The bombing of dresden saw much of the citys great architecture and rich culture destroyed in one night. The allied bombing of german cities in world war ii was. The united states was justified due to the unprovoked attack and bombing of pearl harbor, hawaii, which occurred three years prior to the bombing of hiroshima, it was necessary to stop the war because it saved thousands of american lives. To do this it examines the allied area bombing of germany and japan in world war ii. Nov 15, 2015 germany was a fascist dictatorship responsible for brutal military campaigns in europe and russia.
Surrige, who was the doctor responsible for overseeing the experiments. Trumans original choice to drop the atomic bomb was justified, however dropping the second one was not right. This attack was codenamed operation meetinghouse by the usaaf and is known as the great tokyo air raid in japan. Photographs that show the effects of allied bombing on.
Some, mostly in the german farright, refer to the bombing as a mass murder, calling it. At the end of world war ii, allied forces destroyed the baroque german city on the elbe. This book is an essay which sets out to answer the question posed in the subtitle. Dresden is located in germanys east, in the territory that was part of the. A 1953 united states air force report defended the operation as the justified. The 19yearold, who is pleading to be repatriated from a. What was germany supposed to do sit back and take it. You debate for years debate has raged over whether the us was right to drop two atomic bombs on japan during the final weeks of the second world war. Raid on dresden a part of a documentary i made a reconstruction of the bombing of this german city. Hitlers germany and stalins russia won the 2005 wolfson prize and the hesselltiltman prize. Were the 1945 allied bombings of dresden militarily.
The good people who used it thought it was justified because they thought it would reduce the number of deaths in the long term. How the killings of thousands in hiroshima and nagasaki. The dresden bombings were designed to kill tens of thousands of civilians at a time when germany had already lost the war. British felt they should get revenge on the germans effects we think they werent. Youll notice suffering from page one of the book thief. Bombing of civilians in world war ii world future fund. Were the 1945 allied bombings of dresden militarily justified. Bombs dropped from 279 boeing b29 superfortress heavy bombers burned out much of eastern tokyo. Jun 19, 2014 this book is an essay which sets out to answer the question posed in the subtitle. Get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes and more.
F would carry out daytime raids on military and industrial targets, and the raf would conduct the nighttime area bombing of civilian population centers. By may of 1945, two million tons of bombs had fallen on germany. The bombing of dresden was a britishamerican aerial bombing attack on the city of dresden, the capital of the german state of saxony, during world war ii. Germany will mark 75 years since the destruction of dresden in world war ii on thursday, with the far right seeking to inflate victim numbers and play down nazi crimes. The bombing of germany 19401945 centre for the study of. Mar 23, 2014 for some, the tactic of bombing german civilian areas as distinct from exclusively military targets was entirely justified, a necessary and logical strategy that brought germany to its knees. From july 1944 to january 1945, an average of,536 people were killed every month. It is oft repeated that churchill ordered the firebombing of dresden as a vicious payback for the german bombing of coventry which churchill is often accused of allowing to burn rather than reveal his access to the german codes see fh 35. Students use a source pack to prepare arguments on either side of this difficult debate.
You have been added to our mailing list and will now be among the first to hear about events. The historic city of dresden in the east of germany known as. Vs maltreatment leads him to be consumed with rage against the perpetrators of the atrocities, which include lewis prothero, a mouthpiece of the government who had been the commander of the camp. Therefore a change of research perspective is necessary, from considering the pure course of. If my argument is correct, the bombing was an unmitigated moral atrocity. Some observers have questioned whether the indiscriminate bombing of dresden was justified so late in the war, an argument hijacked by neonazis eager to shift the focus onto atrocities committed. Download file to see previous pages an analysis of whether the bombing of dresden was justified needs to start with an examination of whether the whole concept of area bombing was justified. Victor klemperer was an eyewitness to the dresden bombings at the end of. It is widely considered that the bombing of dresden was. Pdf what did we do to germany during the second world. Was the strategic bombing of germany in ww2 justified and.
