Germany marks 70th anniversary of Dresden firebombing (25k Dead)

[Melech 9,900]

 

 

Commemorations are taking place in Germany to mark the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Dresden.

An estimated 25,000 people died in the British and American attack, which created a firestorm that left 33 sq km (12 sq miles) of the city in ruins.

German President Joachim Gauck is attending a service at the Church of Our Lady, which has been rebuilt since it was destroyed in the WW2 raids.

The city was believed by Allied forces to be a vital Nazi command centre.

It was used by German forces to defend the country against Soviet forces approaching from the east.

'Wounds'

Friday's events include an afternoon service at the Church of Our Lady, or the Frauenkirche, where President Gauck is speaking, and ringing of the church bells.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told the congregation: "Much debate surrounds this most controversial raid of the Allied bombing campaign.

"Whatever the arguments, events here 70 years ago left a deep wound and diminished all our humanity.

"Healing such wounds requires enemies to... become friends, which starts with our memories with the hurt we have suffered and ends with a shared understanding of the hurt we have caused each other."

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Ursula Elsner was 14 at the time of the bombing: "We clung on but one woman didn't make it. The firestorm grabbed her."

Anti-fascist campaigners, joined by church dignitaries, are also due to form a human chain to pay homage to the victims of the massive bombing, as they have done in past years.

Thousands of people are expected to gather in the city centre on Friday evening to remember those killed.

Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz has said that the events would be an opportunity to demonstrate the city's core values of "openness to the world and tolerance".

Far-right supporters have previously sought to exploit the anniversary of the bombings, although marches have dwindled in recent years.

A photo taken in February 1945 shows the ruins of Dresden's Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and the destroyed Martin-Luther-Memorial in the east German city of Dresden, following allied bombings

The attack left Dresden's Church of Our Lady and Martin-Luther-Memorial in ruins

A statue of Martin Luther stands outside the Church of Our Lady, which was obliterated by Allied bombing raids 13-15 February 1945 and rebuilt in 2005

The statue of Martin Luther and the Church of Our Lady have since been rebuilt

Dresden has become the hub of Germany's "anti-Islamisation" Pegida movement, which has brought thousands onto the streets for weekly protests since October 2014.

Starting on 13 February 1945, British and US planes unleashed a massive 37-hour bombing, sparking a huge inferno that engulfed the city's old town.

By the time it was over, tens of thousands of Dresden's buildings had been turned to rubble, including its famous opera house and a number of museums.

Visitors arrive to lay flowers at a wall commemorating victims of the allied firebombing of Dresden at the Heidefriedhof cemetery, where 20,000 victims are buried, on February 13, 2015 in Dresden, Germany.

People laid flowers at a wall commemorating the victims at the Heidefriedhof cemetery

The 18th Century Church of Our Lady appeared initially to have survived, but, weakened by the intense heat, it soon collapsed under its own weight.

Many other European cities suffered heavy bombing but Dresden has become a powerful symbol of war and destruction, says the BBC's Jenny Hill in the city.

The city still shows the signs of the attack, our correspondent adds.

Source: BBC

 

 

 

 

 

Horrible thing. May the souls rest in peace. Always awful when innocents die. 

[SleepingSun 1,398]

War only brings death and suffering. Let's remember the mistakes of the past, to make sure we won't do them again in the future.