January 1, 1970

Only a few days after Churchill’s return from Yalta, British bombers attacked Dresden.

Between 13 and 15 February 1945, the RAF and US Army Air Forces launched a series of devastating raids on the German city of Dresden, with over seven hundred heavy bombers of the British Air Force and five hundred of the US Army Air Forces dropping high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The historic centre was destroyed in a massive firestorm, with enormous loss of life. The main aim was to help distract the Germans from the Soviet attack on the eastern front. But the bombing of Dresden, with such horrific consequences, weighed on Churchill’s conscience.

Churchill had always supported strategic bombing of German towns and cities – it often seemed the only way of attacking Germany relatively easily and with the aim of weakening morale and hampering weapons production. But this was on a different scale. Churchill made only passing reference to it in his account of the War, The Second World War, published after the event.

Read more about the controversial bombing of Dresden here and here.

2024 International Churchill Conference

Join us for the 41st International Churchill Conference. London | October 2024

More

Think about this further: see the National Archives learning materials on this issue here.