Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Dresden: It was 60 years ago today...
On February 13-14, 1945, Allied bombers laid siege to the German town of Dresden—once known as “Florence on the Elbe.” With the Russians advancing rapidly towards Berlin, tens of thousands of German civilians fled into Dresden, believing it to be safe from attack. As a result, the city’s population swelled from its usual 600,000 to at least one million.
Dresden before:
Following up a smaller raid on Hamburg in July 1943 that killed at least 48,000 civilians, Winston Churchill enlisted the aid of British scientists to cook up “a new kind of weather.” The goal was not only maximum destruction and loss of life, but also to show their communist allies what a capitalist war machine could do...in case Stalin had any crazy ideas.
Dresden after:
To read an article I wrote on the 58th anniversary (as “shock and awe” neared), please click here:
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/mickeyz02082003
Copyright © 2005-2007 Mickey Z.
