Dresden Nightmare

One of the most controversial Allied operations of the second world war took place on the 14th and 15th 1945. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Dresden Germany. Was the bombing justified? The city had little industrial or strategic importance, also it was full of as many as 100,000 refugees fleeing the advancing Red Army. From the start of the war the city had been spared from bombing, it was considered a safe city.
The Allied leadership wanted to aid the Soviets in their advance on Berlin. The use of a strategic bomber force would cause confusion in German troops evacuating from the eastern front and hamper troops headed to the west. The Allies knew the Germany's could reinforce the eastern front with as many as 100,000 men. Preventing the emeny from switching forces back and fourth from one front to the other would shorten the war.
Dresden had a massive rail yard, one of the largest transit centers in all of Europe. Military intelligence knew it would not only be full of troops retreating from the eastern front but also was a stageing point for troops headed for the western front.
Durning the early morning hours of the 14th 1945, 803 Lancaster bombers dropped high explosives and incendiary bombs on the city, followed by 311 American B17 which continued the raid on the 15th. The method used was called fire bombing, dropping high explosives to blow off roofs exposing timbers followed by dropping incendiary bombs to ignite them and then more high explosives to hinder fire fighters. This caused a fire storm so great it sucked people into the fire.
Out of 28,000 houses in the city 24,000 were destroyed along with 72 schools, 22 hospitals, 19 churches, 5 theaters, 50 banks, 31 department stores, 36 hotels 62 office buildings, and 75,000 apartment buildings. The number killed was placed at 35,000 althou the real number will never be known because of the massive number of undocumented refugees who were incinerated in the fire storm.
War is War! The only crime is starting war in the first place. Once it gets started no one pays any attention to rules and regulations. It is a question of survival. That is just how war is!