I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe. Strategic bombing by the united states in world war ii. Before the war, dresden had been known as florence on the elbe, because of its rich array of baroque architecture, its beautiful churches, galleries and opera house, and its strong tradition. A port on the elbe river, near the czech republic, it is the focus of one of germanys largest metropolitan areas and is a major manufacturing, transportation, and cultural center.
Exactly 70 years ago, the eastern german city of dresden was virtually destroyed within one night in an attack that killed 25,000. While in a way his series have a chosen one, they tend to be accidental antichrists rather than heros. The cold war had already started before the fires of ww2 had been extinguished. Frederick taylor then leads us into the hell of the night and following days. In the original book, one pilot reported that while flying at 5,000 feet on a bombing run he saw, because of the fierce burning of dresden, a freight car shoot past his plane. But on february, 1945, the american prisoners of war heard dresden s fire sirens howl right above their heads. The allied bombing of german cities in world war ii was. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of germany, starting in 1994. The city of dresden will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the firebombing beginning friday.
After five hours of flight these 240 royal air force raf planes encountered practically no opposition in the skies and no antiaircraft fire from below. The books written in britain largely focus on the night sorties by raf bomber command, but the equally destructive second world war campaigns by the us 8th air force. A memoir of hitlers germany before, during and after wwii. Seventyfive years after the dresden war crime, still no justice. Check out an exclusive history reader piece by author sinclair mckay. If youre reading the books in order, you may want to skip that page, or just read war cry after turn coat. Harry and a trio of young wardens defend an outpost of venatori from a red court attack.
Photos beauty of planet earth my favorite church in the world. The cultural wonderland of dresden, germany is swollen with terrified refugees who had fled westward from the rapists of stalins advancing red army. The city became so crowded that new arrivals were asked to go westward because there was no more room available. The morning after having been bombed by allied forces, the citys. After describing life in dresden before the bombing, mckay recreates the nighttime attack in the words of residents as well as german officials, allied commanders and bomb crews, and many others. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, during world war ii. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf and 527 of the united states army air forces usaaf dropped more than 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. After the baroque city was reduced to charred rubble, its citizens faced a daunting, decadeslong task.
For a book about surviving a massacre, slaughterhousefive makes. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden youtube. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden. I recommend kj parker recently unveiled as a tom holt. Claiming around 25,000 lives late in world war ii, the allied firebombing raids on dresden whipped up an inferno so fierce it sucked the oxygen from. Seventyfive years after the dresden war crime, still no. The bombing was the focus of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive, based on his experiences during the historic firestorm as a prisoner of war. In before the war, by the inimitable fay weldon, gives us a wonderfully unique. This is the true, personal account of a german soldiers experiences in nazi germany before, during and after the war. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden. Since the series is so freaking long, ill divide it int. The first novel, storm front, was published in 2000 by roc books.
Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of dresden during world war ii. The dresden files are jims first published series, telling the story of harry blackstone copperfield dresden, chicagos first and only wizard p. The famous 1989 demonstrations around east germany german democratic republic for democracy also drew dresdeners onto the streets. The demolished city of dresden, after the allied forces air raids on. Post war saxony came under communist rule and its capital, dresden, began rebuilding, with some classic baroque dresden buildings recreated. When kurt vonnegut was at work on his hugely influential antiwar novel. I was expecting more of a war book describing the bombing of dresden, the. None the less, even by this later stage of the war this was still where the smarter ladies of dresden society came to shop, dine and take coffee, albeit ersatz with an aftertaste of oats. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war. From dresden on the 50th anniversary of slaughterhouse. The view of dresden known as florence of the north before. Allied bombing during the second world war killed around 25,000 people in the german city of dresden and turned tens of thousands of buildings into rubble exactly 75 years ago today.
In david alan macks the midnight front, first book of his secret history. Which ever side of the fence you sit, read this book before you comment or opine. Here we will present only one of those cases from the wwii which has to be characterized as the genocide followed by the personalities directly responsible for it. Critics say that the military value of the bombing did not justify dresdens near destruction and that the city could have been spared, like rome, paris, and kyoto. The books written in britain largely focus on the night sorties by raf bomber command, but the equally destructive world war two campaigns by the us 8th air force daylight raids on germany and the luftwaffe the netherlands, the blitz on the uk are covered too. His writing style is not polished, but is simple and direct. It starts off very good, and just gets better from there. A story of combat and captivity of courage, deception, and survival for all it was worth provides piercing insights into the. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. In the last months of world war ii, allied bombers conducted several major. The literature of world war two bombing campaigns is surprisingly extensive.
