What Was The Reason For The Bombing Of Dresden

Strategic bombing was not an uncommon action from those on either side of World War II. Many cities in Europe were virtually destroyed by war efforts. Each bombing was accompanied by its own set of reasons. For the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan the reason was, according to President Truman to “completely destroy Japan’s power to make war” (“Primary Resources”). The bombing of Hamburg was motivated, at least in part, by desire to destroy the city’s important shipyard (“Hamburg”). However, the 1945 targeting of Dresden is particularly difficult to explain. Considered one of Germany’s most beautiful cities, there were many who believed Dresden was safe from Anglo-American Raids. According to an eyewitness of the raids, there were rumors going around that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had an aunt that lived there and that the
This point seems only to allude to the fact that the bombing of Dresden was motivated largely by retaliation. The Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command was taken over by Sir Arthur Harris in early 1942 (RAF website). This is when the majority of Britain’s air raids targeting German cities began. The German Air Force’s bombing campaign, known as The Blitz ended in May 1941 (Daily Mail). Although there is no denying the extremity of The Blitz, the Bomber Command’s actions so closely following The Blitz certainly raises questions. There are some who believe British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the bombing of Dresden as retaliation for the bombing of Coventry alone. Some think that Churchill allowed Coventry to burn so as to avoid giving away intelligence (Winston Churchill Website). Although these claims are mostly ignored, the fact that the RAF’s Bombing Command so closely followed the events of the Blitz, including the bombing of the English city Coventry, cannot be