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The Destruction of Dresden
The Destruction of Dresden is a 1963 non-fiction book which describes the February 1945 bombing of Dresden in World War II. The book is based on a series of 37 articles written on the strategic bombing during World War II by David Irving called Wie Deutschlands Städte starben ( How Germany's Cities Died) for the German journal Neue Illustrierte. The book became an international bestseller during the 1960s debate about the morality of the World War II area bombing of the Nazi Germany civilian population.
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
About the author
David Irving
50 books347 followersDavid John Cawdell Irving is an English author who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a UK court in 2000 as a result of a failed libel case.
Irving's works include The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitler's War (1977), Churchill's War (1987) and Goebbels: Mastermind of the Third Reich (1996). In his works, he argued that Adolf Hitler did not know of the extermination of Jews, or, if he did, he opposed it. Though Irving's negationist claims and views of German war crimes in World War II (and Hitler's responsibility for them) were never taken seriously by mainstream historians, he was once recognised for his knowledge of Nazi Germany and his ability to unearth new historical documents, which he held closely but stated were fully supportive of his conclusions. His 1964 book The Mare's Nest about Germany's V-weapons campaign of 1944-45 was praised for its deep research but criticised for minimising Nazi slave labour programmes.
By the late 1980s, Irving had placed himself outside the mainstream of the study of history, and had begun to turn from "'soft-core' to 'hard-core' Holocaust denial", possibly influenced by the 1988 trial of Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel. That trial, and his reading of the pseudoscientific Leuchter report, led him to openly espouse Holocaust denial, specifically denying that Jews were murdered by gassing at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Irving's reputation as a historian was further discredited in 2000, when, in the course of an unsuccessful libel case he filed against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books, High Court Judge Charles Gray determined in his ruling that Irving willfully misrepresented historical evidence to promote Holocaust denial and whitewash the Nazis, a view shared by many prominent historians. The English court found that Irving was an active Holocaust denier, antisemite and racist, who "for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence". In addition, the court found that Irving's books had distorted the history of Hitler's role in the Holocaust to depict Hitler in a favourable light.
Irving's works include The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitler's War (1977), Churchill's War (1987) and Goebbels: Mastermind of the Third Reich (1996). In his works, he argued that Adolf Hitler did not know of the extermination of Jews, or, if he did, he opposed it. Though Irving's negationist claims and views of German war crimes in World War II (and Hitler's responsibility for them) were never taken seriously by mainstream historians, he was once recognised for his knowledge of Nazi Germany and his ability to unearth new historical documents, which he held closely but stated were fully supportive of his conclusions. His 1964 book The Mare's Nest about Germany's V-weapons campaign of 1944-45 was praised for its deep research but criticised for minimising Nazi slave labour programmes.
By the late 1980s, Irving had placed himself outside the mainstream of the study of history, and had begun to turn from "'soft-core' to 'hard-core' Holocaust denial", possibly influenced by the 1988 trial of Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel. That trial, and his reading of the pseudoscientific Leuchter report, led him to openly espouse Holocaust denial, specifically denying that Jews were murdered by gassing at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Irving's reputation as a historian was further discredited in 2000, when, in the course of an unsuccessful libel case he filed against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books, High Court Judge Charles Gray determined in his ruling that Irving willfully misrepresented historical evidence to promote Holocaust denial and whitewash the Nazis, a view shared by many prominent historians. The English court found that Irving was an active Holocaust denier, antisemite and racist, who "for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence". In addition, the court found that Irving's books had distorted the history of Hitler's role in the Holocaust to depict Hitler in a favourable light.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 15, 2024
It is surely stated that the Victors in any conflict are usually the ones to write history completely in their favour. Irving bucks that trend by giving an account of the terrible aerial firebombings that took place upon Dresden, Germany towards the end of WWII; conducted by a massive joint operation of the British and American Air Force bomber divisions based in England.
The result was horrific civilian deaths and extensive destruction. In all cases, this was ethically atrocious as Dresden had no strategic military or manufacturing significance, and in the historic centuries-old downtown area being wiped from existence.
A must read.
The result was horrific civilian deaths and extensive destruction. In all cases, this was ethically atrocious as Dresden had no strategic military or manufacturing significance, and in the historic centuries-old downtown area being wiped from existence.
A must read.
August 18, 2020
Given what the Nazi Germans did to Britain I don''t know how David Irving can DARE to call himself a British Nationalist.
