Dresden Bombing

Allied forces began a massive air strike against Germany on the night of February 13th 1945 when they bombed Dresden, a historic city in the north of Germany. More than 1,000 heavy bombers from the Britsh Royal Air Force and United States Air Army Force dropped nearly 4,000 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices in under 15 hours, destroying large swathes of the city. Estimates suggest that as many as 40,000 civilians were injured or killed in the attack. The Allies justified the attack by saying that Dresden was a major rail transportation and communication centre, with more than 100 factories and and 50,000 workers in support of Germany's war effort. Others, including the German Nobel prize-winning novelist Gunter Grass, have condemned it, saying the extent of the bombing far exceeded its objectives.