The Bombing of Dresden in World War II (1945) - The Allied Bombing of Germany

The bombing of Dresden (1945) is one of these notorious cases that can be considered an Allied warcrime. From 1942 British commander Arthur Harris drafted plans to bomb German cities: the Allied Bombing of Germany. The bombing of Hamburg costed the lives of 40,000 German civilians. Early 1945 Dresden was bombed by the Allies. It was yet another notorious case in the capter of strategic bombing during World War II.
History Hustle presents: The Bombing of Dresden in World War II (1945) - The Allied Bombing of Germany.
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SOURCES
- Fire and Fury. The Allied Bombing of Germany 1942-1945 (Randall Hansen).
- The End. The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945 (Ian Kershaw).
- The Second World War (Antony Beevor).
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• Dresden Bombing With F...
Dresden Bombing With Footage of Allied Aerial Assault on Pforzheim and Cologne Germany
• Bombing of Warsaw in W...
Bombing of Warsaw by Germans 1939. The beginning of the second World War
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[@HistoryHustle]

WHY GERMANY FOUGHT TILL THE LAST MAN: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpDKYoSmetmegqs THE LAST GERMAN ARMY - THE VOLKSSTURM: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4bbnp-gipuCgZo GERMAN WONDER WEAPONS OF WW2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKGUc4SuZpynjtk LAST DITCH GERMAN FIREARMS OF WW2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnq3Ymaog997hNE

[@HistoryHustle]

@@gaoxiaen1 yes

[@parmindersingh2558]

For their honor ,bravery, never surrender spirit, loyalty till end,to take revenge of harsh treaty of Versailles after ww1 for their fatherland, for dignity.

[@alswann2702]

Cannon fodder that simply got in the real army's way.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@@parmindersingh2558 No revenge. Just ending it. And the right for all Germans to live together in one country.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

Thank you for covering the subject. I am from Dresden. I might add that: The number of victims is subject of debate. 25.000 is the lowest number. It is politically decided and not a matter of fact. "Historian comission" is not a science based estimate. None of the numbers called since 1949 (e.g. by the communist mayor, 35.000) includes refugees. The "moral bombing" is a war crime. There are no excuses to that. Other excuses are also only instrumental. Dresden was not a military hub in February 1945. The Red Army battled Breslau, pretty close. The main railway knot would have been Leipzig with the largest head station in Europe. The railway in Dresden was not specifically targeted and was fully operational at the next day. Targeted was the city center. people did not get drowned in water facilities, instead they tried to find shelter in the river Elbe and got boiled (!) from the firestorm. At least that was told to me by guides in multiple museums. It is well regarded by the people that the son of a bomber pilot recreated the tower cross of the rebuilt church of our lady. www.frauenkirche-dresden.de/versoehnungsgesten/ The main focus of the memory in Dresden is reconciliation.

[@mori6780]

My Grandpa lived in a tiny Village near Dresden and told me about the night Dresden burned to ashes. At the afternoon he saw the first bombers comin...and in the evening he went on the balcony because He could not sleep, frome there he saw Dresden 7miles away burning and it looked like the sun crushed on earth and he felt the warm winds blowing in his face. Many Friends of him, and their familys died in this night. I don't want any Grandpa need to tell storys like that his grandson with tears in his eyes. I want a peaceful world, war is the most unnecessary thing in this world.

[@slopedouche5460]

Lord Jesus come to this man and ensure his long life, he is a man of peace let him live forever. Amen

[@mori6780]

@@zosimus2.18i2 I pray for every victim of the war and Holocaust. Yes Germany started the murdering. But don't think I black or white, not everyone in Germany was an Nazi. I don't wont to represent my grandfather as victim i wont to represent every liddle innocent children in this time on this world as a victim of this war.

[@philipnestor5034]

My father was in Warsaw with the Polish Army when the Germans invaded starting the war were bombing everyday destroying the city and people. He saw the Stuka Dive Bombers come screaming down bombing and machine gunning the civilians as they tried to get out of the burning city.That was in 1939. I won’t bore you with stories but when they surrendered and the Germans took over it got worse.

[@mori6780]

@@philipnestor5034 Story are there to be told. I pray for your brave father and I will light a candle next time I visit the soldiers monument in my home town. Salute

[@philipnestor5034]

Hi Moritz, Thanks about wanting to light a candle in memory of my father at the soldiers memorial in your town. But don’t forget, he was in the Polish army fighting the Germans and would still be considered a Untermenchen by any German veteran.I do appreciate your kind thoughts . The only time I saw my father cry was when he told me stories about the Germans in Poland. Stay well Moritz.

[@alwaysright2420]

From 1943 on, my father was detained in a POW camp (Stalag IV-a Hohnstein) in the close vicinity of the town after being captured by the SD in the Netherlands. Since he was a firefighter by profession and knew first aid (which actually saved his life since he would have been executed otherwise), he was deployed as a medic in one of the military hospitals that were located in Dresden for treating wounded soldiers returning from the Eastern Front. He was in the midst of the bombardment and despite his hatred for the Germans in general and Nazis in particular, he helped fighting the fires and the resulting firestorm and went through the horrors of the bombardment and its aftermath. Until his death in 1977, he had vivid nightmares that regularly brought him back to this terrible episode of his life.

[@A_10_PaAng_111]

And how did they (Germans) know he was a firefighter ?

[@alwaysright2420]

​@@A_10_PaAng_111 Well, that was simple for them to figure out. They came to his arrest at his work at the fire station. And furthermore all personal details, inluding occupation of Dutch citizens were (and still are) known to the authorities. He had been arrested and interrogated before, but the first time they let him go.

[@A_10_PaAng_111]

Always Right Oh I see, I thought he was a POW as a captured enemy combatant because you wrote he was captured by the SD in Holland. He was a Forced Laborer, thats a horse of another color. I was a POW. I was captured after we were shot down. We didn't give personal info to our captors.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your father's experience.

[@alwaysright2420]

@@A_10_PaAng_111 He was mobilized early 1940 and served in the military at the beginning of the war. He fought at the 'Grebbelinie' in Holland as a motor messenger but after the surrendering of the Dutch army he was demobilized and sent home where he took up his profession as a fire fighter again. Soon he joined the resistance but after some two years or so he was captured, but shortly after released again. The second time he was arrested the SD had more proof of his illegal activities and because of his military background and the fact that he knew first aid, they deported him to Dresden after mistreating him severely in the camps that he went through (a.e. camp Amersfoort). I have recovered some of the documents on his captivity, and indeed he was registered as a soldier,. In the camp that he ended up there were many soldiers from different nationalities, Dutch, British, Polish, French and Russians. Toward the end of the war the Germans became desperate for anyone they could lay their hands on for treating patients in their military hospitals. I still have his diary from his time in Dresden. Which POW camp were you stationed if I may ask?

[@zaggiejwz2265]

War is war the innocent will always pay the highest price

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes.

[@alterkooper431]

The German civilians we're for the most part hardly innocent.

[@slopedouche5460]

@@alterkooper431 understood but of course with all these tragedies children die next to the guilty. 🙏

[@zosimus2.18i2]

Were they really innocent? You can see them happily chearing when Hitler concerned France and Poland. They just thought that THAT will never happen to them, right?

[@zaggiejwz2265]

In war you're not left with a lot of choice if you want to keep your head on your shoulders. Most people life in fear and are misguided by propaganda. Some end up in rotten situations I don't think the forced labourer in the German factory was a supporter of the regime. I don't think the polish orphan carrying there dead sister for miles was either.(true story of my friend's grandad whom was bombed at Dresden). The responsibility of the people is in the present. Stopping id politics would be start. It's thinking like al ......... are guilty that leads to tragedy like death camps, murdering entire villages, immoral bombing, rape and murder.

[@sixter4157]

Came here to learn more about the bombing, and wasn't disappointed. My father was born in 1939 in East Prussia. The only thing I ever heard him say about the war was when they were refugees, their destination was Dresden. He remembered while they were a considerable distance away he saw a bright glow in the sky at night. They didn't know at the time it was burning.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for replying. In case you're interested, here is my video about 1945 East Prussia: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHu9i2B4i5p-pas

[@goshlike76]

History has always taught us, it's not a war crime if you're the victor.

[@HistoryHustle]

History is not written by the victors, but written by those with the most consistent and compelling arguments based on the evidence, backed by a healthy dose of rational logic and passion for debate. The key is not to apologize for any side but to take a firm stand for what's right and what's wrong.