Because the united states wanted a quick end to the war does not mean that they can go and bomb highly populated cities to prove their strength. Commemorating the legacy of the wwii bombing of dresden dw. Download was the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki. The manchester arena attack was justified because of airstrikes that have killed civilians in syria, shamima begum has claimed. Historically, dresden had been northern germany s cultural centre a city filled with museums and historic buildings.
But i know in the case of the british, the guy who calculated the costbenefit ratio of the bombings of civilians in germany got it wrong by about a factor of five or ten, so from an utilitarian point of view, it was not justified. This was one of germany s cultural capitals, a city renowned for its elegant architecture and regal atmosphere, yet in february 1945 the allies dropped almost 4,000 tonnes of explosives, laying waste to the iconic cityscape and killing tens of thousands of people. Before little boy, the us gave a warning to japan that an attack was eminent and it warned the japanese government to surrender. It is becoming commonplace on remembrance or veterans day, 11 th of november, for peace activists and others with political or ideological agenda to write to newspapers demanding that americans, british and australians also remember the civilian victims of alleged british and american atrocities in ww ii. The morality of the allied bombing campaign during the second world war is still hotly debated. What should we feel about the decision to attack dresden. Even if they were possibly as violent as the german attacks, they were often defended as a necessary means to a worthy end. Were the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki justified or not. The historiography of the allied bombing campaign of germany. Come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays. May 14, 2011 well dresden was not justified regardless if it had air defenses in it. Richard overy professor of history at exeter university. Get an answer for why was the bombing of dresden by the raf in wwii not justified. Were the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki justified or.
The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the first and only uses of nuclear weapons in armed conflict. I cant seem to find a good position because i am of chinese decent. Commemorating the legacy of the wwii bombing of dresden. The bombing was ineffective and cost too many lives of civilians and aircrew. Download the the bombing of germany 1940 1945 exhibition. The main reason for the bombing of dresden was to help the soviet army in the south area of germany and also that it was on of the few cities in germany that had not been bombed to rubble. Bataan death march, and sometimes even cannibalism. I think that the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki was justified. Cold, hunger, emotional and physical abuse, guilt, the horror of the battlefield all these play heavily into the suffering of the characters.
Watch the bombing hd full movie precious cargo 2016 hd. Beginning on the night of february, 1945, more than 1,200 heavy. The bombing of dresden was efficient and well planned, the raf were in and out of the place in the space of half an hour. The japanese had demonstrated nearfanatical resistance, fighting to almost the last man on pacific islands, committing mass suicide on saipan and unleashing kamikaze attacks at okinawa.
Allied perspective germany had crossed the line morale would crack chose targets for economic value and also because people in cities were contributing much to war work. After the bombings at hiroshima and nagasaki, the acute effects killed. Can the bombing of dresden be justified 750 words bartleby. And yet until the opening of a monument in green park this year they have received. The frauenkirche cathedral was one of the worlds famous buildings. First, strategic bombing was not a war crime the way the allies did it. In world war ii, the allies bombed germanys cities and towns in an attempt to undermine the morale of its. Was the bombing of civilian targets justified by the necessities of war. Churchill bombed dresden as payback for coventry the. In the uk, 60,595 british were killed by german bombing, and in france, 67,078 french were killed by usuk bombing. Grayling asks and answers the following questions in regard to the area bombing of dresden. The bombers and the bombed, by richard overy the new york. The hague regulations on land warfare of 1907 state that the attack or bombardment, by whatever means, of towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended is prohibited. Strategic bombing during world war ii was the sustained aerial attack on railways, harbours.
But were the specific ways in which the atomic bombs were employed defensible. Strategic bombing is justified by johnson lai on prezi. No one doubts the bravery of the thousands of men who flew and died in bomber command. Historically, dresden had been northern germanys cultural centre a city filled with museums and historic buildings. Social representations of this event were investigated at the level of individual. Although, i am against using nuclear weapons to win a. Sixtythree percent of americans think that torturing suspected terrorists can be a justifiable way to get information, according to the reutersipsos results. With western europe now at the heart of a united continent, it is even more difficult to explain how only 70 years ago european states destroyed much of the urban landscape from the air.