For 4 years Britain had to endure frightful bombings for which we were not prepared, Thousands of women , children, babies, old people were killed across British cities. Famous cathedrals, museums, mansions, whole streets which had lasted fro centuries were smashed to rubble.
No one who really is a British or English patriot can feel positively about Nazi Germany. People like David Irving and Nick Griffin always bang on about the tears they shed fro the bombing of Dresden, but are indifferent to the German bombing of Brtain.
For 4 years Britain had to endure frightful bombings for which we were not prepared, Thousands of women , children, babies, old people were killed across British cities. Famous cathedrals, museums, mansions, whole streets which had lasted fro centuries were smashed to rubble.
No one who really is a British or English patriot can feel positively about Nazi Germany. People like David Irving and Nick Griffin always bang on about the tears they shed fro the bombing of Dresden, but are indifferent to the German bombing of Brtain.
June 16, 2008
Well written account of the firebombing of the German city Dresden during WWII. Extensively researched, it helped settle in my mind whether the firebombing should be considered a war crime.
February 4, 2017
David Irving asks questions about the only episode in history that no one is allowed to question . In Europe Just by questioning the 6 million figure is a jail sentence. I wonder why that is ? Something odd about that. David Irving has a lot of balls as his life has been made a living hell yet he continues to investigate " facts" of ww2 that are questionable at best .
The bombing of Dresden destroys the myth of the historic crusade against the most evil man of all time. There were no military targets in Dresden just millions of refuges. Thousands upon thousands of women and children were just slaughtered for no reason whatsoever This is a book of facts not a fairy tale number created by people with an agenda. The propaganda that everyone has been spoon fed since the start of ww2 makes a mockery of the word history.
People with open minds should read his books as maybe just maybe the guy has something to say worth hearing. Instead of just dismissing Irving as an anti semite holocost (sic) denier.Yet not one of his critics historian or researcher has managed to claim his 10,000 pounds reward for anyone who can produce one document that proved Hitler ordered the extermination of Jews.
The bombing of Dresden destroys the myth of the historic crusade against the most evil man of all time. There were no military targets in Dresden just millions of refuges. Thousands upon thousands of women and children were just slaughtered for no reason whatsoever This is a book of facts not a fairy tale number created by people with an agenda. The propaganda that everyone has been spoon fed since the start of ww2 makes a mockery of the word history.
People with open minds should read his books as maybe just maybe the guy has something to say worth hearing. Instead of just dismissing Irving as an anti semite holocost (sic) denier.Yet not one of his critics historian or researcher has managed to claim his 10,000 pounds reward for anyone who can produce one document that proved Hitler ordered the extermination of Jews.
May 1, 2012
Meticulously detailed account of the Allied firebombing of Dresden which they roasted,baked and boiled alive 200,000 civilians over a 2 day period.
December 11, 2015
Required reading for a true account of allied crimes of WWII. Dresden was a tragedy and it has its memory engraved into history with Irving's brilliant book.
March 24, 2018
Why does nobody talk, remember or put the blame on the Allies as much as they do in case of Germany? Germany was not a monster, they were the ones who forced/created that monster, and they were the ones who choked it in an atrocious way. Ten of thousands women and children were exterminated just for being German. There is no justification for the extermination of Jews, but please be at least honest and tell the world about the other side of the story as well.
Quite a good writing based on facts!
Quite a good writing based on facts!
June 22, 2016
This book serves to remind us all how brutal humans can be when swept up in war. A fascinating read on the bombing of Dresden in WW2. I found it hard to put down.
May 12, 2017
David Irvings first book. Facts from the ppl who were there & not propaganda!
April 1, 2016
Irving's treatment of the bombing has been categorically refuted by historian Richard Evans, who demonstrates with a mass of evidence in Lying about Hitler that Irving not only falsified and manipulated sources in writing this book, but a number of his other works as well. Written by a legally convicted Holocaust denier and shunned by the historical community, Irving's work is not to be trusted.
Shelved as 'not-to-read'
August 11, 2015Why I Refuse to Read David Irving
Over the last few days, there have been extensive protests concerning the new Goodreads policy, which is widely interpreted to mean that people who post reviews criticizing authors are liable to have them deleted. The most visible of these protests is Mike's review of Mein Kampf, where Mike calls Adolf Hitler a dick and says he refuses to read his book. The review has already attracted more than 300 votes and 150 comments.