[@mrpolsco6872]

100%

[@TelkhinesSports]

​@@HistoryHustledresden was a war crime even for the standards back then. Germans destroyed military targets not civilian targets. Dresden had no military significance and was celebrating a festival. Allies raped nuns and put grenades inside pregnant women in the east and dresden was bomb. Both usa and Russia should've been held accountable for those unwarranted killings.

[@thechaddad1609]

​​@HistoryHustle This doesn't happen until those who would suffer consequences for their actions have gone, or until no one cares anymore. In the meantime, the victors do indeed write the history.

[@mike16apha16]

@@HistoryHustle History is written to sell books and make money like anything else in the world. buttering up your side of a conflict to make people feel good about themselves does that better then anything else. meanwhile try and take the perspective of the losers you are branded a traitor, your book or what ever won't sell, and you'll get black listed your reputation destroyed and on some topics in WW2 even land in jail its all about supporting the current narrative and what sells. thinking ""historians" are somehow immune to this and magically don't have their own personal bias and only seek ""the truth"" is both naive and foolish

[@markaxworthy2508]

Dresden was the main centre of the German optics industry, which was dispersed in workshops around the city. The Germans' supply of periscopes for U-boats, of bomb sights and reconnaissance cameras for their aircraft, and gun sights for every army and navy artillery piece and armoured vehicle was heavily dependent on the city. The wonder is perhaps that it wasn't bombed earlier.

[@HistoryHustle]

Perhaps yes. Please put all your comments in one. Thanks.

[@markaxworthy2508]

@@HistoryHustle Normally I do put comments in one big block, but they tend to get buried under each other. By posting them individually, viewers can see each immediately.

[@kuriru7576]

Well, one of the main centers ... But most of the optic fabrics weren't attacted, the bombs gone to workers homes. That was the so called moral bombing. Many of old fabric buildings are still exist today ! If you like, google: Ruhlewerk - f.e. one main company for torpedo timers, today 'Zentralwerk Dresden' cultural area. Old Zeiss Ikon /PentaCon, Junkers (motors), Siemens Elektromotoren factories too (all stationed there too before WW2).

[@roadhigher]

Many people miss the fact that Bombing during those times was extremely inaccurate. There was no fancy computer targeting or Laser Guidance, it was all done by just dropping a bomb and letting Gravity do the work with a rough estimation of where the bomb will fall through Bomber Sights which themselves weren't that accurate to begin with. That's why Carpet bombing was a thing, drop a shit load of bombs and hope some hit the intended target. As for if it was a War Crime, Dresden was a crucial Railway link that transported troops and supplies to the Eastern Front, and contained several Weapon and Ammunition factories. It was as legit a target as you could find. It is a shame that 40,000 people died during the air raid, but even if the bombing shortened the War by a week that's still over 80,000 less people dead going by daily casualties on the Eastern Front at the time.

[@haroldgodwinson832]

RAF Bomber Command had great difficulty with accuracy in the early years of the War; that's true, but that wasn't the case from late '43 on. In reality, so-called 'Area Bombing' was a euphemism for the intentional destruction of the city itself. So-called 'de-housing' was in reality the deliberate killing of industrial workers and any other civilian that supported industrial manufacturing - men, women, children, it hardly mattered.

[@stc3145]

How can it be war crime. Startegic bomber to lower morale and destroy industry is not in violation of a rule of war. That term is misused imo

[@thinkingagain5966]

Are you fukking serious right now? The bombing of Dresden occurred in 3 separate waves the last 2 being timed to target the emergency workers responding to the first wave. It was a dmned terror bombing plain and simple!

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

Hail, comrade! The communist force is strong with you. You are absolutely great in propaganda. Screw facts! In Dresden there was the aim the population centers. They were hit quite accurately. In February 1945 the railway usually did not transport troops to the Eastern front. Mostly it transported refugees in the other direction. At that time there was the ongoing siege of Breslau nearby, troops could almost walk there. The railways were not even targeted by the British. There are no factories of weapons or ammunition in our city that I know of. Maybe you mixed it up with factories for cigarettes, chocolate or toothpaste. Also very important for the war I think. And also the bombing rendered the city unpassable, the Red Army had to go around the city. Luckily it is not in the way to Berlin, otherwise it would have had extended the war. Your estimate of dead people is as good as any other even I did not hear that number before.

[@takashitamagawa5881]

It is in no way certain that RAF Bomber Command's campaign against cities following the Normandy invasion shortened the war. For the ground forces going through France and Belgium onto German soil as well as for the Soviet forces coming in from the East the bombing may have actually slowed their progress by strewing massed wreckage in their way. Other parts of the bombing campaign, such as that directed against German oil resources, were far more decisive in bringing the war to a close.

[@Mr.Zoomy.]

Hi I’m from Coventry, I love your channel. Dresden is our twin city, we do school exchanges with Dresden, due to the severity of each other’s bombing. War is wrong, no matter what! I invite you to Coventry there’s a lot of history here and stories behind the blitz we had.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

Hi from Dresden.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@Mr.Zoomy.]

@@HistoryHustle no worries I love history and your channel is great, if you ever want to do a story on Coventry I’ll be happy to be your guide

[@dennisweidner288]

Really? War is wrong no matter what? So you think America and Britain should have stood by and watched the NAZI shove more and more Jewish children into the gas chambers? Are you aware of NAZI plans for Britain? www.histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/air/eur/bob/osl/osl-occ.html

[@Mr.Zoomy.]

@@dennisweidner288 you’ve twisted my words and meanings behind them, half my family are Jewish and I’m not a Nazi. I won’t be replying to anymore of your comments, I find your tone and suggestion offensive.

[@parmindersingh2558]

Diseases like typhus,etc,starvation by lack of food occurred and bombing too effected German people.

[@HistoryHustle]

Actually massive starvation didn't occur within the Reich since they organized their food supplies well. It did occur after the war was over, especially in the Soviet zones.

[@Ikit1Claw]

@@HistoryHustle They organized food supplies by stealing food from other countries, like Ukraine, Greece, Netherlands etc. where people did starve. I feel that is important to mention.

[@simplicius11]

@@HistoryHustle "especially in the Soviet zones" The Soviet zone was much better supplied than the American, British or French.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@Ikit1ClawAbsolutely it is.

[@patriciabrenner9216]

@@Ikit1Claw Exactly. I am sorry there was no massive hunger among the Germans.

[@craftpaint1644]

One RAF bombardier said "By the time the Germans put those fires out they won't have enough water to make a pot of tea."

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

I am from Dresden. The people who put out those fires teached us to not use water on a firebomb. Instead you have to put them in a sandbox. The communist prepared us for that in the school because the imperialists could return every day with their bombers.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@craftpaint1644]

@The Truth That the Allies would do anything to win the war, that bombardier would have done it again the next night if told too. Japan was nuked twice, are you saying it's the same?

[@craftpaint1644]

@@HistoryHustle As I understand it, Germany and Britain had a strange arrangement where Berlin and London would not be bombed unless the other did it first. Once the bombing advanced however V-2 Rockets were hitting London and other targets even in the Reich where the Allies were advancing. That's pretty desperate bombing when we consider what it took to build each V-2 Rocket. And do we really know all the war contributions of Dresden? What was an enemy city to the Allies really, when It was said by bomber command in Britain after the war that if they'd known how important Albert Speer was to the German war effort, and if they had known where he was on a particular day - they would have sent every bomber they had just to kill him - they were willing to level an entire city or town to eliminate one man.

[@evanhaaster]

this is not going to make me popular, but it's a widespread conviction in Germany that in Nürnberg not all war criminals were tried, they forgot the Anglo American commanders who bombed german cities ruthlessly in order to break the spirit of the german population. So sayin: "but the germans did the same" is no excuse for what the allies did, it was a war crime on either side. The germans responsible were tried and sentenced, and that was a very good thing. But there should have been more discussion on the role of the Bombing of German civilians by the allies. But then again, the victor writes the history.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

That sounds like picking cherry. The master of war crimes was Stalins Red Army. The Americans dropped two atomic bombs. The Nuremberg trials had difficulties, you could consider that a step into the direction of international rules. There were several war crimes that did not lead to conviction due to the rule that you could not try the enemy for things you did yourself.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@AndyFlagg1]

Exactly. And most of the commentators have gone to school that draws history from a winner propaganda, flat.

[@mammuchan8923]

“Those who have unlearned how to cry,” lamented Nobel Prize recipient and Prussian dramatist Gerhart Hauptmann, “will learn it afresh on the destruction of Dresden.”

[@HistoryHustle]

Interesting quote.

[@ironwolf5453]

Enjoying a peaceful day before this becomes an uncontrollable fire

[@HistoryHustle]

Sure things!

