Jorg Friedrich's Argument Against The Bombing Of Among The Dead Cities

Today, the word “Dresden” is synonymous with the infamous firestorm and strategic bombing. However, opinions of the morality of the bombing and whether the city “deserved” the attack form a large part of its legacy. Newspapers and propaganda have an incredible impact on contentious debates such as these, and their success or failure in convincing the public determine how future generations view historical events. Michael Balfour writes, “But success or failure in public affairs largely depends on how far the future, when it becomes the present, validates or demolishes the interpretations which public figures have placed upon the past and the actions or proposals for action which they have placed upon those interpretations.” In some ways, the

And once that overriding claim was decided, so was the fate of a city such as Dresden. Many of those in authority there during the war years realized this far more acutely than the general population.” However, the side against the bombing of Dresden has many German and English advocates that weave a convincing argument against the raid. German historian Jorg Friedrich’s The Fire condemns the bombing through its collection of eyewitness accounts and the stories of victims and has been described as “an encyclopaedia of pain.” A.C. Grayling is another strong voice in Among the Dead Cities, where he concludes, “There is nothing abstract or theoretical about the mass murder in which bombing consists: it is real and terrible, and anything that drives the point home has its place in the debate, for in the end the effect on victims, and the atrocity of the act, are indeed one and the same in all cases – in this one crucial, central aspect.” The movement against strategic bombing has many supporters, though not always of a favourable background. Indeed, there is a darker side to some writings and groups who oppose area bombing, particularly in