The allies defeated germany in may of 1945 which would have put a soviet entry into the war to begin in august. The allied terrorbombing of german cities during world war ii. The bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki was not justified. The bombing of germany 19401945 centre for the study of war. To what extent was the bombing of dresden justified term paper. In the end, the firebombing of dresden was advantageous to weakening germanys forces and ending the war. Nov 17, 2012 the good people who used it thought it was justified because they thought it would reduce the number of deaths in the long term. Tokyo residents rally to slam korean article justifying atomic bombing photos.
When they invaded china they had raped many of the women. The us was not justified in dropping nuclear bombs on japan to end wwii. To assess whether the decision to intervene can be considered morally just, this essay explores the various theoretical frameworks drawing from classical just war theory which argue that military intervention on humanitarian grounds can be justified in certain circumstances, and applies them to natos role in kosovo. France, germany, italy, poland and his britannic majesty, september 1, 1939. Were the allies justified in bombing germany by ellie kenrick.
In this chapter, i look into the main ways in which the bombing of german cities and towns in world war ii has been, or might be, morally defended. Nanjing massacre, brutal treatment of allied soldiers ex. Dresdens bombing for example was very strategic, since it was a major centre of manufacturing opticals gun sights and binoculars. Was the us justified in dropping the atomic bombs on japan. Mar 06, 2008 as to the claim that this was a war crime. On the night of 910 march 1945, the united states army air forces usaaf conducted a devastating firebombing raid on tokyo, the japanese capital city. The clock was ticking that morning of august 6, 1945 as the enola gay struggled into the air with a full load of fuel and the massive little boy atomic bomb. Yes it burned and loads of people died, but thats war. Pros and cons was the us justified in dropping the atomic. Oct 26, 2012 the allied bombing of german cities in world war ii was unjustifiable intelligence squared. Over half a million german civilians had died, and 80,000 allied airmen had perished as well. What people get wrong about the bombing of dresden youtube. Pdf the bombing war download full pdf book download.
Read this essay on was america justified in bombing the japanese. Was the allied bombing of dresden a possible war crime. Memories of the bombing of german cities in world war ii. Accordingly, the allies were justified in conducting strategic bombing attacks, ultimately including the atomic bomb strikes, against japan in 194445. But in the fat man bombing, it was dropped just a few days later. Germany marks 75th anniversary of dresden bombing as far. Bombing, states and peoples in western europe 19401945 the bombing of germany 1940 1945 allied airstrikes and civil mood in germany. Most americans say torturing suspected terrorists is. Therefore, it inevitably ended more misery that was caused by the war and was justified. On 3 september 1939, following the german invasion of poland, the united kingdom and france declared war on germany and the war in the west began. Allied commanders were at first opposed to the raf bombing policy, and when they began bombing runs over germany in 1943, it was mutually agreed that the u.
Definitely not justifiable because many lives were lost and many, to this day, are affected by the radiation from back then. Was the bombing offensive against civilians in germany and japan a. Was the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki justified. World war ii was a multifaceted war with major fighting operations occurring in both the european countries of war and the pacific countries of war. In addition to the minimum figure given in the strategic bombing survey, the number of people killed by allied bombing in germany has been estimated at between 400,000 and 600,000. You can also download and print a pdf version by clicking here. It was mostly performed in order to decrease civilians morale and hitlers confidence. Raf heavy bombers are seen dropping bombs over dresden, germany toward the end of world war ii in this remarkable archive footage from 1945. The ruthless bombing from the air of civilians in unfortified centers of population during the course of the hostilities which have raged in various quarters of the earth during the past few years, which has resulted in the maiming and in the death of thousands of. Apr 23, 2009 at the yalta conference, joseph stalin agreed that the soviet union would enter the war against imperial japan 90 days after the allies had defeated germany. The allies decided to use incendiary bombs, over 3900 tons of them, over the city of dresden on a carnival night when entire families were ou. Atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki wikipedia. Was the bombing strategically or morally justified.