[@RickPop85]

My oma wasn't in dresden but from Essen. She was only survivor from direct hit on her cellar. As a lot of German houses have cellars they were used as air raid shelters. The worst was the phospurhus bombs which turned the concrete on the pavements into a liquid like boiling water. I live in the UK and when 5 November came around she would hide and cry.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing. Essen was also destroyed. I've seen photos of what the city used to look like. I visited it a few years ago. Not much is left.

[@RickPop85]

You are welcome. Yes she said when she returned in late 1945 her house was the only one left standing for miles around. We are lucky we have not experienced this. Take care Mr hustle.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@RickPop85 Luck had nothing to do with it. It is the work of the Allied soldiers who defeated NAZI Germany that is the reason.

[@JoeJ94611]

The history hustler has a better command of English as a second language than I do(English is my native language).

[@HistoryHustle]

🤓👍

[@ahronthegreat]

Cause he’s Dutch bro it’s weird how mutually intelligible they are and so easy to learn

[@terryrichard865]

My father was a POW who after spending 2 1/2 months in 2 German hospitals was moved to a camp near Dresden... was part of a POW cleanup crew for Dresden. He was ultimately freed by Russians and repatriated in 1946.

[@HistoryHustle]

Very interesting, what else can you tell us about his experiences? How did he reflect on the war? Thanks for sharing.

[@terryrichard865]

He was in the Battle of the Bulge. Germans surprised his unit... killed most of his unit. He was machine gunned... four bullets. Three were removed by German doctors. One was left in him as it was close to his heart. He died in 66' stiil with that bullet in him. Saw an Xray once and it was huge. He was bombed out of 2 hospitals by American planes trying to bomb a munitions factory... said it was the scariest moments of the war for him. Also recuperated in the first hospital next to a German pilot.. who in 1958 came to HoustonTX to visit my Dad(in his uniform)

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks for sharing!

[@MyLateralThawts]

Numbers are deceptive. If you find a body, it is counted. If it’s incinerated, it isn’t. Some areas were simply covered up with virtually no searching for human remains inside the inadequate air raid shelters. Bomber command had a lot of aircraft and aircrews at this point and the Luftwaffe was getting weaker by the day, even adding to the problem by stripping Dresden of some of its AAA defences out of the false assumption that the city would not be targeted. The primary target, the rail system, was back in operation in about a week. Given that the RAF was expert at hitting pinpoint targets at this point in the war, as they would hit individual buildings used by the Gestapo or prisons housing resistance leaders they sought to aid in an escape, Dresden was not its finest moment. By contrast, the aforementioned Guernica bombing, an example cited as an early terror bombing attack, the mission there was to destroy the bridge ...which the Condor Legion totally failed to do and apparently still stands to this day.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your insights on this.

[@marcoskehl]

The most visceral historic book I read about the bombardment over Germany, was "The Fire: The Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945" , written by Jörg Friedrich. Thank you!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for the tip!

[@mowana1232]

My father was born in 1937 and lived through the war in Berlin as a small child. He told me he remembers it as a time of being constantly hungry, sitting in bunkers more often than not, and being afraid that he would end up as an orphan. He never blamed the allies though, but saw the Nazis as solely responsible. Who sows storm will reap the wind. Germans of that time are often portrayed as all being blind Nazi supporters. I think that's actually dangerous and neglects the fact that you can turn a country into a totalitarian nightmare even if you only win 33% of the vote, like the NSDAP did in November 1932. 67% of Germans did not vote for Hitler. Yet in a couple of months, he gained absolute power, controlled the media, and any opposition was brutally suppressed. People see the old Nazi propaganda films of ecstatic supporters doing the Hitler salute. What you don't see, are those that stayed at home, were in exile, or in Gestapo cells. I don't want to downplay the support he received, but at the same time I feel that the others deserve a voice as well.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Mowana123 The issue of knowledge and complicity probably will never be definitively resolved. www.histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/hol/ger/hg-kc.html

[@m14lvr]

The cowardice of the German people during this time cost the world dearly. They watched others in pain to avoid their own. In the end they avoided nothing and cost millions of good people their lives. "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

[@agneskorondi5551]

Your a phatehic What kind of German you are? We patriotic Hungarians remember every year the heroes of Germany and Hungary.They give they life for they Homeland,and fight against the judeo bolshevik,evil reds,and his "alleys"

[@johnnyfreespeech5815]

@@m14lvrThat’s very easy for you to say but I guarantee that if you had to choose between living in poverty and watching your children starve to death or living a normal life while others are rounded up, forced to work and killed, you’d choose the latter. It’s a horrible reality but people will do awful things in desperate times. When you really think about it, which choice is more evil anyway? To forsake others to such a lousy fate or is it more evil to choose this fate for your own children? I think post wwi Germany was only ever going to go one of two ways. Either communist or Nazi. Both evil but when Germany had been so badly beaten and demoralised after the war, had territory taken away, forced to reduce their military, owing an outrageous amount of money due to the treaty of Versailles which would plunge everybody into poverty and see incredible inflation. Along come the Nazis who promise that they can restore national pride, get Germany working again and put food on your table and in order to do this they are going to put you the German man first because don’t worry about these other ‘non German people’ because they are responsible for our suffering… that’s going to be a very tempting offer to desperate people isn’t it?

[@niconesta8566]

You bring it so objectively covering both sides. Esp for ww2 that is such a rarity. You are a history hero my friend!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks again for your kind words.

[@fordprefect80]

I just read Slaughterhouse Five last night and needed to learn a little of the Dresden bombing. Thanks for the video.

[@garyacker7388]

I'm trying to find my copy of this book

[@AlexxxxxSaysHi]

Slaughterhouse five is not a good source though. The numbers are wildly inflated and the author himself apologised profusely for the book..... Might aswell read david Irving....

[@glennhorvath879]

I actually have filmed the original Slaughterhouse 5, inside and out. And I filmed an interview with Vonnegut in Leipzig Germany long ago. Someday I'll make a KZbin vid.

[@markaxworthy2281]

What about the optics Industry, which was centred Dresden? Without this industry Germany would have had no bomb sights for its air force, no gun sights for its army and navy, and no periscopes for its submarines.

[@HistoryHustle]

can't tell

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Mark Axworthy A lot of electronics also came out of Dresen factories.

[@timberrr1126]

And no peep holes for its bathrooms

[@cw1967]

My neighbour was a Lancaster pilot. He told me on his death bed that it haunted him and every crew. It was a war crime.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for replying.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Then there is the story of a British bomber pilot who after losing his father in 1918 and his mother and sister in 1940 swore to be a bomber pilot to get revenge which he did. One bomb aimer of 619 Squadron who had also lost family in 1940, said , ‘I had no compunction bombing Dresden’

[@carlsherwin5557]

People forget about the destruction the germans caused in france and Belgium in ww1 been out there lots don't think we had the sympathy for the germans to be honest

[@StetoGuy]

Really I don't think the question should be whether it was moral or not. War itself is inherently immoral. Rather it should be an example of how awful war is and why it should be avoided as much as possible.

[@HistoryHustle]

Agree, yet history is about exploring details and nuances and that's why I made this video.

[@StetoGuy]

@@HistoryHustle Oh I don’t disagree with the reasoning as to why u made this video, forgive me if I gave that impression. I was merely answering the question that is so often brought up about the bombing.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Steto Guy War is brutal, but not necessarily immoral. Christian Just War doctrine is very clear on that. The question is if it advanced the Allied War effort without committing war crimes.

[@grahamdominy8309]

I am a South African who visited Dusseldorf in the 1990s. My father hAd fought with the allied forces in World War 2 and left me a remarkable collection of photos taken when he visited northern Italy, Austria and Germany in the summer and autumn of 1945 before being returned home to be demobilised. I saw the Cathedral in Cologne In 1999 - very beautiful. In Dad's photos it stood alone surronded by ruins. I looked closely at the buildings of Dusseldorf and could see that they were not authenic. But left us pray that the "Special Military Operation in Ukraine" will not turn into a another World War!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply.

[@JoeJ94611]

The American author, Kurt Vonnegut, was a POW in Dresden during the bombing. He mentions it in his book “Slaughterhouse 5”

[@HistoryHustle]

I heard about it.

[@phoenixfire9176]

Awful book, the author himself came out and apologised for writing it

[@joshuazucker2738]

At Guirnica the Germans targeted the refugees who escaped the city. It’s hard to be sympathetic in the face of that barbarism. Let’s hope that wars are going away, but we still have the crimes upon Ukraine.

