Book – Firestorm – The Bombing of Dresden 1945
Edited by Paul Addison and Jeremy A. Crang

Living in Dresden for the last month has made me fascinated with this city’s role in World War II, specifically the bombing that destroyed the city on February 13, 1945. As I walk among the beautiful restored buildings, I am amazed and saddened by how many beautiful things were destroyed and how many lives were lost here. There are reminders everywhere – from buildings still in ruins, to memorials to lives lost and buildings that have been rebuilt, but with clear signs of their ruins. Even one of the art exhibitions I visited had constant reminders of World War II as the paintings were all once owned by private Dresden collectors but were scattered around the world because of the war.

This fascination, particularly with how the buildings have been restored so magnificently, led me to this book – my first non-fiction book in a very long time – and a book that is primarily about the history of war – definitely not my usual choice of subject matter!

The book is a collection of essays and papers presented at a summit of experts about the Dresden bombing. It presents a variety of viewpoints from a range of authors from all over the world. It explores the lead up and planning of the bombing, the execution of the attack, the destruction of the city, the impact on the people and the restoration of the buildings before and after the collapse of the GDR. One particularly interesting chapter is the story of Victor Klemperer, a Jew living in Dresden during the bombings whose life was effectively saved – he was due to be transported to a labour camp in the next few days. Another chapter discusses the question “Was Dresden a War Crime?”.

The range of opinions and analysis of historical viewpoints is particularly interesting. The death toll of the bombing in Dresden is reported in various accounts of the bombing anywhere between 25 000 and 300 000 people. There are difficulties finding an actual figure as there were so many refugees in the city at that time and many bodies were totally incinerated. Most modern historians agree that the figure is most likely around 35 000. The exaggerated figure came about from Nazi propaganda and forged documents that are now discredited. At the time these figures were published, however, the Dresden bombing seemed responsible for more deaths than Hiroshima and the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Little wonder that the bombing of Dresden is such a significant event in World War II history and an event of deep regret for most of the Allied forces. Winston Churchill, who was significant in ordering the attacks on Dresden, even expressed remorse over the bombing shortly afterwards.

There is much discussion in the book about whether the Russian army requested the attack and also whether it aided the war on the Eastern front to a significant degree. There is also a great deal said about the strategy of bombing, particularly with regard to the destruction of civilian targets. This seems so topical still.

I am still surprised that I found this book so interesting and engaging as it is so far out of my usual range of reading. It certainly deepened my appreciation of the beautiful city I was living in this month and confirmed my sadness over the destruction and death caused by war.