We all know that Hitler was a monster and that Mein Kampf is one of the most hateful and dangerous books ever written. Mike's warning is funny because it is so obviously superfluous. But there are other cases where the truth is not quite as generally known, and this is one of them. David Irving was famously found guilty of being a Holocaust denier in a high-profile trial which bankrupted him. He was later sentenced to three years in prison by an Austrian court on charges of "trivialising, grossly playing down and denying the Holocaust". If you look at the Wikipedia article on Irving, you will find the following quote from Christopher Browning, a historian who is an expert on the Holocaust:
If I were willing to spend several months or years of my life on the task, I could do my own digging around and try to come to an independent conclusion. I am unlikely to do this; it seems to me, just on the basis of the few articles I have read, that the facts are pretty clear. Irving has been repeatedly unmasked as a Nazi sympathizer and a serial liar. He has tried to defend himself against these charges in court, and he has failed miserably. Yet, somehow, people are not as aware of his true nature as they should be.
I do not see anything unethical about posting this negative review of Irving, and it may conceivably have some value in making unsuspecting people more critical of his book. I am concerned about Goodreads policies which may lead to reviews of this kind being deleted without warning. They strike me as utterly wrong, and moreover as yet another example of how modern technology distances us from the consequences of our actions. If people wrote their reviews on paper and put them into a real, physical library, I am sure that the Goodreads administrators would be very reluctant to pull them down from shelves and burn them. When you can get rid of a piece of writing just by clicking on a few links, there's a temptation to believe that it's less serious. But it isn't. It's just less clear what you've done.
I am absolutely against book-burning in all its forms. I do not want David Irving's books burned, or even Mein Kampf. But I do want people to know that the authors of these books are racist liars, and I, at least, refuse to read them.
_____________________________________
I would appreciate it if AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE flagged this review, which is a crystal-clear violation of the Terms of Use. More background here.
This work by Manny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Over the last few days, there have been extensive protests concerning the new Goodreads policy, which is widely interpreted to mean that people who post reviews criticizing authors are liable to have them deleted. The most visible of these protests is Mike's review of Mein Kampf, where Mike calls Adolf Hitler a dick and says he refuses to read his book. The review has already attracted more than 300 votes and 150 comments.
We all know that Hitler was a monster and that Mein Kampf is one of the most hateful and dangerous books ever written. Mike's warning is funny because it is so obviously superfluous. But there are other cases where the truth is not quite as generally known, and this is one of them. David Irving was famously found guilty of being a Holocaust denier in a high-profile trial which bankrupted him. He was later sentenced to three years in prison by an Austrian court on charges of "trivialising, grossly playing down and denying the Holocaust". If you look at the Wikipedia article on Irving, you will find the following quote from Christopher Browning, a historian who is an expert on the Holocaust:
Not one of [Irving's] books, speeches or articles, not one paragraph, not one sentence in any of them, can be taken on trust as an accurate representation of its historical subject. All of them are completely worthless as history, because Irving cannot be trusted anywhere, in any of them, to give a reliable account of what he is talking or writing about. ... if we mean by historian someone who is concerned to discover the truth about the past, and to give as accurate a representation of it as possible, then Irving is not a historian.The same article contains interesting material about this book, The Destruction of Dresden, which was written before Irving's views on the Holocaust became widely known and became a bestseller. Again, I quote:
In the first edition, Irving's estimates for deaths in Dresden were between 100,000 and 250,000 -- notably higher than most previously published figures. These figures became authoritative and widely accepted in many standard reference works. In later editions of the book over the next three decades, he gradually adjusted the figure downwards to 50,000-100,000. According to the evidence introduced by Richard J. Evans at the libel trial of Deborah Lipstadt in 2000, Irving based his estimates of the dead of Dresden on the word of one individual who provided no supporting documentation, used forged documents, and described one witness who was a urologist as Dresden's Deputy Chief Medical Officer. The doctor has since complained about being misidentified by Irving, and further, was only reporting rumours about the death toll. Today, casualties at Dresden are estimated as 22,700-25,000 dead.Yet looking at the five reviews here on Goodreads, I see that four of them uncritically accept Irving's account and praise the book.
If I were willing to spend several months or years of my life on the task, I could do my own digging around and try to come to an independent conclusion. I am unlikely to do this; it seems to me, just on the basis of the few articles I have read, that the facts are pretty clear. Irving has been repeatedly unmasked as a Nazi sympathizer and a serial liar. He has tried to defend himself against these charges in court, and he has failed miserably. Yet, somehow, people are not as aware of his true nature as they should be.