[@larryhats4320]

Without the German Luftwaffe involvement, would the Civil War in Spain have ended differently? Arguably. Guernica was a communist stronghold. It's funny to see the same arguments being put out to defend turning Dresden into an inferno two months before a war already won ends. If Guernica changed the course of the war, it's totally a different case. You'd have better luck arguing about the cities in Poland that were flattened. But the dumb arguments just never end. LOL The world has Russia under a magnifying glass, Putin's strategy from the beginning has clearly been not Blitzkrieg for various reasons; meanwhile, you have the Ukis who have the world's moral support, nothing to lose, rage and anger and impunity to pretty much do anything without the west drawing attention to it, especially now that the ink has dried on the contracts and the West is so invested. Anyone with a brain can see what happens next. It's like a science or cooking project where you start to add elements and you know the outcome. The script goes that Russia then has to determine if it's going to respond with the same, but that's exactly what the West wants to amplify the outrage and, surely, pull China, Iran and India away. Everything is like chess.

[@g00gl301]

My grandpa was in Dresden "working" for the germans as a skipper (he was a binnenschipper from nl, taken to Germany, convinced the germans he would be useful as skipper in Dresden, which it was seen as a safe city, away from the front). He survived the bombing, transported to Berlin by the russians, from Berlin to Holland by the americans. He kept a diary but my grandma threw it away because of all the horrors of the war... People in flames jumping into the river, corpses on the streets reduced to ashes... You can only imagine.

[@HistoryHustle]

Must've made an impression. You ever spoke to your grandpa about his experiences? How did he reflect on what happened? Feel free to share what you know.

[@g00gl301]

@@HistoryHustle Unfortunately I never met my Opa, so I can t really tell you much more about his experiencies in Dresden.

[@CalebNorthNorman]

800 Bombers...incredible. My Dad told me about the bombing of Dresden when i was very young. He told me if you look closely at History you will find there was only one good guy (Jesus). That was the first time i understood American actions were not always correct. It shook my world for a time. Its interesting how we took Germanys place in the fight against Atheist Communism as soon as the German guns were silenced our guns were turned on the Soviets. I don't think the US ever envisioned the Cold War when we joined Britain.

[@HistoryHustle]

More on that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2S1qn2sjrKMec0

[@CalebNorthNorman]

@@HistoryHustle Thank You Thank You! I will watch it soon. Ive saved it to my watch later list. I am excited to see what you put together.

[@CalebNorthNorman]

@@HistoryHustle i watched it just now and left a comment on that video. In regards to Operation Unthinkable wow i had never heard of this plan and Churchill didn't mention it in his last book in his WW2 Series but i do remember in the back of the book the Appendix he had a random memo to General Montgomery complaining about ill treatment of Surrendering German Generals and later i saw a memo where Churchill complained about the destruction of German weapons and said could we not save back a 100,000 to possibly use in the event of a crisis. Really crazy to think about. But on the original subject i read twice in Churchills last book Triumph And Tragedy he said that this conflict was begun because of the destruction of the Monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian empire by the allies in The Treaty of Versailles. (In so doing they also recreated the formerly defunct state of Poland perhaps hoping it would fill the power vacuum they created with a Pro-British country.) And after what Churchill witnessed in Greece after the Germans were defeated and displaced by the Communists he trully began to realize basically by destroying Germany they inevitably would now face Germany's enemies.

[@mark12strang58]

The bombing of Dresden didnt shorten the war by one day.

[@HistoryHustle]

Hard to say. Perhaps more German troops would've ended up fighting in the east. Yet, if it did shorten the war, it wasn't that much I think.

[@bazmondo]

And you know that definitely how exactly?

[@bazmondo]

I see you edited your post to remove the word 'definately' but failed to demonstrate the proof to prove your claim. Bravo.

[@mark12strang58]

And you cant prove the bombing had any real impact on the war.

[@bazmondo]

@@mark12strang58 I'm not the one making the claims though am I? Another fail on your behalf but thanks for getting back to me. Feel free to edit your comment though.

[@jamiebowen8250]

Why not do a series on Winston Churchill's war crimes. Maybe 4 or 5 episodes might cover his involvement in making it a world war. Sacrificing his country just for his feed his ego. Blaming the germans for everything is so naive

[@HistoryHustle]

Revisionism.

[@bubiruski8067]

@@HistoryHustle It should be noted that in 1926 Churchill proposed to end a general strike with the help of the armed forces. What was this ?! Did he want to introduce forced labor ?!

[@garr219]

War is hell

[@HistoryHustle]

true

[@cmdrflake]

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. led the outcry over the wonton destruction of Dresden. He had been there and was not afraid to speak up about the need for this “unnecessary destruction” of a city of minor strategic value.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@JohnMcDonald-ef5gz]

Germany started the war. The Luftwaffe flattened Warsaw. They burned out the heart of Rotterdam and destroyed Coventry. Tough luck for the Germans.

[@bubiruski8067]

It looks as if these bombings were caused by unlimited hate. This hate naturally developed due to the fact that the allies were constantly legging behind. At the time point when the Fnglish declared war the Germans had the better aircraft and better strategies. Later the Germans build better tanks and improved airplanes. Germans bombarded the allies with buzzbombs, Germans had radio controlled bombs that sunk quite a number of ships and had even medium range rockets. The numerical superiority only helped the allies. Late in the war the Germans had even jet fighters. The natural reaction to all these surprises was a unthinkable hate against the Germans that led to the decision to exterminate them all. Most likely this resulted in the total destruction of Germany.

[@adrianluz2991]

Tears in my eyes. Up to half a million innocent women and children perished.

[@HistoryHustle]

Harsh times.

[@ronaldschwartz1856]

Had the allies not fought to win this war, my mother in the Netherlands and father in the Dutch East Indies may not have survived the axis powers' war on peace.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@ronaldschwartz1856]

I actually don't wave flags. I find that form of nationalism disturbing because of what I have learned from history and what I know of human nature. My grandparents in Holland hid people in their attic in order to preserve their lives and my grandfather also altered documents to accomplish the same. A neighbor ratted out my grandparents for the fact that they were hiding someone... which is the type of hate that I believe nationalism fosters. I consider myself a citizen of the world and I'm willing to cheer for everyone.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Ronald Schwartz Absolutely. Had America not dropped the atomic bombs, none of the POWs or civilian internees would have survived the War.

[@jeffsanders1609]

I wonder why people focus on Dresden more than cities like Hamburg when more civilians died in the bombing of Hamburg

[@lookforward2life]

That’s a good question. War happens like That doesn’t it? Some things make the history books differently and it has nothing to do with accuracy.

[@stc3145]

I know right. Koln was also heavily bombed. Not to mention Warsaw

[@thinkingagain5966]

The difference is Dresden was 🔥🔥🔥 bombed

[@wurlitzerlibertyinc.1612]

@@thinkingagain5966 Like Stalingrad

[@thinkingagain5966]

@@wurlitzerlibertyinc.1612 no it was carpet bombed w conventional explosives

Usually those who doesn't strike first, are seen in a better way that those who started the fight.

[@HistoryHustle]

In a way.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Òscar Baltà Often who started a war is not clear. In World War II it was crystal clear.

[@daguard411]

I had made a comment of this bombing on another channel, and a Lady was kind enough to let me know that GOA Omar Bradly was informed that if the Allies lost the war, they would be brought up on War Crimes charges and his reply was "Well, we better not lose." Kurt Vonnegut was inspired to write Slaughterhouse Five because of this. As you made note of, and as I have read elsewhere, this was more an attack on Deutsch culture.

[@janmariablackwell8138]

Absolutely. I am English and have no German routes but I've done my homework on the bombings of Dresden and it was clearly a horrendous war crime

[@JohnMcDonald-ef5gz]

@@janmariablackwell8138 A war crime, really? Germany started the war. Auschwitz was a war crime. Germany got what it deserved.

[@janos82]

Amazing video

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@parmindersingh2558]

Innocent kids women old people unarmed civilians were killed in bombings, also make a video of rape in Germany by allies after ww2 . You are an unbiased historian that's why we love you

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you 😊👍

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@William Traynor-Kean It is very difficult to make statements about something that happened in Soviet Union due to the fact that this is polluted with Soviet propaganda. The idea that the German troops were all in the mood to commit atrocities all the time is outright false but that is the communist doctrine.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@William Traynor-Kean Nazi Germany did not mass murder because of religion. If you are referring to the holocaust there are laws in my country against discussing that. And then you are claiming German propaganda? Good luck with that point.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@William Traynor-Kean As I was told by both of my grandfathers, one was in Stalingrad, the other close to former Leningrad, these regular forces had with them in their ID (soldbuch) inprinted the main aspects of the Treaty of Den Haag (Haager Landkriegsordnung). The Geneva convention I dates of 1949, so it is safe to assume that it was not respected in WWII. I am aware of the fact that there probably were violations. Particularly known is the order of Hitler to murder political officers which was in a number of armies disregarded but in others carried out. Other atrocities are not done by regular forces, some are invented for propaganda purposes or carried out within the partisan warfare, some may have occured nd were looked upon lightly. But there are numerous cases of death penalties against soldiers for war crimes, namely rape, murder and plundering. So, the truth might be between the extremist points of view.

