Why dresden?
At the Yalta Conference
The bombing of Dresden was an attack on the German city of Dresden the capital of the German state of Saxony. It took place from the 13 to 15 of February, 1945, when Germany was fighting a losing battle. At the time, Germany was suffering major losses in both the Eastern front (with the Soviet Union) and the Western front, for example the failed Battle of the Bulge. Despite the hardships, Germany still pressed on forward stubbornly. As the war came closer to its end, the Allies began planning strategic bombings to disrupt German communication, transportation, and troop movements. On February 8, 1945, the Soviets crossed Oder River and took up positions just 70 kilometres from Berlin, so helping the Soviets advance further into Germany became another reason for a strategic bombing of German cities.
Though plans for an offensive attack targeting German cities were considered in as early as mid-1944 under the code name Thunderclap, they were shelved on August 16 1944. They were re-examined only a month before the bombings as the Royal Air Force began planning a widespread bombing of Eastern Germany. The head of the Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, planned attacks against Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz. Sir Charles Portal, the Chief of Air Staff, as well as British Prime minister Winston Churchill agreed to these bombings, but both argued that the strategic bombing of German cities should not be a priority over attacks on refineries, factories, and shipyards. For a while, Dresden was safe.
However, during the Yalta Conference (where Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill gathered in 1945 to discuss war strategies and post-war issues), General Aleksei Antonov of the Soviet Union requested the use of bombing to hinder the movement of German troops in eastern Europe. The two cities that were considered were Dresden and Berlin. Dresden was a desirable location for the bombing for a number of reasons: it was the largest, unbombed city in Germany, the largest remaining industrial site with over 100 factories, and it manufactured artillery, aircraft components, and poison gas. In addition, it was an important railway stop, with lines connecting to Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Munich and many other major cities. Destroying Dresden would effectively disrupt communications between the Axis, destroy key transportation routes, and stop the production of many wartime equipment. Dresden would also be very easy to bomb, since the city was old and did not have the means to defend itself, plus it was considered a 'safe haven' for refugees (especially for those trying to escape the Red Menace from the east) and so no one expected it to be attacked. For these reasons, Dresden became secured as the site of the inevitable bombing.
There is one last reason why Dresden was bombed, though it is slightly more controversial than the rest. Though it is said that General Aleksai Antonov (and by extension, Joseph Stalin) requested the bombings, there is no official record of the request being made. At the same time, an internal Royal Air Force memo says that "the intentions of the attack are to hit the enemy where he will feel it most,.... to prevent the use of the city in the way of further advance, and incidentally show the Russians when they arrive what the Bomber Command can do." It is very likely that no such request was made; instead it was created as an excuse to show America's bombs off to the Soviet Union without arousing suspicion.
Though plans for an offensive attack targeting German cities were considered in as early as mid-1944 under the code name Thunderclap, they were shelved on August 16 1944. They were re-examined only a month before the bombings as the Royal Air Force began planning a widespread bombing of Eastern Germany. The head of the Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, planned attacks against Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz. Sir Charles Portal, the Chief of Air Staff, as well as British Prime minister Winston Churchill agreed to these bombings, but both argued that the strategic bombing of German cities should not be a priority over attacks on refineries, factories, and shipyards. For a while, Dresden was safe.
However, during the Yalta Conference (where Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill gathered in 1945 to discuss war strategies and post-war issues), General Aleksei Antonov of the Soviet Union requested the use of bombing to hinder the movement of German troops in eastern Europe. The two cities that were considered were Dresden and Berlin. Dresden was a desirable location for the bombing for a number of reasons: it was the largest, unbombed city in Germany, the largest remaining industrial site with over 100 factories, and it manufactured artillery, aircraft components, and poison gas. In addition, it was an important railway stop, with lines connecting to Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Munich and many other major cities. Destroying Dresden would effectively disrupt communications between the Axis, destroy key transportation routes, and stop the production of many wartime equipment. Dresden would also be very easy to bomb, since the city was old and did not have the means to defend itself, plus it was considered a 'safe haven' for refugees (especially for those trying to escape the Red Menace from the east) and so no one expected it to be attacked. For these reasons, Dresden became secured as the site of the inevitable bombing.
There is one last reason why Dresden was bombed, though it is slightly more controversial than the rest. Though it is said that General Aleksai Antonov (and by extension, Joseph Stalin) requested the bombings, there is no official record of the request being made. At the same time, an internal Royal Air Force memo says that "the intentions of the attack are to hit the enemy where he will feel it most,.... to prevent the use of the city in the way of further advance, and incidentally show the Russians when they arrive what the Bomber Command can do." It is very likely that no such request was made; instead it was created as an excuse to show America's bombs off to the Soviet Union without arousing suspicion.
Breaking it down...
The reasons for bombing Dresden can be broken down into four points:
1. It would be easy to attack because of it's lack of defence
2. It would effectively destroy many factories that produced equipment for the Nazis
3. It would aid the Soviets in advancing to Berlin, since Dresden was right between Berlin and the Soviets (who were just 70 kilometres away from the capital)
4. It would show off bombs to the Soviet Union, who the United States knew would become a threat after WWII
1. It would be easy to attack because of it's lack of defence
2. It would effectively destroy many factories that produced equipment for the Nazis
3. It would aid the Soviets in advancing to Berlin, since Dresden was right between Berlin and the Soviets (who were just 70 kilometres away from the capital)
4. It would show off bombs to the Soviet Union, who the United States knew would become a threat after WWII