Alex Elevathingal Jack Humble Ernie Yang and Michael McClelland Dresden Thesis The Allied bombing of Dresden during WWII was an extremely controversial piece of World War II as the loss of life and tremendous damage caused an excessive amount of unnecessary destruction The reason for targe ID: 458514
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Slide1
The Bombing of Dresden
Alex Elevathingal, Jack Humble, Ernie Yang, and Michael McClelland Slide2
DresdenSlide3Slide4Slide5
Thesis
The Allied bombing of Dresden during WWII was an extremely controversial piece of World War II, as the loss of life and tremendous damage caused an excessive amount of unnecessary destruction. The reason for targeting Dresden was mainly to attack any form of Nazi Germany, and to stop the production of weapons from the city. Considering that Dresden was a Nazi city, attacking it made sense. Overall, the bombing of Dresden was an excessive revenge attack on an already breaking down Germany, showing that the Allies were finally taking revenge on Germany for the atrocities during WWII. The result was total destruction of Dresden, and the beginning of the end for the Nazi German empire. Slide6
About the Bombing of Dresden
Dresden - an old city, East Germany
February 13-15, 1945
Sides - Germany (Axis)/ America and UK (Allies)
Allied forces led by British Air Chief Marshal
Sir Arthur Harris
Dresden = Key transport junction
USA and UK believed that the bombing would diminish morale Slide7
Background
Britain was still angered about the Nazi bombing of the United Kingdom during the Blitz
Dresden was a cultural center that remained un-bombed throughout the majority of the war
Dresden was mainly without anti-aircraft guns
German forces moved through Dresden as the Soviet army advanced deeper into GermanySlide8
Allied Instigators
Winston Churchill
Arthur Harris
U.S Eighth Air ForceSlide9Slide10
Timeline
February 13-February 15, 1945
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Dx6V_DhE0Slide11Slide12Slide13
Aftermath of Dresden
Decisive Allied “victory”
Estimated 35,000-130,000 civilians were killed
City basically leveled
Some historical buildings were rebuiltSlide14
Controversy
Germany’s empire was quickly shrinking after Operation Barbarosa
An allied victory was clearly at hand.
Dresden was technically a Nazi city, so attacking it did help the war effort
Wanted to affect German morale negatively and take “revenge” for Nazi atrocities
Wanted to show their power to the Soviet Union.Slide15Slide16
Works Cited
Biesinger, Joseph A.
Germany: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present.
New York, NY:
Facts On File, 2006. Print.
Bombing of Dresden in World War II. Digital image. Http://wikimedia.com. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-08778-0001,_Dresden,_Tote_nach_Bombenangriff.jpg>.
“Chronology of World War II (1945).” Chronology of World War II (1945). Np., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015
Crane, Conrad C. “Dresden, Air Attacks on (1945).”
Atrocities, Massacres, and War Crimes: An
Encyclopedia
. Ed. Alexander Mikaberidze. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013. 152-155.
Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
“Dresden Bombing.”
Battles that Changed History: An Encyclopedia of World Conflict.
Spencer C. Tucker.
Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. 539-541.
Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 12 Mar 2015.
“Dresden Is Filled with Refugees.”
Dresden Is Filled with Refugees.
Whale, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Friedrich, Jörg.
The Fire: The Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945.
New York: Columbia UP, 2008. Print.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/heroesvillains/g1/cs1/Slide17