[@eedragonr6293]

@William Traynor-Kean perhaps you fully support the bolsheviks in Spain from 1936

[@Yabuddy53]

And of course the sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad, etc. those cities were also reduced to rubble.

[@HistoryHustle]

True. I mention the Eastern Front.

[@skiparkcityut]

@@HistoryHustle barely you mention it say you mentioned it! What Germany did was 10,000 times worse then this minor bombing. Learn your history its an evil nation that had to be stopped. You seem like someone trying to justify the horrors of the nazis, some might call your a partner of evil

[@curiousmonster8221]

Dresden was not producing childrens toys and Christmas decorations. It was declared a fortress city and remained unconquered until after the surrender

[@MrJm323]

@@rosesprog1722 If the massive bombing did nothing else except to allow Victor Klemperer to escape deportation to the Camps, it was worth it! The only thing more disgusting than modern-day calls by Germans to Queen Elizabeth to issue a formal apology on behalf of Britain is the fact that some Britons echo that call. ....They ought to be slapped up side the head! In total war (...and let's recall, for a moment, Josef Goebbel's "Totaler Krieg" speech in the Sportpalast in Berlin in February, 1943), almost nothing can be exempt from attack, because the nation's entire resources are put to use towards military victory. This means that the enemy nation's cities cannot be spared. The idea that a major city has NOTHING in it that is contributing to that nation's war effort is simply too absurd. Dresden was in a geographic part of the nation (in the southeast) which put it out of range for sustained attack in the earlier phase of strategic bombing. It was simply inevitable that a city of this size would eventually get bombed; and it was.

[@MrJm323]

@@rosesprog1722 ...""...if you can't do that, [just] stay out of the war." ...So, for you, war is a game. If you can't follow these rules (made by whom? For the benefit of whom?), you must do what Gandhi counseled the Jews of Europe to do: Just let them come and slaughter you and your family (and enslave whoever they wish to)!! ...But, there are actually human beings who value their own lives and that of their loved ones. (That never included Gandhi -- at least not after he embraced mysticism in middle age.) The people who make the rules of war are, obviously, the ones who won the LAST war. The challengers of the current order may not WANT to follow "the conventions" set down by the current rulers of the present-day world order. Also, people fighting for their very survival have no incentives to follow any arbitrary convention on how to fight a war "fairly". This is why the respected rules of war will always respect the true nature of war (and human nature), rather than some utopian ideal.

[@MrJm323]

@@rosesprog1722 I didn't bother reading the rest of your diatribe beyond, "the British were not fighting for their own lives [which would include, if I may interject, their liberties -- the only kind of human life worth living], ...they were fighting a genocidal war against the German people." Well, that settles the issue regarding whether you are a Nazi or a nihilist. It's obvious that you are a Nazi (or sympathizer of Nazism). ...For that reason, I didn't bother reading the rest of your comment. You're a freedom-hating genocidal maniac. Look, stupid, if the British and Americans were intended on "genociding" the German people, then they would have DONE THAT at the War's conclusion. But, the fact is, they accepted the German surrender, prosecuted selected individuals, and allowed their occupation zones to be merged into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), which then prospered far more than any other German republic or Reich before it. The average West German had a standard of living exceeding that of the average Briton by the 1970s. ....Some genocide!

[@eedragonr6293]

Getting over that the international law is not covering everything and is mainly used for less powerful defeated, and also that the international Justice is nearly completely ineffective, it seems that everybody here has forgotten the essential fact: the Nazis lost the war. And everybody else using after that all kinds of "total war" and war crimes didn't win.

[@eedragonr6293]

@@rosesprog1722 the main problem is that beginning with WWI "no rules"paramilitary, militias, partisans, resistance etc. used the civilians which became reprisaled by all sides.

[@luxembourgishempire2826]

The comment section is going to love this... Keep up the good work history hustle.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks and yes, it will go all out I'm afraid...

[@66kbm]

There are both rights and wrongs in War. I defend niether. Dresden in modern thinking, and mine, should not have been bombed. However, i did not live through the 1939/45 war and therefore do not have thier mental pyshci within me.Can anyone who was not there judge it? Its History, leave it at that and lets all learn from it.

[@joegarry8983]

No , but we are entitled to judge the criminals responsible for this needless barbaric war crime, they knew what they doing and their motive was revenge.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@lordemed1]

agree

[@lordemed1]

@@joegarry8983 you can have your own opinion, while you sit in the comfort of your home, far away from the realities of war.

[@joegarry8983]

@@lordemed1 Yes, we all can have our opinions,I know all about the realities of war. My Grandfather lost two brothers in action in the first world war and my Father was extremely lucky to survive the second world war in which he took an active part. Tell me all about it.

[@hunterjager9538]

Way more then 25,000 died

[@HistoryHustle]

Source?

[@hunterjager9538]

@@HistoryHustle it's impossible to know the real number. There where upwards of 200,000 refugees and there wasn't a list of names they could check off... most of the bodies where burnt to ash.. it's impossible to know the real number but 25,000 is incredibly conservative.

[@eldino2840]

​@@hunterjager9538Well apparently if a Corpse was unrecognisable they wouldn't count it and with how much was the fire in dresde it possible it was more

[@boretti1307]

Nice episode. Do you think it's worth to tell also about the bombing of Pforzheim, 9 days later? The strategic need was disputable, and the allies knew about he damage to civillians since Dresden. 17.600 casualties in about 25 minutes.

[@HistoryHustle]

Pforzheim might be covered in the future someday.

[@dennisweidner288]

boretti1307 Just who do you think set the war in motion? And who began bombing civilians? And at the time you are referring to, the NAZis were still bombing and killing civilians.

[@mikeryan3701]

@@dennisweidner288 Your first question is spot on. We know that Germany is the answer. Same with your second question. I'm not sure who the Germans (not just Nazis) were bombing in February 1945. By that time the Luftwaffe hardly existed. But I would question what is perhaps implicit in your comment: they started it so it was okay for the Allies to do the same. I agree that it was vital (literally) to get the war ended as soon as possible but I'm not sure that the destruction of Pforzheim did much to bring the war nearer to its end. By that time the RAF was running out of cities to destroy so they just decided to destroy Pforzheim as it hadn't yet been destroyed. After all, Harris had all those bombers and he wanted to use them. Fortunately, both the British and Americans left Bamberg off their lists. That, at least, is one German city which is still today much the same as it was before the war.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@mikeryan3701 Well the Luftwaffe was not bombing, but V-2s were still being launched. And the Allies and even more so the Soviets were still substantial taking casualties, The major justification for the Dresden bombing was to close down a rail hub and prevent German troop movement in response to Soviet requests. The Germans were defeated, but people were still being killed. The camos in the East were being emptied and the prisoners sent on death marches in the freezing cold without food and in camps still in German-controlled areas. I think knowing what we know now, Dresden should not have been bombed. But it is easy to make judgments 75 years later knowing all the facts. Decisions made during the war with people were still being killed were a lot more difficult. World War II was the greatest war in history, with more than 50 million people killed. Some 90 percent if those killed were civilians and 90mpercent of those killed were killed by the Germans and Japanese. Especially on the German side killing civilians was a major WAR GOAL. The Allies and Soviets had created a huge military effort to destroy the ability of the Germans and Japanese to make war. Turning that iff on a dime given what the Germans and Japanese had done would have been a miracle. Actually, the Germans were fortunate that there were not more Dreesdens and more severe treatment after the War. The Allied bombing caused a very small fraction of the huge numbers killed by the NAZIs--over 25 million in the Soviet Union alone.

[@janmariablackwell8138]

@@dennisweidner288 A war crime is a war crime. We shouldn't get off scot-free for murdering the elderly, women and children in an undefended city, just because we weren't considered the enemy.