I do not see anything unethical about posting this negative review of Irving, and it may conceivably have some value in making unsuspecting people more critical of his book. I am concerned about Goodreads policies which may lead to reviews of this kind being deleted without warning. They strike me as utterly wrong, and moreover as yet another example of how modern technology distances us from the consequences of our actions. If people wrote their reviews on paper and put them into a real, physical library, I am sure that the Goodreads administrators would be very reluctant to pull them down from shelves and burn them. When you can get rid of a piece of writing just by clicking on a few links, there's a temptation to believe that it's less serious. But it isn't. It's just less clear what you've done.
I am absolutely against book-burning in all its forms. I do not want David Irving's books burned, or even Mein Kampf. But I do want people to know that the authors of these books are racist liars, and I, at least, refuse to read them.
_____________________________________
I would appreciate it if AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE flagged this review, which is a crystal-clear violation of the Terms of Use. More background here.
This work by Manny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
August 31, 2021
A good account of the bombing of Dresden in World War II. The author argues that the number of people killed in the raids was at least 65,000 people, as opposed to 25,000. When one considers the population of the city and the influx of refugees into it, the intensity of the Allied bombing, and the scale of destruction that it caused, this figure seems reasonable enough. Contrary to what is commonly believed, David Irving is not a neo-Nazi fanboy. This point is clear from his condemnations of the Nazi regime's evils. And, of course, one does not have to be a neo-Nazi to recognise that there was something deeply wrong with the horrific slaughter of so many civilians by the Allies.
The editorial decision to use endnotes as opposed to footnotes is especially unfortunate for those, like the current reviewer, who read the book in PDF format. It makes it highly difficult to assess the author's use of his sources. To be fair, he comes across as objective and fair-minded, even if he is not correct about everything. Mr Irving is certainly a very engaging historical writer, and his works on subjects other than the Jewish Holocaust were cited by more mainstream historians. This book is definitely worth reading if you are interested in World War II. You may download a free PDF copy of Apocalypse 1945 from the following link: http://www.fpp.co.uk/books/Dresden/in...
The editorial decision to use endnotes as opposed to footnotes is especially unfortunate for those, like the current reviewer, who read the book in PDF format. It makes it highly difficult to assess the author's use of his sources. To be fair, he comes across as objective and fair-minded, even if he is not correct about everything. Mr Irving is certainly a very engaging historical writer, and his works on subjects other than the Jewish Holocaust were cited by more mainstream historians. This book is definitely worth reading if you are interested in World War II. You may download a free PDF copy of Apocalypse 1945 from the following link: http://www.fpp.co.uk/books/Dresden/in...
November 15, 2016
amazing how this horror and crime against humanity has gone unnoticed by the majority of people, even if they were German and were losing the was.
April 17, 2020
If I hadn't travelled to Dresden I would likely never read this book. Such a beautiful city painstakingly restored from it's almost complete destruction in those fateful 14 hours of February 13th 1945. A city a thousand years old, the 'Florence of the the Elbe'.
We should take nothing away from the brave men of Bomber Command. They courageously flew mission after mission throughout the war, doing a consistent job to deny the war machine of the evil Nazis. They took their orders and they flew their planes. Of 100,000 brave men, 55,000 were killed in action.
But the act of bombing Dresden, not once, but three times, a city of 630,000 people, flooded with nearly a million refugees fleeing the Russian front some 30 miles away, was certainly a crime against humanity.
Engulfed in a firestorm which sucked in the remaining air around to create a hurricane of flames, a solid ball of fire some 11 miles square engulfed and murdered at least 135,000 innocent human beings.
This was worse than either of the nuclear bombs exploded over Japan and comparable to the firebombing of Tokyo which was to occur just a month or so later.
History from a single perspective recognizes the evils of the Nazis but we also need to consider and even more importantly remember the evils done on both sides. Pretty much no responsibility was ever taken for what happened. Bomber Harris blamed the politicians and the politicians blamed the RAF. But as a human race we owe it to the victims to remember, to try to learn, to try to do everything we can to never let it happen again.
We should take nothing away from the brave men of Bomber Command. They courageously flew mission after mission throughout the war, doing a consistent job to deny the war machine of the evil Nazis. They took their orders and they flew their planes. Of 100,000 brave men, 55,000 were killed in action.
But the act of bombing Dresden, not once, but three times, a city of 630,000 people, flooded with nearly a million refugees fleeing the Russian front some 30 miles away, was certainly a crime against humanity.
Engulfed in a firestorm which sucked in the remaining air around to create a hurricane of flames, a solid ball of fire some 11 miles square engulfed and murdered at least 135,000 innocent human beings.
