Professor Buzzkill

This week marks the beginning of the 80th Anniversary of the bombing of the German city of Dresden during World War II. That bombing took place from the 13th to the 15th of February and caused a great deal of destruction in the city, killing up to 25,000 people. Debates about the reasons for bombing Dresden began almost immediately after the raids, and have continued to the present day. Like so many other aspects of World War II, misinformation about the bombing spread quickly and became absorbed by the public as genuine fact. And, as so often happens, myths and misunderstandings followed, and continue to be propagated today.

So we’re going to have an encore presentation of the classic Professor Buzzkill episode about Dresden. The guest is your favorite buzzkiller, Professor Philip Nash. He lays out the evidence for us in clear and convincing ways, but also talks about the nature of strategic bombing, and all the moral questions surrounding it. Everything he says bears listening to again, and I hope you find it enlightening.

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Buzzkill Bookshelf

Paul Addison (Editor), Jeremy A. Crang (editor), Firestorm: The Bombing of Dresden, 1945

Firestorm assembles a cast of distinguished scholars to review the origins, conduct, and consequences of the World War II U.S. and British raids on Dresden. Here is a panoramic reassessment of the evidence and the issues, including the question of whether the bombing of the city constitutes a war crime. Firestorm cogently demonstrates the reasons why Dresden has come to symbolize the military and ethical questions involved in the waging of total war.