[@johnbolus4008]

I believe what happened to Dresden is like the old adage “what you sow is what you reap” Speaking of war crimes the Nazi bombardment in the beautiful cities of London, Coventry, Liverpool etc was also a perfect eg. of it. Okay how about the atrocities during the holocaust? I believe the bombing of Dresden is not a war crime because it was happened during the course of WW2 and we must not forget it was the Germans who started the epic blitzing of some of the famous and beautiful cities in Europe before the Allied bombers did it as retaliation 🙏🏻

[@markaxworthy2281]

Don't forget the 19 German barracks, depots, headquarters, etc., in Dresden. 8% of all German army manpower was administered from the city.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@10akaufmann]

Anyone who knows the layout of Dresden will know that anything of military significance was nowhere near the city centre. The bombing was a deliberate, vile war crime that destroyed not only one of Europe's most beautiful cities, but also any moral high ground the Allies held until that point.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Mark Axworthy Absolutely correct.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@10akaufmann Nonsense. And you could fill a phone book with a list of beautiful, cities, towns, and villages that the NAZIs destroyed. If they did not want German cities destroyed they should not have launched the War. www.histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/wca/ww2-wca.html

[@skiparkcityut]

im jewish....i am just disgusted in the posts trying to put down the allies and defending germany. You people are sick. Look at history the allies had to end the war, this bombing campaign is small compared to what the nazis did to the USSR or to cities in europe. The red army and US soliders minds were warped by the horror they saw in concentration camps so you cant blame them for being messed up by the end of the war. Germany caused all of this! You cant them complain

[@TheTarget1980]

great and fair summary of the topic. Thank you!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching.

[@fonzaug3355]

a war crime that has gone unpunished, plain and simple.

[@patriciabrenner9216]

Legitimate target and sweet retaliation.

[@thegametwins7553]

Can u do a live stream where guys can ask u stuff about history?

[@HistoryHustle]

Perhaps one day. When we reach 50K subs another Q&A will follow.

[@markaxworthy2281]

Florence of the Elbe? The Italians declared the actual Florence an Open City, but the Germans ignored it and moved troops through. Germany could have declared Dresden an Open City, but did not.

[@HistoryHustle]

I see.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Mark Axworthy Absolutely correct.

[@ufosrus]

I didn't know about this until somewhere I read Gaza was worse than Dresden, so that's how I decided to look into what happened to that German city. Both are horrific.

[@hunterjager9538]

It's not good vs evil, it was evil vs evil

[@HistoryHustle]

Kinda over-simplified as well.

[@thedownfallparodist1145]

Can You Do Austria in World War 2

[@lawrencedavis9246]

Thank you, I wondered about asking the same question.

[@HistoryHustle]

Already done: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYS1h4GIj8umra8

[@lawrencedavis9246]

@@HistoryHustle Thank you!

[@jackies56tbird]

Legitimate, don't start a WW

[@HistoryHustle]

Ok.

[@bac1111967]

As was the descimation of Coventry? As it became locally the "coventrating" or mass bombing of an area.

[@HistoryHustle]

See video.

[@tzazarizona2676]

Your presentation is your slant on this event, nothing wrong with that. Wringing our hands over the morality of it is an exercise in futility, do you think if another world war ever occurs that Atomic bombs are going to spare the civilians in the five mile blast area. Remember war is hell.

[@HistoryHustle]

War is hell. Yes. History is about details and that's what I explore with this video. And the others.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ TZAZ Arizona The presentation was basically factual and unbiased, a little surprising given the introduction.

[@DavidJones-oc3up]

Great video. When I first moved to the Czech Republic, I lived in Liberec and had to go to Dresden a few times to handle visa issues. Later, I would very simply for pleasure. I really like this city and miss visiting there since moving further away. Keep putting out these videos 👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks 👍

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@The Truth Since 1949 the Germans of Czech are disappeared. When he lived there the people speak Czech language. It only makes sense to call the town Reichenberg to the Germans.

[@takashitamagawa5881]

I remember a British author writing about the bombing of Dresden saying that he preferred to stay in Prague while doing research in the area because the look of that city felt closer to that of pre-war Dresden than did that of the rebuilt city.

[@stevenbass732]

Memo to you, it wasn't the "allies", it was the British. Fun fact, after WW2 the British wanted to charge the luftwaffe with war crimes for bombing London. They quickly stopped when it was pointed out that Germany was preparing to file war crime charges against the British for bombing Hamburg and Dresden.

[@rb239rtr]

All of the western allies were involved in carpet bombing of civilian areas, the Soviets weren't as they had less capacity to do this. Previous to this particular bombing, the USAF had bombed Dresden twice, although with less civilian fatalities (250 then 350). Only one western ally was involved in fire bombing of civilian targets in Japan. War crimes trials are usually a product of the victor, I did not find anything about what you said re: British. It turns out the first war crime tribunal was in 1474, but it is hard to find anything other than the Nurenburg trials.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

The bomber offensive was an attempt to try and end the war. The gassing, shooting and hanging of millions of civilians had nothing to do with the winning of the war . It could be said that the slaughter had a deleterious and negative effect on the the German war effort by the diverting of thousands of rolling stock and hundreds locos to service those extermination camps, not to mention the thousands of troops who could have been used at the front. The Allies have nothing to apologise for. An evil brutal regime was wiped out.

[@Die-Sophie]

It was the British AND the Americans at the express wish of the Russians.

[@AlexxxxxSaysHi]

Dresden wasn't a war crime though, it was literally the last major supply line of the German army in the east. Employing 50000 workers for military production. Indiscriminately bombing cities with long range v2 rockets however was definitely a war crime. To compare them is stupidity.

[@501sqn3]

.....fun fact,............ That is utter bollocks !

[@Henry30065]

A brutally frank but, fair, account of the bombing of Dresden. Very sad.

[@richardsimms251]

Excellent discussion. Thank you. RS. Canada

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching!

[@robertsanders7060]

Dresden was more of something that Germany itself started. A simple "we surrender" would have ended it. That is what Japan did. Germany chose to be so barbaric as to not surrender, but Harris cannot be blamed for Germany's lack of morality.

[@HistoryHustle]

Think he can. The fact that one nation is barbaric doesn't give another nation to excuse to act as such. Then again, it can be understood as such, but morally approved, no. In the end I do agree Germany could've surrendered. Here's why that didn't happen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpDKYoSmetmegqs

[@robertsanders7060]

​@@HistoryHustle Of course, your point is well taken. To clarify my point: I think that if Germany had surrendered because of the bombings, like Japan did, then Harris would have gone into history as the man who ended the war by his brilliant understanding of modern warfare. Do you agree there?

[@HistoryHustle]

I agree.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

@@robertsanders7060 You are using a false premise. Who said Japan surrendered because of the firebombing and nukes?

[@ralphbernhard1757]

Civilians can't "surrender"...

[@richardcurry4912]

Monstrous and even more outrageous commentary. This was a war crime. All involved should have been tried

[@patriciabrenner9216]

No it wasn’t. Dresden was a legitimate target and anyway this was sweet retribution . No German was innocentl.

[@coling3957]

this is still emotive in UK .. sadly the usual suspects of whiney lefties attack the RAF ( rather than the politcians ) .. 55 000 airmen in Bomber command were killed in ww2 - it was extremely hazardous campaign waged throughout the war.. it was a second front long before D-Day.. you put good arguments for reason why Dresden was bombed.. it was indeed a hub and Stalin asked for it to be bombed to support his offensive on eastern Germany. the western Allies were always keen to aid the Soviets knowing they were facing the bulk of the German forces. a RAF pilot returning from Dresden mused on the bombing of the city but as dawn broke he saw the trails of V2 rockets as they tore into the sky - destination England.. the Germans were still fighting, so they had to expect to be bombed until they quit... an "amusing story about bomber Harris was on night he was driving to London at high speed and was stopped by a police patrol. a young constable reprimanded him for his 'dangerous driving' and said "one of these nights you're going to kill someone" - Harris drily replied "young man, i kill thousands of people every night!" ... as an ex-RAF man i appreciated his dry humour. you have a job to do , you can't boo hoo about it.

[@eedragonr6293]

Destruction of Royan, France

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@someopinion2846]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_W%C3%BCrzburg_in_World_War_II

[@MartinSockel]

My father was born in Upper Silesia in 1941. At 3 , in 1944 he became a refugee running towards Dresden only to walk in 4 days after the bombing . Settling in the American zone in the Rhineland , and finally ending up in Australia. War is suffered by the unprotected and profited by the arms dealers .

[@HistoryHustle]

Sad times.

[@cascadianapplications7124]

The body count that low seems unlikely. Even the video admitted that the city was packed.

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

True. The numbers told are highly political. Greetings from Dresden.

[@cascadianapplications7124]

@@wolfgangpagel6989 Grußen aus Amerika. Wenn ich an Dresden denken, macht es mich traurig.

