Posted on 05/17/2013 10:35:46 AM PDT by the scotsman
Deliberately targeting civilian areas to terrorize them and break morale, and the intentional destruction of cultural icons.
And they are the nation and people who committed the most horrific and diabolical mass murder the likes of which the world had never seen
Even if you qualified that statement with 'to that date'; it would still be false. Hitler was a piker when it came to mass murder and ethnic cleansing compared to Stalin. Not so sure about the Nips. Their numbers range from 3 million to 30 million, probably much closer to the larger number.
Why should Dresden have been spared what other cities in Britain and Holland and Poland had not?
Dresden and Cologne suffered massive destruction during the air war, as did most notably Coventry on the English side. But the Cologne and Hamburg raids are recognized as acts of war, different in nature from what happened in Dresden. I'm a bit puzzled by your reference to Holland. Perhaps you are referring to Rotterdam, which is completely different in nature from the air raids on Germany and England. At the time the Rotterdam raid was launched, the Dutch had made the city the scene of a land battle. So the Rotterdam raid was tactical, rather than strategic, in nature.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are posting on subjects that you aren't really knowledgeable about, rather than assume that you are a Stalinist at heart.
You’ll give me the benefit of the doubt? You arrogant bastard. The Holocaust was calculated slaughter conducted on an industrial basis involving an entire state in the process. While it didn’t match numbers of Stalin’s blundering slaughter, it’s scope and ferocity were monstrous. ‘’Deliberately targeting civilian areas’’. Yeah. That was the general idea.So what? War is horrible. The more horrible it is, the sooner it’s over.Dresden was no different than any other city in Germany, it was a legitimate target. It’s large rail yards were vital to the German war effort and even if it wasn’t, it’s was an enemy city in the enemys country, ergo, it’s a target.Should it have been left alone so as to become a staging point for massing troops? The Germans bought this on themselves. The Germans launched the damn war, they laid the ground rules and paid the price for it. Tough beans for them. As to Rotterdam, the city had surrendered but somehow the message didn’t get to the Luftwaffe, a ‘’radio malfunction’’ and the Germans leveled most of the city.Goebbles screamed for “Total War’’ and the Allies gave it to them.
Looks like I was right. Argumentum ad hominem is the refuge of the ignorant and those unarmed for intellectual discussion. I understand your frustration. You have my sympathy.
Trust me I’m neither ignorant or frustrated. What I am is very knowledgeable of WW2 history. It must suck to be you. You have my sympathy. It’s has to be lonely being so arrogant. I’m grateful God didn’t make me you.
Hindsight is 20/20.....we can debate whether or not Dresden was effective or not towards ultimately winning the war....perhaps it wasn’t.....but that didn’t make it a crime.
I’m not questioning whether or not it was effective. As to whether or not it was a crime - it certainly would be under the 1949 convention, but of course the convention wasn’t in effect at the time. On the other hand, a number of the Nazis were tried and convicted based upon ex post facto standards. So based upon that precedent, I’m willing to declare Harris’ acts criminal. Even Churchill expressed concern that Dresden might have gone to far. I’m not aware of similar comments from him on Cologne, or Hamburg, or the other major targets.
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