This was worse than either of the nuclear bombs exploded over Japan and comparable to the firebombing of Tokyo which was to occur just a month or so later.
History from a single perspective recognizes the evils of the Nazis but we also need to consider and even more importantly remember the evils done on both sides. Pretty much no responsibility was ever taken for what happened. Bomber Harris blamed the politicians and the politicians blamed the RAF. But as a human race we owe it to the victims to remember, to try to learn, to try to do everything we can to never let it happen again.
January 12, 2020
This is an excellent account of not just the war crime known as the firebombing of Dresden but the conduct and evolution of terror bombing of German cities by the Brutish during WWII. By 1945 it was a planned process meant to maximise civilian casualties, with a particular focus on murdering firemen, medics and air raid rescue personnel. It also exposes succinctly that Dresden was bombed for two purposes only: first, to send a "message" to the USSR about Allied abilities and ruthlessness, and, second, to assuage the drunken mass murderer Churchill's bloodthirst. The city absolutely did not have to be destroyed. Like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki it was the product of politics and sadism, and had no military necessity.
Two things that need to be said:
1. The book vastly overstated the number of deaths, which in reality were about 25000 at most. A horrendous number but not close to the quarter million or so often cited. Irving himself later admitted the number was too high.
2. There is a routine habit online of saying Irving is a "holocaust denier", as though it immediately invalidates anything and everything he has to say including on topics that have, as in this case, nothing whatsoever to do with the Holocaust. Breaking News: it does not.
This book is available for free download online, so there's really no reason why you can't read it.
Two things that need to be said:
1. The book vastly overstated the number of deaths, which in reality were about 25000 at most. A horrendous number but not close to the quarter million or so often cited. Irving himself later admitted the number was too high.
2. There is a routine habit online of saying Irving is a "holocaust denier", as though it immediately invalidates anything and everything he has to say including on topics that have, as in this case, nothing whatsoever to do with the Holocaust. Breaking News: it does not.
This book is available for free download online, so there's really no reason why you can't read it.
Shelved as 'zum-lesen'
September 28, 2013Well I would like to read this, if my library system had it. It's kind of bewildering that they don't.
October 3, 2022
Excellent book.A must read.
October 3, 2022
I definitely recommend.
March 25, 2023
Изключително описание от страна на Дейвид Ървинг на едно от военните престъпления на Съюзниците. Авторът много добре е описал цялата история на терористичното унищожение на красивия Дрезден. Един незащитен град, с много малко военно или индустриално значение, който освен това е бил препълнен с бежанци бягащи от червената чума.
Жертвите са астрономически. Дори и да приемем, че са "само" 25 000, въпреки че смятам, че цифрата е занижена, това е колосален размер и то като се има предвид, че са били главно жени и деца. Ървинг описва отлично как точно това е било целта на съюзническото командване. Да смажат волята за съпротива на германците, а не толкова да разрушат комуникациите с Източния фронт. Нещо, което са можели лесно да направят без да унищожават града и да избиват толкова невинни. Западните съюзници са се уплашили от силата на Червената армия и са искали да демонстрират огромното си въздушно превъзходство. Пълният провал на стремежа да се пречупи волята за съпротива на немците е показателен за грешните им представи. Разрушаването на Дрезден не съкращава войната и с един ден, но донася много безсмислено страдание и разрушения.
Показателни са и опитите на съюзническите ръководители, особено един едър министър-председател, да се оправдаят с незнание или грешка след това. Дори те са разбирали ненужността на това действие.
Силно препоръчвам книгата за всеки, който иска да види и другата страна, а не само пропагандата на победителите. Единственият минус, който мога да изтъкна е, че понякога авторът прескача от тема на тема и донякъде се губи връзката. Разбираемо като за първа книга. Иначе - 5 звезди.
Жертвите са астрономически. Дори и да приемем, че са "само" 25 000, въпреки че смятам, че цифрата е занижена, това е колосален размер и то като се има предвид, че са били главно жени и деца. Ървинг описва отлично как точно това е било целта на съюзническото командване. Да смажат волята за съпротива на германците, а не толкова да разрушат комуникациите с Източния фронт. Нещо, което са можели лесно да направят без да унищожават града и да избиват толкова невинни. Западните съюзници са се уплашили от силата на Червената армия и са искали да демонстрират огромното си въздушно превъзходство. Пълният провал на стремежа да се пречупи волята за съпротива на немците е показателен за грешните им представи. Разрушаването на Дрезден не съкращава войната и с един ден, но донася много безсмислено страдание и разрушения.