[@AlaskaErik]

@@wolfgangpagel6989 Bullshit. 25,000 dead was first determined by Dresden city officials in 1945 and confirmed by a Dresden commission in the 2000s. You don't trust your own city's numbers?

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@@AlaskaErik So YOU are calling ME on bullshit? Know that it is a sure sign of being an idiot when you think that you know everything already. Yes, the number called by the "Historikerkomission" can not be trusted. It is definitely wrong and that can be proven. I will not discuss that with you because you don't leave the impression that you are a reasonable person, but you could read a book. For example die Mayor of Dresden Walter Weidauer wrote one discussing the issue. And the Nazi authorities called the number of 250000, there seems to be a slight mistake in what you remembered.

[@HistoryHustle]

Please check my sources.What books did you read about Dresden?

[@graagr4269]

Well, it depends what country you come from. As to me, I´m crying more about Warsaw than Dresden. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".

[@HistoryHustle]

I understand.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

Poland's only sensible option in 1918/19 was to acknowledge the Biblical standpoint of "to do onto others" and admit letting bygones be bygones, then accept that *Poland is where Poles lived (or people, who by own choice wished to be Polish citizens)* and draw a line aka "border" around these volunteers... Polish leaders didn't, became a tool of empires, and set off for Intermarium lebenstraum glory.... They invaded their neighbours (newly independent Ukraine), later using the dubious "we need a buffer zone"-excuse. Whatever excuses one makes, it doesn't change the Biblical wisdom of "reap as you sow". Twenty years later Stalin wanted this "buffer zone" back and made a little deal with the Nazis... Oh. And your so-called "best friends" in London and Paris? What did they do to help you in 1939, and again in 1944? Correct: nothing.

[@graagr4269]

@@ralphbernhard1757 I´m not analyzing the situation that deeply. I´m just thinking about my mother, grandmother and my other relatives who were in Warsaw during the Warsaw uprising. Their lives mean to me much more than the others. It´s a natural reaction, I believe.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Gra Agr You do not have to be from Poland to agree with that.

[@12Nordsee]

I hope you will get an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth in real life. And guess what you will get coming with your hateful comments???

[@stephenbarrett8000]

I was born and live in Kingston Upon Hull in England. Before the bombing of Dresden, Hull, Coventry and London were heavily and consistently carpet-bombed by Nazi Germany and what was clear was these campaigns were targeted on high- density civilian populations, to achieve maximum human collateral ( and they did). So, what happened to Dresden had pretty much already happened in English cities in sustained campaigns. Any critique of what happened to Dresden, has to be balanced with what happened to these and other cities, prior to that event. FYI, I think what happened in Dresden was appalling, horrific and inhumane. I'm thankful that I was not a military commander, tasked with making brutal decisions in what was a brutal, bloody war.

[@user-kx3fq1zo6f]

It was Britain that started civilian bombing raids but they didn't tell you that at school or on the history Channel.

[@vladpavlo]

Oh , yeaaaah with impatience im waiting you to upload a video keep going with the good content ! This idea came in my head . Can you do a video about the German shepherds how did they use them on the field etc.

[@zosimus2.18i2]

on the fields on Eastern Front...

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks! And no, not making videos about the role of animals anytime soon. Interesting topic though.

[@markpiersall9815]

Was Dresden bombed to destroy the cigarette factories?

[@HistoryHustle]

Nope.

[@larryhats4320]

That and about a million other economics-geopolitics post-war considerations on the table, where humans are nothing but collateral. Of course we'll never hear it because "the sources" don't say it or the leaders, smart enough to be in leadership, aren't so stupid that they'd say they're fighting a war for a reason other than "to bring people democracy and happiness everywhere". And every time there's somebody like "History Hustle" right behind them, taking notes, can't wait to tell the public "What the leaders really thought" And the people will just nod. Every generation goes the same way. It's gonna happen now with Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Iran, whatever. Nothing every changes. And we still wanna risk war and total world destruction, it's just we just wanna feel good about the stand we took, now moralized along new grounds that are somehow superior in our minds to the old grounds. But those who pull the strings are looking at the long-term, cost benefit, or simply selfish petty children in an ego-pushing match in kindergarten. I guarantee you.

[@davidcunningham2074]

a haunting description of a dreadful atrocity

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching.

[@The-Devil-of-The-Kure-Family]

Another nice vid stefan

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!!

[@The-Devil-of-The-Kure-Family]

@@HistoryHustle your welcome keep up the good work

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@andysm1964]

Thank you for this balanced video,evidence over emotion.I and a Russian friend were due to visit Dresden this summer,but of course `other events ` have taken over preventing travel.Hope we shall get there in 2021

[@zosimus2.18i2]

I suggest you to visit the WWII semetery in St. Petersburg in Russia. It will balance you even more.

[@andysm1964]

@@zosimus2.18i2 thx u for the tip,if the suggestion was aimed at me.I was planning to visit a friend in SPB next year,if travel permitted of course.Then meet up with a friend in Volgograd after.If you have any further tips,i would appreciate it..

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@robertmccall379]

Yes, you can add it to the others if you so wish. But it was a War Crime without doubt.

[@HistoryHustle]

To repeat the quote: “Estimates of the number of German civilians killed vary, but it was around half a million people. The Luftwaffe had killed many more, including an estimated half a million civilians in the Soviet Union alone, but that is still no excuse for Harris’s utterly wrong-headed conviction that Bomber Command could win the war on its own simply by smashing cities.” The Second World War (Antony Beevor) 867-8.

[@fdijkstra614]

Guernica is not the first example of terror bombing that would be the German Zeplin and Gotha aerial campaign against London during WWI.

[@HistoryHustle]

True, although in was referring to bombings by Nazi Germany. Furthermore it destructive character was new for that time.

[@fdijkstra614]

@@HistoryHustle Destruction by air on that scale was new. Raising cities to the ground is as ancient as warfare. Keep up the good work, love your channel!

[@dennisweidner288]

@ F Dijkstra Absolutely correct, although that wasn't how it was sold to the Kaiser. It was also the reason the Brits built the Chain Home Network. www.histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/air/eur/bob/tech/bobt-achn.html

[@raphlvlogs271]

did the old bridge behind you survived the bombing, or was it rebuilt?

[@HistoryHustle]

Partially.

[@skylineXpert]

The only part of Dresden that was of strategic interest was the nearby airfield. But bombing isnt as precise as today

[@HistoryHustle]

And the railway station that functioned as hub for troop transport.

[@alswann2702]

It was a vital communications center.

[@joemamaobama6863]

''noble democratic nations'' ussr : maniacal laughter

[@HistoryHustle]

yes

[@dennisweidner288]

The Allies were indeed noble democraic nations. You can freely express yourself today because of the sacrifices they made.

[@user-vo8ep8jz8c]

It was a war crime. Just because it was done in retaliation doesn't make it right. It may have been a necessity but still, a crime.

[@HistoryHustle]

Fair point.

[@dennisweidner288]

अजिङ्क्य गोखले It was not just done in retaliation. There were actual military reasons which you would know about if you read World War II histories.

[@user-vo8ep8jz8c]

@@dennisweidner288 of course there are military reasons. If you want to destroy a nation's ability to wage war, you need to destroy their industries, military establishments, hospitals (so that the fatality rate increases), civilians (so that they can't be recruited to fill in for the kIA). In the end though, targetting civilians is a war crime, without exception.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@user-vo8ep8jz8c I agree with you that targeting children is a war crime. But it is more complicated than you suggest. First, What do you do if the enemy (as Germany did) targets your civilians? Germany did this by beginning to bomb civilians in Poland on the first day of the war. Second, what do you do when the enemy (as Germany did) begins killing civilians in other ways than bombing. The Germans murdered 25 percent of the Polish population and had plans to murder even more after they won the War. . They killed over 25 million people in the Soviet Union, mostly civilians. The great majority of the civilians killed in World War were killed by the Germans and Japanese. You say, "In the end though, targetting civilians is a war crime, without exception." Fine, but can you tell me how would you have stopped the Japanese and German murder of tens of millions of civilians so as to avoid German civilian casualties?

[@user-vo8ep8jz8c]

@@dennisweidner288 I said it was a war crime, I never mentioned that it shouldn't have been done. In the end, your objective is victory. The fascists needed to be stopped, and if committing war crimes to the necessary extent helped in that, it's not unacceptable. You don't win wars by being civilized gentlemen. Germany targeted ethnic groups based on the sick racial mindset, they didn't care whether it was of military importance of not. And that's what is sickening.

