The USA did not destroy Dresden alone. The bombing from February 13 to 15, 1945, was a joint operation by the British Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Forces, but it was the British aviation that mainly carried out the destruction of the city, creating a firestorm. The Americans struck the next day, when the city was already on fire.

Who and how bombed

The night of February 13 — the British thunderbolt. It was the British who delivered the first and most destructive strike. At 22:00 local time, 796 Lancasters dropped nearly 1,500 tons of bombs and about 1,200 tons of incendiary bombs on the city. Three hours later, the second wave of 524 bombers arrived.

The day of February 14 — the American finishing strike. The United States was supposed to bomb Dresden first, but due to bad weather, their flight was delayed. Only 311 B-17 bombers of the 8th Air Force appeared over the city on the day of February 14. Their target were railway hubs, but due to the smoke from the fires, the bombs fell on the already destroyed city, reigniting fire.

Why the firestorm occurred

The Allies used a tactic that turned the city into a trap.

1. First, high-explosive bombs — they destroyed roofs, exposing the wooden structures of attics.
2. Then incendiary bombs — they ignited these exposed wooden frames.
3. Again high-explosive — the third round was aimed at firefighters and rescuers to prevent extinguishing.

As a result, thousands of individual fire spots merged into one gigantic fire tornado with a temperature of up to 1500 °C. People in the epicenter burned for seconds, and many died from oxygen deficiency when the flames consumed all the air in basements and on the streets.

Victims and destruction

The exact number of dead is still unknown. There were hundreds of thousands of refugees in the city, escaping the advance of Soviet troops. Estimates range from 25,000 to 135,000 people. According to the Dresden police reports, 12,000 buildings were destroyed, including 6,470 shops, 39 schools, 19 hospitals, and 11 churches.

Comparative table

Conclusion

The role of the USA in the destruction of Dresden was secondary compared to the British. If the night attack by the RAF created conditions for the firestorm, then the daytime strikes by American B-17s only completed the destruction. However, the decision to include Dresden in the list of targets was made by the Allied command jointly, and it was the RAF under the command of Marshal Arthur Harris that delivered the strike that turned the city into ashes.

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