Показателни са и опитите на съюзническите ръководители, особено един едър министър-председател, да се оправдаят с незнание или грешка след това. Дори те са разбирали ненужността на това действие.
Силно препоръчвам книгата за всеки, който иска да види и другата страна, а не само пропагандата на победителите. Единственият минус, който мога да изтъкна е, че понякога авторът прескача от тема на тема и донякъде се губи връзката. Разбираемо като за първа книга. Иначе - 5 звезди.
February 15, 2024
The long suppressed story of the worst massacre in the history of the world.The devastation of Dresden in February 1945, was one of those crimes against humanity whose authors would have been arraigned at Nuremberg if that court had not been perverted.
Rt.Hon.Richard H.S. Crossman, MP, Labour Government Minister.
The senseless and highly culture-destroying terror acts, against for example, Lubeck and Dresden, carried out by the Allied pilots, should have been invested and brought before a proper court of Justice.
Major General H. Bratt, Royal Swedish Army.
Already, by 1943, it should have been clear to most people in the government that we would have to deal with ...Germans once victory had been won...We went on bombing German cities months and months after it had been clear that we would win, and that Stalin would be as potentially deadly an enemy.Some of the bombing was just pointless.In the last days of the war, we struck at the old gingerbread towns south of Wuerzburg, where there was no military target at all...just refugees, women and children. Of course these acts of gratuitous sadism, the worst was the bombing of Dresden.
Norman Stone, Professor of Modern History at Oxford, Daily Mail.
(Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil,Gerard Menuhin p.58)
https://www.holocaust.claims/general/...
Rt.Hon.Richard H.S. Crossman, MP, Labour Government Minister.
The senseless and highly culture-destroying terror acts, against for example, Lubeck and Dresden, carried out by the Allied pilots, should have been invested and brought before a proper court of Justice.
Major General H. Bratt, Royal Swedish Army.
Already, by 1943, it should have been clear to most people in the government that we would have to deal with ...Germans once victory had been won...We went on bombing German cities months and months after it had been clear that we would win, and that Stalin would be as potentially deadly an enemy.Some of the bombing was just pointless.In the last days of the war, we struck at the old gingerbread towns south of Wuerzburg, where there was no military target at all...just refugees, women and children. Of course these acts of gratuitous sadism, the worst was the bombing of Dresden.
Norman Stone, Professor of Modern History at Oxford, Daily Mail.
(Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil,Gerard Menuhin p.58)
https://www.holocaust.claims/general/...
October 7, 2019
Βιβλίο που αναφέρεται στο μεγαλύτερο βομβαρδιστικό χτύπημα των Συμμάχων στην Δρέσδη λίγο πριν το τέλος του Β' Παγκοσμίου πολέμου.Ο συγγραφέας παρέχει πολλές λεπτομέρειες και περιγραφές ακόμα και απο πρωταγωνιστές του γεγονότος.Η δομή του βιβλίου είναι καλή και σου δίνει μια ακριβή εικόνα για το πως οργανώθηκε και εκτυλίχθηκε το όλο γεγονός καθώς και τον μετέπειτα αντίκτυπο που είχε.
Παρ' όλα αυτά σε πολλά μέρη του βιβλίου διαφαίνεται μια προκατάληψη του συγγραφέα εναντίων συγκεκριμένων προσώπων και απόψεων.Ίσως αυτό να πηγάζει και απο το γεγονός οτι ο Irving ως "ρεβιζιονιστης" στην ουσία με τα γραπτά του απάλλαξε τον Χιτλερ απο την ευθύνη του στον σχεδιασμό και την εκτέλεση της Τελικής Λύσης.Ως εκ τούτου ίσως αυτή η προκατάληψη και οι υπαινιγμοί στο συγκεκριμένο έργο να είναι μια αντίδραση του συγγραφέα στις κατηγορίες προς το προσωπό του.
Ως εκ τούτου εκτός μια μικρής μερίδας υπαινιγμών σε διάφορα μέρη του βιβλίου,είναι ένα αξιόλογο βιβλίο που αποκαλύπτει χρήσιμες λεπτομέρειες για τον βομβαρδισμό της Δρέσδης απο τους Συμμάχους.