Its a bombing campaign thats aroused heated controversy ever since. Many people have claimed in the last 63 years that dresden was a quiet peaceable town going about its business and waiting for the war to end. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Dresden was germanys 7th largest city at the time of the war. In world war ii approximately 410,000 german civilians were killed by allied air raids.
What had caused this change of mind, and was it justified. Pro christian, galante, arun against johnson, rocket, christopher. Tokyo residents rally to slam korean article justifying. The bombing was an effective weapon against nazi germany. In order to end the increasingly bloody war as soon as possible, president harry truman ordered the atomic bomb to be dropped on hiroshima and. Is the targeting of civilians in war ever justified. The history and moral legacy of the wwii bombing of civilians in germany and japan bloomsbury revelations a. This is the first book to treat bombing during wwii as a european phenomenon and not just the blitz on britain and germany. According to various statistics the world war ii death toll was somewhere between 50 million to over 70 million. The allied strategic bombing of germany during world war ii was a significant event in the history of europe. The us was not justified in dropping nuclear bombs on japan. Was america justified in bombing the japanese term paper.
And while there was some industry and war effort coming from dresden, the motivation seems to be punitive as well as. Was the use of atomic bomb on japan justified essay. Reflectionwas the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki justified. I argue that all these attempts at justification fail. Download file to see previous pages but was trumans decision justified or was ill informed. The united states detonated two nuclear weapons over the japanese cities of hiroshima and nagasaki on august 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, with the consent of the united kingdom, as required by the quebec agreement.
Cmv although i realize the only other option was to invade the japanese mainland which would have undoubtedly caused the death of many civilians, those deaths would have been incidental and not intentional. A controversial event in history that has divided scholars right in the middle, the use of the atomic bomb was but a justified decision that spared the united states an estimated 250,000, perhaps more, sure fatalities in there planned invasion of japan in addition to millions of japanese soldiers. The propaganda of the nazi regime was based on the idea of the existential threat to germany. But not only cities had fallen victim to the allies strategic bombing. In the last months of world war ii, allied bombers conducted several major bombing raids on the eastern german city of dresden. Truman was right to drop the atomic bomb national news.
Get an answer for was bombing civilians in world war 2 justified. In four raids between and 15 february 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the british royal air force raf and 527 of the united states army air forces usaaf dropped more than 3,900 tons of highexplosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The destruction of whole cities was thought to be an effective manner of quickly breaking civilian morale. Most of the debate over the atomic bombing of japan focuses on the unanswerable question of whether it was necessary. This article was first published in july 2014 thursday 6th august 2015 submitted by. Japan was committing many many many war crimes during the time in world war 2. The allies used incendiary bombs, which created huge fires. More and more aeroplanes and bigger and bigger bombs.
Area bombing was first suggested by charles portal, of the british air staff, in 1941. Was the us justified in dropping atomic bombs on hiroshima. A german bombing raid on london during the battle of britain. Army air force launched two days of massive bombing raids on the city of dresden in eastern germany. S justified essayargument christian davis english 3. Was the strategic bombing of germany in ww2 justified and important to allies. The main reason that the firebombing of dresden was that it destroyed germanys forces, along with their civilians. Germany commemorating the legacy of the wwii bombing of dresden. The geneva convention signed by both germany and britain did not prohibit the bombing of industrial centres located in residential areas. Was the bombing of dresden in ww2 necessary or justified. The historiography of the allied bombing campaign of germany by ryan hopkins this thesis is a historiographical study concerning the strategic bombing campaign of germany during world war ii. World war ii, 19391945 community unit school district 200.
The allied bombing of german cities in world war ii was unjustifiable. The atomic bombing of japan was justified because it caused world war ii to come to a quick end. Why the terrible destruction of dresden was justified. Was the us justified in dropping atomic bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki during the second world war. A quarter of respondents think its often justified, whereas nearly twofifths say its sometimes justified.
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