the Scott Stein

This gripping account of the bombing of Dresden begins with a history of the city prior to World War II and then takes apart the view that during the war Dresden was unique among German cities, the view that it was not an important part of the war effort, that it was not a Nazi stronghold. It is clear in Dresden that this was not just an innocent cultural center, somehow outside of and disconnected from the events all around. This isn't to say that Taylor attempts to justify the bombing of civilians. He doesn't. He does argue--persuasively--that there is no reason to think that Dresden was a less appropriate target than any other city in Germany, as some have claimed. Taylor's no apologist, though. The terror of those on the ground in Dresden is made perfectly clear, as is the barbarity of total war, the reducing of life to chance and error and confusion, the utter destruction. Whether or not readers can justify the bombing and similar bombings in the context of the circumstances, Dresden is a profoundly sad story well told.

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