Παρ' όλα αυτά σε πολλά μέρη του βιβλίου διαφαίνεται μια προκατάληψη του συγγραφέα εναντίων συγκεκριμένων προσώπων και απόψεων.Ίσως αυτό να πηγάζει και απο το γεγονός οτι ο Irving ως "ρεβιζιονιστης" στην ουσία με τα γραπτά του απάλλαξε τον Χιτλερ απο την ευθύνη του στον σχεδιασμό και την εκτέλεση της Τελικής Λύσης.Ως εκ τούτου ίσως αυτή η προκατάληψη και οι υπαινιγμοί στο συγκεκριμένο έργο να είναι μια αντίδραση του συγγραφέα στις κατηγορίες προς το προσωπό του.
Ως εκ τούτου εκτός μια μικρής μερίδας υπαινιγμών σε διάφορα μέρη του βιβλίου,είναι ένα αξιόλογο βιβλίο που αποκαλύπτει χρήσιμες λεπτομέρειες για τον βομβαρδισμό της Δρέσδης απο τους Συμμάχους.
May 15, 2020
I've only just started this (a fairly recent find via internet scouring, no torrents involved. I promise. Ssssshhh
Free Pdf downloads are cool, when you can find them. )
Anyhoo, let us not forget that the horrific (albeit necessary at the time) firebombing of Dresden Germany (a largely non militarized target of no strategic value, whatsoever) Just total war. Carpet Bomb the entire Nation until they come begging to surrender. (Which took both Hitters suicide and the Soviet capture of Berlin to actually bring things to an end. In Europe anyways
Let's not forget that Kurt Vonneguts seminal masterpiece (cult Classic and hyper bizarre fusion of science fiction / travel with actual true events as he remembered them)
Took place in Dresden whilst it was ruthlessly destroyed with incendiary bombs.
Thus far this is a sobering read ...
2 be continued... zdx;-)
Free Pdf downloads are cool, when you can find them. )
Anyhoo, let us not forget that the horrific (albeit necessary at the time) firebombing of Dresden Germany (a largely non militarized target of no strategic value, whatsoever) Just total war. Carpet Bomb the entire Nation until they come begging to surrender. (Which took both Hitters suicide and the Soviet capture of Berlin to actually bring things to an end. In Europe anyways
Let's not forget that Kurt Vonneguts seminal masterpiece (cult Classic and hyper bizarre fusion of science fiction / travel with actual true events as he remembered them)
Took place in Dresden whilst it was ruthlessly destroyed with incendiary bombs.
Thus far this is a sobering read ...
2 be continued... zdx;-)
April 28, 2020
How many people die in Dresden? Probably well above the identified death toll. The large catastrophic scale likely wiped out whole families and refugees, leaving nobody to report anyone. This is certainly the largest single air raid massacre of the War in Europe. Today, no one is expecting the tragedy of Dresden to be exceeded. The raid was thus comparable to the fire attack in Tokyo on the night of March 9-10, 1945, delivered by the Superfortresses of the USA 21st Bombardment Command, where 83,793 killed and 71,379 Japanese were slaughtered five months later in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
June 6, 2024
Bit of a miserable read. Very informative, but I'd never be too excited to tell anyone to read it.
I guess that's got to be some sort of metric for how you rate a book.
Maybe not.
What do I know?
More about Dresden.
I guess that's got to be some sort of metric for how you rate a book.
Maybe not.
What do I know?
More about Dresden.
May 27, 2023
Read this many, many years ago.. shortly after high school graduation.
This really is the book that got me started enjoying historical non-fiction ction, especially war nonfiction.
Reads a bit like a documentary, but keeps your attention start to finish.
This really is the book that got me started enjoying historical non-fiction ction, especially war nonfiction.
Reads a bit like a documentary, but keeps your attention start to finish.
November 23, 2016
A Holocaust denier, I'm certain that Irving would have denied that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor too.
July 16, 2024
The thing about this book that becomes quite clear when you read it. War is not as simple as textbooks make it. Not only is it more complicated than we learn in school, it is way more complicated than movies, television, or anything else make it. People have heard their entire lives, Axis bad and Allies good. Hitler bad, Churchill and Roosevelt good. Germans bad and Americans, English, and all the rest good. This is the simpleton answer to history. Just listen to the experts tell you who is good and who is bad and ignore reality.
Reality is that war is bad for everyone except the bankers and the war machine makers. If we only take the simple answer and believe it we miss all of the nuance and causes. What would make Germany invade France being a big one we just are not allowed to ask. Why would the Germans attack the Russians? What did the Germans hope to gain in going to war and why did they think the British would stay out of the fight with the French? Why did the Germans think they had territorial claims in Africa and elsewhere?
