Interesting book that challenges some of the myths surrounding the destruction of the Saxon city in the closing months of World War II, including the myths that Dresden was a defenseless, peaceful city that had no military value. Not that the author lets the RAF and USAAF off the hook, but he does point out that casualty figures are exaggerated (willfully) and stories about the strafing of civilians by fighter false. There's also some harrowing accounts of the bombing itself. An interesting read, especially if one has read some of the previous books on the subject. ( )

A masterful account of a significant and deeply troubling event. Having been in Dresden last weekend, I felt I at least had educated myself a bit on this seminal day (or 3 days, or forever, depending on how you look at it) in world history. So well-written, with many eyewitness accounts and other evidently carefully chosen primary sources. Highly recommended. ( )

Incredibly good. The holistic picture of the attack on Dresden is laid out in almost forensic detail so that you really feel you understand the situation that the attack happened within and the impact it had. Pretty much everyone seems to get a fair hearing apart from the Nazi party official in charge of the region, who doesn't seem to deserve one anyway. ( )

This is an absorbing and comprehensive history of the fire-bombing of Dresden. Taylor begins with a history of Dresden and follow this up by a history of the WW II bombing campaign. He then provides a minute for minute account of the bombing from both the pilots point of view and from the point of view of many survivors. He concludes with a discussion of the moral issues surrounding the firebombing. His detailed appendixes cover the challenges of determining how many people died as well as a critique of books about Dresden and reports about the straffing of civilians.

The book is strongly recommended for fans of WW II or military history. ( )

A very clear-headed analysis of a politically charged event -- the firebombing of Dresden. Taylor does a good job of refuting the fairly ridiculous claims of polemicists like David Irving (also a Holocaust denier), while making it clear, at least to this reader, that the Allies definitely aimed at creating firestorms for their own sake, bringing these raids essentially into the sphere of "terror bombing. ( )