Posted on 02/13/2013 9:04:00 AM PST by Kid Shelleen
It's the 68th anniversary of the Dresden bombing. In Britain, we don't think about it as much as, perhaps, we should. The bare facts. More than 1,200 RAF and USAAF bombers attacked the city between the 13th and 15th of February 1945, in four raids. They dropped 3,900 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs, killing between 22,000 and 25,000 people, almost all civilians. The city's anti-aircraft defences had all been moved to defend the industrial works of the Ruhr valley. The details are chilling.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
The Germans as a nation, no doubt.
The individual old people and kids in those air raid shelters, not so much.
All wars go through progressive cycles of increasing brutality. The longer a war grinds on, the more brutal it becomes.
The American Civil War began with dress parades; it ended with corn cribs and hog pens in Georgia and the Shenandoah Valley being military targets.
World War 1 saw a “Christmas Truce” in 1914. By 1918, the use of every kind of gas was practiced on both sides.
World War 2 had an early phase of the deliberate sparing of hospital ships by both sides. By 1943, they were being sunk. The bombing of Warsaw and Rotterdam were considered barbaric. The firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo were simply the continuation of military policy.
“It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it.” - Robert E. Lee
Dresden was well worth bombing.
Total war = no civilians.
Ask the Poles and Russians about what happened to their cities at the hands of the Germans.
Had the Germans been able to continue their attacks on London, it too would have been obliterated.
The fire bombings of Hamburg, Dresden, and Tokyo were awful, horrible attacks. That was the point.
The British did not start the war. Their losses were staggering and they had been fighting it for 2.5 years before we came in. Its wrong to judge people fighting for their lives, 70 years later.
I never thought I would see the day when so many FReepers would raise their voices in agreement with Hanoi Jane.
And yes, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
The part about there being 25K less of them to resist. Real war is about annihilation of the other sides ability to make war. The American Civil war was not won because the union generals had such ability on the battlefield. It was won because Sherman burned the civilians out of their homes and burdened the south with total devastation. Real war is won when the civilians can no longer support their army. We have managed to not learn that lesson. Hence we have yet to win a war since WWII.
Well it certainly had something to do with it. The French and British kept their boot on Germany’s neck long after WWI was over. And the Germans, being disciplined and proud, didn’t like it too much. You can argue with it, but Hitler’s rise had a lot to do with the conditions people were living under.
Interesting how, nearly 70 years after WWII, which left Germany as a divided, destroyed nation... who is economically ruling Europe? The German work ethic is constant, and won’t keep them down for long.
I would rather we used one bomb and dropped it on the Kremlin.
You sound like s STUPID, SPINELSS, “Libertatian” SOB. If you think that if we would have stayed(sp?) out of WWI the Kaiser, and his Ottoman Buddies would have just “Left us alone” WRONG! Learn HISTORY the Germans were wetting up RIGHT here in the US a “Fifth Column” around 1915 or so. Would you have rather have had to fight the Central Powers here or would you have rather faught them in Europe and/or Asia. Oh that’s right Cowards like YOU would have found some other BS “reason” not to fight(just like COWARDS always have)!
So, no railroad bombing arguments are valid when you are bouncing around moral quandries ~
Sure they didn’t...
**** The city’s anti-aircraft defences had all been moved to defend the industrial works of the Ruhr valley.****
Then the Germans should have declared it to be an “OPEN CITY”.
“The allies lied why they bombed Dresden. It was to kill civilians of course. Most of the industrial capacity was located in Dresden’s suburbs, which were spared. I recall watching the History channel and they stated that in a few months the industrial capacity was back to 70% of what it was before the bombing. Pretty impressive considering much of the work force would have been homeless.”
Ah, so if they hadn’t managed to get back up to 70% (instead of 100%) in a FEW MONTHS, it would have been ok.
Remember to keep believing public education and Big Media headlines!
This sickens me. I feel like I’ve visited DU and need a bath.
Screw this. I need to take a break from all the leftism at FR.
I MIGHT be back, but I want to puke.
IT WAS WAR YOU STUPID BASTARD!
You seem to forget Bosnia. The Bundeswehr were very active there. The Bundeswehr will remain in Afghanistan after the USA cuts and runs too.
The British were horrified that the American militia would deliberately target officers and indian scouts but it worked. They were horrified at loyalists being driven from their homes but again, it worked.
Well Said, the Populace is always the weakest link.
Warsaw, Rotterdam and Coventry deserve to be remembered.
” It was war, not a civil matter but a military one. Kill everyone and destroy everything until the enemy ceases to exist or unconditionally surrenders; that is war.”
But the first law the of the winner’s history does not allow this concept to be applied to William T. Sherman.
KC_Lion ~ Remember, Many Supported those ideas when they first came around.
Just like many support Obama today.
The end of our trail isn't likely to be prettier.
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