War is horrible. No one I know defends Germany, but I know a lot of people who think the English and American bomb attacks in Germany were good, done for strategic purposed, and helped end the war sooner. Yet none of those three options are accurate!
Irvine writes in a no frill approach. He uses as much sourced material as anyone on the topic and does not editorialize. The destruction of Dresden was unnecessary and brutal and did not change the arc of the war, but it punished the Germans and killed a whole lot of innocent people, unless you are of the mind set that there were no innocent people in Germany, which is certainly held by many who have never looked at the war critically in any capacity and just trusted their schooling for information.
Reality is that war is bad for everyone except the bankers and the war machine makers. If we only take the simple answer and believe it we miss all of the nuance and causes. What would make Germany invade France being a big one we just are not allowed to ask. Why would the Germans attack the Russians? What did the Germans hope to gain in going to war and why did they think the British would stay out of the fight with the French? Why did the Germans think they had territorial claims in Africa and elsewhere?
War is horrible. No one I know defends Germany, but I know a lot of people who think the English and American bomb attacks in Germany were good, done for strategic purposed, and helped end the war sooner. Yet none of those three options are accurate!
Irvine writes in a no frill approach. He uses as much sourced material as anyone on the topic and does not editorialize. The destruction of Dresden was unnecessary and brutal and did not change the arc of the war, but it punished the Germans and killed a whole lot of innocent people, unless you are of the mind set that there were no innocent people in Germany, which is certainly held by many who have never looked at the war critically in any capacity and just trusted their schooling for information.
September 30, 2013
I have no intention of reading this books because the author wears odd socks and refuses to give money to the homeless - even if they DANCE for it! Plus, I totally saw him making out with Brad in the Dog & Bull last week.
//Flagged, yes?
In support of this protest review by Manny.
My wife pointed out that my last protest review was focused on attributes of the author, rather than behaviours, which is apparently the type of thing that inspired our beloved new policy. They haven't yet removed my last one, so perhaps I wasn't breaking the rule completely? This is a more accurate attempt at defying the nonsensical policy.
November 19, 2023
David Irving's first book The Destruction of Dresden is a classic book from 1963 that examines the Allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945. It is a bestseller that should be on everyone's bookshelves. Sixty years later David Irving is still writing 'real' history, going where other historians fear to tread. But this is where it all began!
This is the definitive work of those horrific nights when, at Winston Churchill's behest (to appease Stalin), wave upon wave of RAF/USAAF bombers unleashed thousands of tons of explosives on to the town of Dresden, creating firestorms killing thousands of Germans, at a time when attacks upon German cities had become largely irrelevant to the outcome of the war. Following the raids Winston Churchill admitted in a memo that the bombing of Dresden was an act of terror and wanton destruction. Today, we would probably use the term war crime.
David Irving's in-depth account of the bombing of Dresden and the events surrounding them is a must read and this updated Focal Point hardback version includes plenty of photos and detailed notes.
This is the definitive work of those horrific nights when, at Winston Churchill's behest (to appease Stalin), wave upon wave of RAF/USAAF bombers unleashed thousands of tons of explosives on to the town of Dresden, creating firestorms killing thousands of Germans, at a time when attacks upon German cities had become largely irrelevant to the outcome of the war. Following the raids Winston Churchill admitted in a memo that the bombing of Dresden was an act of terror and wanton destruction. Today, we would probably use the term war crime.
David Irving's in-depth account of the bombing of Dresden and the events surrounding them is a must read and this updated Focal Point hardback version includes plenty of photos and detailed notes.
October 16, 2023
“The main effort of the bomber force, until further notice, was to be directed towards dislocating the German transport system and destroying the morale of the civil population as a whole.”
“...the Allied leaders had decided to support the Red Army’s advance by attacking population centres; the plan was intended not only as a demonstration of solidarity with the Russians, but also as a timely expression of the terrible striking power possessed by the Western Allies.”
A factual account, with photographs, notes, appendices and index, of the three air raids on the night of 13th-14th February 1945 and the events surrounding them.
The book was first published in 1963.
“...the Allied leaders had decided to support the Red Army’s advance by attacking population centres; the plan was intended not only as a demonstration of solidarity with the Russians, but also as a timely expression of the terrible striking power possessed by the Western Allies.”
A factual account, with photographs, notes, appendices and index, of the three air raids on the night of 13th-14th February 1945 and the events surrounding them.
The book was first published in 1963.
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