10. Reason Behind the Bombing (cont.)
Effort to destroy Berlin, Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig was put into effect to destroy communications vital to the evacuation from the east, and also hamper the movement of troops from the west.
Dresden was a major communications center and bombing it would hamper the German ability to convey messages to its army, which was battling Soviet forces at the time.
Many believe that the attack was simply an attempt to punish the Germans and weaken their morale.
Other arguments include (why Dresden was bombed):
Dresden had factories producing weapons and equipment for Nazis and was a rail base sending troops to the war front with Russians
Churchill and Roosevelt decided that Stalin would be a big problem at the end of the war; Dresden was bombed to show Russians the Allies’ power and acted as a warning to them to uphold the agreements they made at war conferences

11. Walkthrough
Arthur Harris, leader of the RAF Bomber Command, orders a RAF bombing raid on Dresden beginning, February 13, 1945 (night)
The attacks used high explosive bombs that destroyed buildings and killed civilians by igniting devastating firestorms
Dresden’s air defenses were so weak that only six Lancaster bombers (British) out of about 750 were shot down that night (the U.S. used B-17 Flying Fortresses in their attacks)
At the end of the bombings (Feb. 15th), approximately nine square miles of inner Dresden was totally destroyed.
The death tolls range from 35, ,000 people (due to refugees and propaganda)
Allies completed their goals due to:
favorable weather conditions that enhanced the bombers' ability to accurately hit their targets
the use of a firebombing attack
the absence of effective German military forces in the area

12. Map of Dresden
The red lines show about where in the city about 75% to 100% were destroyed. The green lines is where about 25%-75% of Dresden was destroyed. Looking at the pinkish arrows, these represent the one group of British bombers’ and the orange arrows represent a few groups of American bombers. The orange wedge in the middle of the map is where the Allies mainly aimed and this was the Altstadt district, the cultural center of Dresden.

13. The Bombs
Flame Beam Bomb (Flammstrahlbombe), consisting of magnesium, gasoline and rubber, that upon impact ignites into a meter-high explosive flame.
Canister bomb (Kanisterbomben) endowed with a burnable Rubber- phosphorus mixture. These were sprayed in all directions upon detonation.
Liquid bomb (Flüssigbomben) with a stiff fire catalyst made of petroleum and rubber.
1,8 ton heavy Air-mines (Luftminen) were employed, which created such huge Air-pressure with which it teared apart all nearby lungs and ear drums. Over 68,000 of them were dropped on the German cities.

14. Warning: graphic pictures ahead
Give background on Viktor Gregg

15. “There we no complete bodies, only bones and scorched articles of clothing matted together on the floor. There was no flesh visible - just a mass of solidified fat and bones swimming around, inches thick, on the floor” - Victor Gregg
The fire was not the only thing that caused hundreds of deaths, many people suffocated through lack of air. Or they jumped, during their flight from the fire, into bodies of water, in which they would find beyond boiling hot liquids due to the degrees Celsius . They would be boiled to death instantly.

16. “Some of the corpses were so brittle that they crumbled into clouds of ash and dried flesh” - Victor Gregg
In a hospital

17. “As the incendiaries fell, the phosphorus clung to the bodies of those below, turning them into human torches. The screaming of those who were being burned alive was added to the cries of those not yet hit.” - Victor Gregg

18. You can see here a child laying on top of a man which may be his father.
“Children under the age of three or four had simply melted.” - Victor Gregg

20. Aftermath
It was impossible to know how many civilians died due to the unknown number of refugees in Dresden at the time
By the end of the war, the city of Dresden was basically leveled
Survivors began rebuilding under Soviet occupation creating mostly modern buildings
This amount of destruction so late in the war along with significant questions about the legitimacy of the targets led to debate over whether the bombing should be labeled a war crime
German propaganda influenced attitudes in neutral countries and led to Parliament questioning area bombing
Allied officials distanced themselves from the bombing and debated over the need to continue area bombing
The timing of the bombing was questioned as the Germans were already heading towards defeat before it took place .

21. Aftermath (cont.)
Allies claim that by bombing Dresden they disrupted lines of communication that would have hindered the Soviet offensive
Other arguments encompass how the bombing was to terrorize the German population or to force to early surrender
The Firebombing of Dresden is thought to be one of the more controversial actions of WWII
"It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror though under other pretexts should be reviewed. Otherwise we shall come into control of an utterly ruined land. The destruction of Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of allied bombing. I feel the need for more precise concentration upon military objectives rather than the mere acts of terror and mass destruction, however impressive." --Churchill
Churchill had previously supported the bombing of German cities but he contradicts himself in this quote and ended up withdrawing the statement afterwards
Controversy over the bombing did not change the Allies’ bombing policy and the British continued to bomb German cities until the end of the war against the Nazis

22. Arguments -Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck Translation:
"Ein Land, das für eine Ungeheuerlichkeit wie den Völkermord steht, konnte nicht damit rechnen, ungestraft und unbeschädigt aus einem Krieg hervorzugehen, den es selbst vom Zaun gebrochen hatte."
-Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck
Translation:
“One country, that is responsible for the horrors like the genocide, couldn’t expect, to walk out of the war unpunished and undamaged, that it brought upon itself.”

23. Timeline
December 1944: Hitler’s counteroffensive against the Allies in Belgium’s Ardennes forest fails
January 22, 1945: Red army captures East Prussia and reaches the Oder River starting their push into German territory
February 1945: Allied ground forces and bombing campaigns close in on Germany
February 4-11, 1945: Yalta Conference of the Allied powers reaching resolution for the Allies to perform bombing raids against German cities known for war-production and manufacturing, in order to stop the Nazi war machine and aid the Soviets’ advance
February 13, 1945: More than 3,400 tons of explosives were dropped on the city by 800 American and British aircraft. Bombing went on for two days, dropped in two waves
February 15, 1945: end of the bombing leaving the city in ruins and 35, ,000 civilians dead

24. Works Cited
Chen, C. Peter. “Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities.” World War II Database.
Accessed 30 Apr
"Dresden Bombing." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, Accessed 30 Apr.
2017.
Geschichte. “ : Bomben Auf Dresden.” Gegenfrage.com, 13 Feb Accessed 30
Apr
Gregg, Victor. “I Survived the Bombing of Dresden and Continue to Believe It Was a War
Crime | Victor Gregg.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 Feb
Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: Bombing of Dresden.” ThoughtCo., 29 Aug Accessed
30 Apr
History.com Staff. “Bombing of Dresden.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009.

25. Works Cited
History.com Staff. “Firebombing of Dresden.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009.
Accessed 30 Apr
Kadidal, Akhil, and Frederick Taylor. “Dresden 13th/14th February 1945.” Dresden, Harper
Collins, 2004.
Selwood, Dominic. “Dresden Was a Civilian Town with No Military Significance. Why Did We
Burn Its People?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 13 Feb Accessed 30
Apr
Sydow, Christoph, and Spiegel Online. “Gedenken in Dresden: Gauck Warnt Vor Relativierung
Der Deutschen Kriegsschuld - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Politik.” SPIEGEL ONLINE,
SPIEGEL ONLINE, 13 Feb Accessed 30 Apr