Or at least those who did not escape from the public life after the war. After the war, investigators from various countries, and with varying political motives, calculated the number of civilians killed to be as little as 8,000 to more than 200,000. In four raids, at least 3,900 tonnes of bombs were dropped. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, following decisions of local east german leaders. There have been many books on the bombing of dresden not least kurt vonneguts novel, slaughterhouse five, but sinclair mckays account is a worthy addition. Had a private tour by a university professor before the church was reopened to the public. The red army had launched its silesian offensives into prewar german. By 1963, there was a new zwinger, by 1985 a new semper opera house. Before world war ii, dresden was called the florence of the elbe and was regarded as one the worlds.
Pictures of dresden before and after the wwii bombing may 2, 2015 ian smith you dont need to be a history hunt to know about the most obscure and surprise bombing of the wwii in the capital of the german state of saxony dresden. The dresden files is a series of contemporary fantasymystery novels written by american author jim butcher. The author has written several volumes of longer memoirs of his life before, during the after the war. A survivors story, february 1945 reprint by victor gregg isbn. On 14 february, dresden commemorates the 70th anniversary of the 1945 allied firebombing, which left the vast majority of the city. I survived the bombing of dresden and continue to believe it was a war crime victor gregg as a prisoner of war held in dresden, i still suffer the memories of those terrible events and my anger. When, on the th and 15th february 1945, 722 heavy bombers burned the city to the ground. Dresden, germany travel photos by galen r frysinger. In two days, 1,200 raf and usaaf bombers dropped 3,900 tons of. Book 17 in the dresden files series by jim butcher will be titled battle ground and is expected out this year, with a release date announced for a little more than two months after the release of. The books are written as a firstperson narrative from the perspective of the main character, private investigator and wizard harry dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modernday chicago. This is a detailed but certainly not dry account of the bombing of dresden on the th february, 1945, shortly before the end of the war in europe. Apocalypse in dresden, february 1945 the national wwii. The first wave of lancasters, british fourengined heavy bombers, appeared over dresden on the night of tuesday, february, 1945, around 10 p.
We found 55 books set in dresden and 14 others set nearby. Later, the eighth air force would drop 2,800 more tons of bombs on dresden in three other attacks before the war s end. British planes dropped explosive and incendiary bombs on dresden during the night of february th, 1945. The dresden files is a contemporary urban fantasy series of novels by author jim butcher. The inferno the destruction of dresden, the florence of. Today, with a population of just over half a million, it is a thriving city as part of a reunited germany. In terms of dark fantasy with a satiric touch, they are my absolute favourites. Devastating photos of dresden before and after the wwii. As a royal air force memo put it before the attack, dresden, the seventh largest city. After the war, and again after german reunification, great efforts were made to rebuild some of dresden s former landmarks, such as the frauenkirche, the semperoper the saxony state opera house and the zwinger palace the latter two were rebuilt before reunification. How people rebuilt after the horrific firebombing of dresden. From dresden on the 50th anniversary of slaughterhousefive.
In the decades since the war, large variations in the claimed death toll have. Pictures of dresden before and after the wwii bombing. Dresden is the capital city of the free state of saxony freistaat sachsen in eastern germany. On the evening of february th, 1945, the allies began a devastating series of raids on the medieval german city of dresden. What books should i read after finishing dresden files. Weldon talks directly to us in the 21st century while recounting europe london during the years right after wwi and right before wwii. The first two are generally considered the worst books, but even then they are still excellent.
Devastating photos of dresden before and after the wwii bombing apr 9, 2016 ian smith the bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, that took place during the second world war in the european theatre. They had heard the whump a whump of distant aerial bombings many times before. The freight car had been photographed the day before on a track outside of dresden. Dresden railway station only days after the use of the west german mark 1990, a mobile burger king arrived dresden, city in east central germany, capital of saxony sachsen. By the beginning of 1945, german fortunes looked bleak. The omniscient and omnipotent narrator is that of the author herself, who seems to be making the story us as we go. Tuesday, february, 1945 and millions of other books are.
They are told in first person narrative by the human wizard and private investigator harry dresden, who tells of his investigations into supernatural disturbances in modernday chicago. Dresden files book 17 release date announced, battle. But on february, 1945, the american prisoners of war heard dresdens fire. After a few weeks with the russians until the end of the war in europe, he was transported back west and to home. Though checked at the battle of the bulge in the west and with the soviets pressing hard on the eastern front, the third reich continued to mount a stubborn defense. The german goverment today will only allow the official deathtoll figure of 25,000 souls who perished during those 3 days of hell on earth, but the figure kept by the dresden police, reported a. Before world war ii, dresden was called the florence of the elbe and was regarded as one the worlds most beautiful cities for its architecture and museums. This was an excellent book on the history of dresden before and during wwii. A story of combat and captivity of courage, deception, and survival for all it was worth provides piercing insights into the indoctrination of the german people into nazi ideology and addresses the issues facing. Family projects business global events books fiction newsletters.
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