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Again a very nice video, ga zo door man !

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@dj2875]

how about all german bombings ? should we pardon them and forgive them ? there were little inocent people there by that i mean most of them vote for nazi party so please stop trying to wash them off theirs war crimes with sad stories , instead of that tell how they leveled down all other cities

[@eedragonr6293]

The little difference is that they had a Nuremberg trial while the others didn't have anything. I don't like criminals.

[@HistoryHustle]

To repeat: “Estimates of the number of German civilians killed vary, but it was around half a million people. The Luftwaffe had killed many more, including an estimated half a million civilians in the Soviet Union alone, but that is still no excuse for Harris’s utterly wrong-headed conviction that Bomber Command could win the war on its own simply by smashing cities.” The Second World War (Antony Beevor) 867-8.

[@billlombard9911]

Dresden was partially rebuilt by the DDR and later rebuilt by the former western Germany , it does lack its authenticity

[@eedragonr6293]

What "authenticity"? Of the rubble?

[@billlombard9911]

@@eedragonr6293 authenticity isn’t being able to mold copies out of concrete , it’s how the workmen made the building , age , the sagging of the structure that made it real , the little artistic touches no copy can produce

[@eedragonr6293]

@@billlombard9911 it has been destroyed

[@eedragonr6293]

@@billlombard9911 for the authenticity I would dare to suggest a search for the destruction of Royan, France.

[@HistoryHustle]

I also believe Dresden lacks its authenticity, yet, the rebuilders did their best.

[@marychandler8097]

thankyou for this

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching.

[@stewiegriffin2143]

It wasn't right...war is hell

[@HistoryHustle]

True.

[@knightowl3577]

There are no rights and wrongs in war, just ever more efficient ways to kill other humans. War is madness!

[@stewiegriffin2143]

@@knightowl3577 My only argument would be that we didn't ask for that particular war. Not like allies wanted to do it. I agree though.

[@poderosoeuropeo3852]

This is criminal. Justice is in favor of Sacred Germany

[@AlaskaErik]

Bullshit. Germany is in no position to declare this criminal or to seek any type of "justice". They just need to suck it up and move on.

[@eedragonr6293]

@@AlaskaErik the Soviets moved out from there remember.

[@HistoryHustle]

Sacred Germany... ?

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Poderoso Europeo This is what is criminal. www.histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/tol/ger/crime/nazi-crime.html

[@takashitamagawa5881]

A large part of the Dresden bombing controversy arises from the fact that it occurred so late in the war. The idea of burning German city centers to win the war was not ever universally accepted among military and civilian leaders. But Hamburg, which was an even bigger and deadlier firestorm, never raised the level of outrage that Dresden did in large part of the fact that it had occurred in 1943, with no allied troops yet on German soil, with German troops still deep inside the Soviet Union, Italy still in the war, and the Battle of the Atlantic still raging at sea. By the autumn of 1944 it was questionable what "area bombing" of German cities was going to accomplish in bringing the war to an end. That ultimate objective had to be accomplished by ground forces.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@JohnMcDonald-ef5gz]

Maybe if Hitler hadn't decided to invade Poland and start the worst war in human history Dresden might not have been reduced to ashes.

[@KK-rg1wz]

The Germans only stopped bombing peacefull Antwerp with their V1 and V2 in March 1945, after Nazi stronghold Dresden was destroyed ....

[@kampfgruppepeiper501]

Very nice watch!!

[@HistoryHustle]

great!

[@Volcano-Man]

Yes it was a war crime! The perpetrators were not Harris, Ekers, Churchill, Roosevelt, and certainly NOT the RAF or USAAF. The Red Army was advancing west the cities of Dresden, Leipzig etc; stood in front of the advancing army. Dresden was a major hub for communications, troops were barracked there, either on their way to - or from the front. Materiels of war were stored there, and were passing through. In February 1945, no one knew that the collapse of the Reich was a matter of about 10 weeks away. Hitler was talking about the new wonder weapons - which incidentally included a version of an atomic device. If those 'wonder weapons' had been available they could have turned the tide of the war. General Zhukov halted his advance, Stalin demanded Dresden Leipzig etc; be obliterated. The orders were passed down to Harris and Ekers, then to the squadrons. Hitler could have ended it anytime before, but was determined to see a Germany he no longer considered worthy of his doctrine of hatred, destroyed in a Wagnerian real life version of Gotterdamerung. Dresden, Leipzig were part of the finale which he drew out until he ventilated his head. He and his evil cohorts are the criminals. Sadly too many people died - but mass murder was part of the regimes psyche. May all who died because of that madman and his followers rest in peace.

[@bigjj1109]

"25,000 casualties" no my friend how do you do account for the thousands fleeing from the Soviet army who where in Dresden at the time. It was a War Crime by the Allies, despite the many war crimes perputuated by the Nazi system in the territories of the Soviet Union the Allies brought themselves to the level of the Nazies with this action. Read" Slaugheter House Five" or the fact that bomber command did not receive a medal until the 21st centurary a blatant attempt to rewrite histroy. I really like your vblogs keep up the good work!

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

However that is the current official number told here. It is highly debatebal. Refugees were never included past 1945. Greetings from Dresden.

[@jurtra9090]

A time-travelling science fiction cannot be used as an evidencd

[@wolfgangpagel6989]

@@jurtra9090 What evidence you need?

[@HistoryHustle]

"Slaugheter House Five" is a fiction book. I read historical books. You should do the same.

[@bigjj1109]

"Slaugheter House Five" is a science fiction bookrather than a fiction however it is based on fact the author was an American POW and witnessed first hand the horror of the firestorm, the wanton destuction of the non strategic city of Dresden. I have a big issue with your insistance of only 25,000 casualties this does account for the countless refugess fleeing the Soviet Army. Once again I would mention Bomber command did not receive a medal all other services in the British armed forces did, only recently did the Cameron administraton in the UK award a medal to Bomber Command. You should visit the museum in Dresden dealing with the raid maybe this will open your eyes. By the way I have a History degree my friend so I have read quite a few history books!

[@JoeJ94611]

An historian commented that the Allies bombed Dresden to show the approaching Soviet army what allied air power could do because the Allies were concerned the Soviet Union, having numerical superiority on the ground, would advance beyond the agreed upon limit.

[@HistoryHustle]

Interesting theory. Eventually it were the Americans who advanced beyond the agreed limits.

[@ivancho5854]

I believe that this was the case. It was a warning to the Soviets and the future East Germans. Also the allies were running out of targets.

[@dennisweidner288]

@JoeJ94611 What Allied leader are you talking about? Churchill? FDR? Eisenhower? What is the factual basis for this claim?

[@matthewprice2626]

Dresden was a war crime. A lot, maybe even most didn't agree with the Nazis. A German ex prisoner of war settled in my grandparents street in Wales and he was great. Didn't want anything to do with war.

[@UpdogGolf]

Love the way you talk and I love the beard. Thanks for the good video brother.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply!

[@lawrencewright2816]

The Germans sowed the wind. They reaped the whirlwind. The war was the idea. Too bad. So sad.

[@HistoryHustle]

The bombing of Dresden to this day causes discussions. A polarized subject this seems to be. History is about exploring the details. You can consider it a science. It can also be a moral compass. One could argue that the allies had "the right" to take revenge on the Germans by bombing them. I refrain from such statements. I do not believe in revenge. I explain it as why it happened. Therefore it can be understood. Whether a person then states this was 'the right thing' is up to him or her. Of course, if Hitler hadn't started WW2 the bombing would have never occurred.

[@lawrencewright2816]

@@hansgruber650 Hitler got into bed with the Russians to start the war.

[@michaeltrotter3123]

War crime.

[@HistoryHustle]

Agree, altough we should never overlook the destruction created by the Luftwaffe. This was a bigger war crime.

[@j-dub618]

I've met a German who was in Dresden in 45' while working in a VA hospital. He moved here with his father in the 60's and fought for the states in the Vietnam war. He explained to me in great detail in 2016 what being on the receiving end of such a bombing was like. The joke, after the bombing, that Dresden residents used to keep their sanity among themselves after the bombing? "They broke a lot of plates!" as Dresden was only famous for flatware and supposedly had no military targets. He was awarded a marksman medal by the U.S. armed forces in Vietnam. I believed he passed away in 2018 from cancer.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing, interesting.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ j-dub The idea that Dresden had no war plants is only put up by those who want to find Allied war crimes. It has no basis in fact as the presenter of this video mentioned.

[@xvsj-s2x]

Excellent Tutorial 👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@uberwayz]

War crime

[@HistoryHustle]

I understand.