Saturday, February 13, 2010

The Bombing Of Dresden


Today, tomorrow and Monday mark the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Dresden. On those days RAF BomberCommand and Divisions of the USAAF VIII Bomber Command bombed Dresden unleashing a firestorm that consumed 15 square miles of the center of the city and killed between 18 and 25 thousand people. Even more controversial than the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this remains one of the most inexplicable acts by the Allies during World War II. Some have argued it was a legitimate strategic target, an industrial and communications center that the Russians wanted destroyed to assist their offensive into Germany. Many have doubted thay assertion.

What is important here, I believe, is the myopia imposed by hindsight and revisionism. One must always put the act within the context of the thinking of the commanders "on the ground" at the time such decisions were made. To judge now, even based on the historical record, deprives the advocate and the critic of the contextual thinking. In other words, we will never know what was truly going on "inside their heads" 65 years ago. One can only guess. Any answer could be the right one.

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