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Firebombing of Dresden SlaughterHouse -Five

Firebombing of Dresden SlaughterHouse -Five. Dresden. Cultural hub of Northern Germany Called the Florence of the North A commercial/ transportation center Important Railway junction 110 factories Many evacuees and refugees from the East and Berlin. Timeline. Reasons for the Battle.

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Firebombing of Dresden SlaughterHouse -Five

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  1. Firebombing of Dresden SlaughterHouse-Five

  2. Dresden • Cultural hub of Northern Germany • Called the Florence of the North • A commercial/ transportation center • Important Railway junction • 110 factories • Many evacuees and refugees from the East and Berlin

  3. Timeline

  4. Reasons for the Battle • Battle of Britain • Revenge • Show Red Army the might and strength of the British and Americans • Crush the spirit of the German People • Destroy main railway junctions, factories producing war machines, the strategic meeting place of the Nazis

  5. The Battle • 3 waves of bombings in 2 ½ days • Head of the Bomber Command, Arthur Harris • Within the city bounds of Dresden • Used high explosive bombs and incendiary bombs • Survivors shot down with machine guns from planes • Goal was to inflict as much damage as possible

  6. WARNING: the following couple of slides contain graphic war description and photos. Please close your eyes if you are feeling squeamish. Thank you!

  7. The Inferno • Extremely hot fires • All the smaller fires merged to form one giant inferno • Whirlwind/ tornado of fire created • Deaths from burns, smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and asphyxiation

  8. Destruction • Mainly older, more densely populated part bombed • 85% of the fully built up city destroyed • Large number of industrial facilities destroyed • 50% of homes demolished • 80% of city housing damaged to some extent • 1600 acres of land destroyed • 35,000-135,000 deaths

  9. Importance • Frightened the German people • Was an unexpected attack by the Allies, usually defensive • First use of Napalm war • If the Allies had lost the war, they would have been tried for war crimes for this event • Showed the might of the Allies, as well as the hypocrisy.

  10. Aftermath • Joseph Goebbels: Allies now using “terror bombing” of innocent towns, 250,000 dead • Winston Churchill: "Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of Allied bombing." • Arthur Harris: "The attack on Dresden was at the time considered a military necessity by people more important than myself.“ • In truth, about 35,000 to 135,000 civilians died at Dresden • Military objective for Dresden in question still, obvious reason was revenge • No attempt by German prosecutors to pursue the United States and Great Britain

  11. Slaughterhouse-Five • Written by Kurt Vonnegut • Published in 1969 • Based on Vonnegut’s experiences during World War II as a German prisoner • He was held in Dresden • Was the first novel to raise awareness of the bombings, is the most famous example.

  12. Kurt Vonnegut Born November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana Known for using Patiche in his works. Blends satire, black comedy, and science fiction to create novels, such as Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions. As a former soldier and prisoner of war, many of his experiences influenced his later works. Postmodern Author

  13. Journal Write “War is at best barbarism…Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.” Discuss your feelings of war by making comparisons of this quote to media, history, personal anecdotes, or literature.

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