"Dresden: The Destruction and Rebirth of a City" Author: [UK] Sinclair Mackay Publisher: Wenhui Publishing House

◎ Editor's Recommendation

★The prototype of Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five", the sensitive incident that Churchill kept silent about, and the controversial Allied bombing campaign

With the war almost over, was Dresden a legitimate military target? If destroying Dresden was a crime, who was the real criminal?

★The Times Book of the Year, a unique urban history that tells the past and present of the city of art

From the elegant and civilized glory of the past, to the cruel and fanatical Nazi period, to the extreme years of destruction and reconstruction, to today's reconciliation and revival.

★ From the air to the underground, from the front line to the rear, multi-perspective narrative, complete restoration of the disaster

"From planning to execution, this story is told by the key players as well as those on the ground who suffered both the attack itself and its aftermath." - Robert Fox

◎ Introduction

"A fire burst out of Germany, went around the world, and then came back to Germany."

In February 1945, doomsday came from the sky. Thousands of bombers flew over, and Dresden was reduced to ruins overnight. The "Florence on the Elbe", the center of European civilization, was bombed out of the 20th century.

As World War II drew to a close, the indiscriminate bombing of German cities and civilians had little impact on the course of the war, and the tragic casualties and huge destruction caused a fierce reaction from public opinion. The Nazi authorities called the Allied attack "terror bombing", and the British and American media were also shocked by the destruction of Dresden, a treasure. Even Churchill doubted the necessity of the air raid.

Who was responsible for the destruction of Dresden? This question has been debated for a long time, perhaps even more than the attention paid to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. During the Cold War, the ruins of Dresden became physical evidence of the horrific atrocities committed by British and American imperialism behind the "Iron Curtain", and also stimulated anti-war movements on both sides of the Atlantic. To this day, German right-wing organizations still try to use this incident to portray the Germans as victims of war crimes.

All of this draws people's attention back to the night of the bombing - in Dresden, thousands of voices are waiting for the world to listen, and it is time to see how many unknown secrets are hidden behind the horrific destruction.

Media Comments

A righteous rage drives this gripping study.

--Max Hastings (author of The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire)

Disturbing and irresistible, Sinclair McKay brings this dark subject to life.

——Keith Lowe (author of Savage Continent)

A clear and fair account of the most notorious and destructive air raid in the history of air warfare. From planning to execution, the story is told by the key players as well as those on the ground who suffered both the attack itself and its aftermath.

--Robert Fox (author of We Witnessed)

The firestorm and its aftermath marked a traumatic end to six years of war in the city, etched in public memory and still visible in the fire-blackened stones along the Elbe River.

——Financial Times

MacKay's rich narrative and descriptive gifts provide us with a meticulous and unflinching account of that terrible night. This book is an extremely readable and well-crafted supplement to one of the most morally controversial military operations in modern history.

—The Wall Street Journal

Mackay avoids direct preaching, focusing more on the commemorative rituals that Dresdeners perform year after year and the place of this history in collective memory. Most importantly, he celebrates the city's modern resurrection.

——The Economist

Fascinating, well-researched, powerfully written, and well-structured. For anyone interested in military history and World War II.

--Library Journal (starred review)

McKay's extensive research and vivid writing capture the horror and tragedy of the bombing. Readers will not easily forget this account of devastation.

——Publishers Weekly

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