Dresden 1945: The Devil's Tinderbox

Dresden 1945 is an revisionist's dream. McKee, a Canadian veteran of the war who entered the Western Front in March 1945 and was assigned to serve in the British Zone for seven years has written a clear account of the successful Allied effort at mass genocide of the innocent. McKee explores the military planning, the morality and eventual responsibility that the allies face in making the decision to murder hundreds of thousands of civilians. Brandy soaked Churchill's erratic personality and military decision making capabilities are rightfully questioned particularly when it came to his decision to firebomb Dresden to impress Uncle Joe Stalin. McKee is not afraid to use statistics to support his findings. For example, British civilian losses in 5 and one-half years of war were 60,595 where in Germany and elsewhere to include Holland, Belgium, France, Italy and other countries were in the millions. He is not bashful to show that the demi-god Monty boasted that the Germans could no longer mount any offensives in December 1945 henceforth the Ardennes Offensive was a complete surprise to the egotistical and inept British commander. Dresden's firebombing should have never taken place. McKee's estimates of 35,000 to 70,000 deaths are of course too low and are partly based on Communist propaganda. German Police and Governmental death toll figures which have been hidden for decades show that in 15 hours of bombing, Churchill was personally responsible for the deaths of over 480,000 people. This story of another Allied War Crime which would fit nicely under its own 1945 Nuremberg War Crimes definitions is a dramatic truth that needed to be told regardless of some arrogant Allied protests.

This book gives a brilliant description of the political and military decisions that lead to the bombing of Dresden and how this city was destroyed and its inhabitants were killed. The deliberate use of firebombs and the "wave" raids were intended to kill as many German civilians as possible. There were of course many other bombings of German cities during World War II. In all human history never have so many people been killed instantly. Only Japanese civilians suffered a similar fate with the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However the later is a wildly know event, whilst the burning of German cities and civilians remains unknown to most people.This historic omission stems from the fact that as usual the victorious armies are celebrated heroes and the defeated ones are hideous war criminals. Indeed there was the Nuremberg trial for the German war criminals, and the medals and honor for the Allied war criminals responsible for the bombings of German cities. The author shows how one of these crimes was perpetrated at Dresden. It also goes to show that bombings are the most convenient way for the military to commit crimes. Send a death squad to kill every sole in a village, and there will be a world outrage. Do the same with a few bombs and all criminal perception will be anaesthetized. For anyone interested in learning about the conduct of the Allies in the air raids against Germany, this is definitely the best choice available. For a broader picture on the history of bombings I strongly recommend "A History of Bombing" by Sven Lindqvist

Alexander McKee provides an interesting account of a tragic event from the last year of WWII. In it, he describes the horrific bombing of Dresden by the British and American planes by using many first-hand accounts from victims of the bombing. He also attempts to explain why the bombing happened, and why the Allies decision to punish this German city (mainly filled with innocent civilians and refugees) was a mistake.I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in finding out more about this air raid so that you can come to your own conclusion about whether or not "Operation Thunderclap" was needed or justified. Mr. McKee's opinion is that the British made a terrible mistake by pushing for this type of raid (fire bombing of a major cultural center) and should not have targeted the old part of the city, knowing that it would have been full of innocent civilians and refugees.The descriptions of the bombing are detailed, and at times graphic. You will most likely feel sympathy for the victims as they struggle to survive the bombings. But, my one complaint about the book is that it does not do a very good job of putting this event into the larger framework of the war. Therefore, it is hard to draw a final conclusion about this event, based solely on reading this book.In my mind, the bombing was ordered for one of three possible reasons. First, the US and Britain may have been trying to help the Russians win the war along the Eastern front. Not a likely scenario since military targets were not bombed. Second, perhaps the Russians needed a large demonstration of US and British air power. To me, this scenario is also less likely, although possible. Finally, the bombing may have been ordered to punish the German people for starting the war. Personally, I find this scenario most likely, especially since this lesson has not been forgotten. I can say that because my mother comes from Dresden, and I have many family relatives who survived the bombing. I have discussed the bombing with them, and it made a lasting impact on everyone who witnessed it. Also, you can still see the effects it had on the city if you visit today. If you are interested in this subject, I recommend the book.

Although Dresden was among Germany's largest cities, it had developed no major war industry. German authorities had made it a center for the evacuation of wounded servicemen, and by February 1945, most public buildings had been converted into military hospitals. One of the most beautiful cities of Europe, Dresden was often compared with Florence for it's art and style; as much of the art treasures had been evacuated to Dresden for "safety". Without military targets, no one thought Dresden would ever be bombed. It was not to be. On the night of February 13-14,1945 the Royal Air Force began the ill-famed attack. The city was undefended -- it had no guns, it had no fighters, it had no proper air-raid shelters. On the night of the attack, Dresden was housing hundreds of thousands of refugees from Silesia, East Prussia, and Pomerania; all fleeing a murderous and raping Red Army. The most crushing air raid of the war killed between fifty and a hundred thousand people that night; mostly women and children. Over fifty-five years later, there has yet to be an official explanation for this holocaust.