The Firebombing of Dresden“On the night of 13th February, the Allies bombed Dresden in two waves,

three hours apart. Only six bombers were shot down, as German air defenses were weak. The first round of bombing consisted of high explosives, which would expose wooden frames of buildings. The second, incendiary round would ignite everything around it.

Estimates of those killed vary from 35,000-135,000 (unsure partly because of the refugees in Dresden at the time)…Created a self-sustaining firestorm, over 1500 degrees.

Of 28,410 houses in central Dresden, 24,866 were destroyed, 15 sq km totally demolished—of which there were: 14k homes, 72 schools, 22 hospitals, 19 churches, 5 theaters, 50 banks, 31 dept stores, 31 hotels, 62 administrative buildings.”

http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/firebombing/websitedresden1.htm

Warning: The photos you are about to see are very graphic.

Wikimedia Commons

Woman in an air-raid shelter.

Wikimedia Commons

Bodies ready for cremation. Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons, German Federal Archives

City center, Wikimedia Commons