British & Commonwealth - Armed Forces, German History, World War II, British History - General & Miscellaneous, Aviation - Military

Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945

Name: Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945
Author: Frederick Taylor
ISBN: 9780060006778

by Frederick Taylor

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Overview

For decades it has been assumed that the Allied bombing of Dresden — a cultured city famous for its china, chocolate, and fine watches — was militarily unjustifiable, an act of retribution for Germany's ceaseless bombing of London and other parts of England.

Now, Frederick Taylor's groundbreaking research offers a completely new examination of the facts and reveals that Dresden was a highly militarized city actively involved in the production of military armaments and communications. Incorporating first-hand accounts, contemporaneous press material and memoirs, and never-before-seen government records, Taylor proves unequivocally the very real military threat Dresden posed — and how a legacy of propaganda shrouded the truth for sixty years.

Synopsis

The New York Times - Gabriel Schoenfeld

What emerges is a picture markedly different from conventional accounts. To begin with, though a great many innocent civilians perished in the firestorm, the city itself had hardly been a model of innocence. Rather, it was a Nazified redoubt; the bulk of its citizens passionately supported Hitler's war of aggression. Those who did not actively persecute the small Jewish community within their midst quietly stood by while it was physically eliminated.

About the Author, Frederick Taylor

Frederick Taylor studied history and modern languages at Oxford University and Sussex University. A Volkswagen Studentship award enabled him to research and travel widely in both parts of divided Germany at the height of the Cold War. Taylor is the author of Dresden and has edited and translated a number of works from German, including The Goebbels Diaries, 1939-1941. He is married with three children and lives in Cornwall, England.

Reviews

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Editorials

People Magazine

"Deeply affecting ... a bracing rebuke to the myths and propaganda that have painted over the memory of this tragedy."

The Independent(London)

"[An] authoritative and moving account …. Impeccably documented."

Nicholas Fearn

"In narrative power and persuasion, [Taylor] has paralleled in DRESDEN what Antony Beevor achieved in STALINGRAD."

Anthony Looch

"Well-researched, objective and compassionate...Frederick Taylor convincingly sets the record straight."

James Bradley

"I thought I knew what happened at Dresden on that fiery day in 1945 — and then I read this book."

Stanley P. Hirschson

"Anyone who thinks that during World War Two Dresden manufactured just chinaware must read this penetrating book."

Peter Duffy

"A provocative re-examination of the bombing of Dresden ... elgantly written and deeply moving."

Washington Times

"Compelling ... Mr. Taylor makes a persuasive case that Dresden was not an innocent bystander in the tragedy that was WWII."

The Independent (London)

“[An] authoritative and moving account …. Impeccably documented.”

Chicago Sun-Times

"The enigmatic past and the patient muse of history are brilliantly served ... by this blockbuster of a book."

The Literary Review (London)

"Genius...an absolutely magnificent work both of scholarship and of narration."

New York Times Book Review

"Taylor carefully debunks .... the ‘pervasive postwar myth’ ... What emerges is a picture markedly different from conventional accounts."

Christian Science Monitor

"A major contribution to the story of Dresden."

People

“Deeply affecting ... a bracing rebuke to the myths and propaganda that have painted over the memory of this tragedy.”

Houston Chronicle

"Fascinating....a fine, revealing work of revisionist history. He has also given us a deeply haunting human drama."

Atlantic Monthly

"Compelling ... [Taylor] puts the assault in its proper context to reveal the inherent moral tangle of total war."

Calgary Sun

"Groundbreaking … [shines] new light on that fateful day and the resulting myths."

Salon.com

"A riveting narrative account."

Gabriel Schoenfeld

Publishers Weekly

The allied bombing of Dresden created a massive fire that swept the city center, killing thousands of people and destroying its medieval heart. Debate began almost immediately: Was the destruction of this seemingly civilian city necessary militarily, or was it, some asked, equivalent to a war crime? Not just another in an endless parade of books on Dresden, Taylor's account may go a long way toward putting such questions to rest. It opens with the start, by British bombers, of the nighttime attack, and immediately turns to the past, meandering through several centuries of Dresden history, from its founding in the Middle Ages to the 20th century and the rise of the Nazis. Taylor, translator of The Goebbels Diaries, also covers the history of aerial bombardment and its international laws; gives glimpses of life under the Nazi regime; details the Allied bombing campaign against Germany; and, most excitingly, puts forth new information concerning Dresden's part in the German war effort, which turns out to be much greater than postwar information generally portrays. Five chapters of 30 describe the actual bombing of the city by the British and American air forces, and they do so effectively, weaving first-person accounts of the aircrews with those of the terrified German soldiers and civilians. The aftermath of the raid is concisely dealt with, in the process correcting common perception about the numbers actually killed (approximately 25,000, not up to 250,000, as often cited), and he offers a review of the postwar debate on the morality of the bombing. An afterword describes the author's experience at a recent ceremony for the dead of Dresden, and further corrects some longstanding misinformation that includes the alleged strafing of civilians by American aircraft. Taylor has used a variety of German, as well as Allied, sources to write an account not previously accomplished to this extent in English. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The destruction of Dresden, Germany, by the British and American air forces just a few months before the end of World War II has long been a source of controversy. Most people probably know about it through Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969). Was it an act of revenge, a demonstration of strategic bombing to intimidate Stalin, or a justified military action? Taylor, who previously translated The Goebbels Diaries, 1939-1941, has conducted archival research to make his point that the Saxon city was in fact a viable military target because of its industrial output and railway transportation routes. There was also the matter of supporting the Russian winter offensive that was relieving pressure on the Western Allies and the resulting psychological blow to war-weary German citizens. Taylor uses selected personal accounts to detail and flavor this interesting history. He refutes sensationalist stories of American fighter planes strafing civilians and tries to clarify the number of casualties-which is probably closer to 50,000 than 350,000. The only thing missing are maps of the city and the surrounding area. A strong and provocative work of World War II scholarship, this is suitable for all collections.-Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Was Dresden an innocent city smashed into dust by Allied perfidy Allies, as the Vonnegutian legend has it? Or was it a legitimate target? The answer is yes, writes English novelist/translator Taylor (The Kinder Garden, 1991), and with lots of qualifications. The Saxon city of Dresden, renowned for its sumptuous architecture, for china and glassware, for great works of art, invited destruction. The Nazis argued otherwise, holding that the Allied bombing of the city in February 1945-at first by 796 Lancaster bombers that dropped "more than twenty-six hundred tons of high explosives and incendiary devices on the target city, utterly destroying thirteen square miles of its historic center," then by subsequent raids-was a crime against humanity such as the world had never seen. But Dresden was no innocent haven, Taylor argues, echoing Robin Neillands's argument in The Bomber War (2001): Dresden served as an important rail center that brought reinforcements and supplies to the Eastern Front (though by that time the Russians were only 70 miles away), and it manufactured important war materiel, including aircraft engines and optical equipment. By Taylor's account, the Allied raid still seems excessive: Why else were so many of the British bombs designed to blow apart streets, "thereby causing access problems for firefighters and other emergency services"? And why did the second wave of bombing follow the first by a full two hours, if not to lure sheltered Dresdeners out of hiding and into the open? Taylor allows that the second scenario may have been a matter of deliberate policy on the part of the vengeful RAF, which visited even greater devastation on less important targets in the closing daysof the war. Interestingly, he revisits an old fire: namely, the thought that Dresden was so thoroughly destroyed simply to deny it to the Soviets at the gates. A sure-to-be controversial argument that the bombing of Dresden "was not irrational, or pointless."