Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945 - Softcover

Taylor, Frederick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060006773 ISBN 13: 9780060006778

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2005

Synopsis

For decades it has been assumed that the Allied bombing of Dresden -- a cultured city famous for its china, chocolate, and fine watches -- was militarily unjustifiable, an act of retribution for Germany's ceaseless bombing of London and other parts of England.

Now, Frederick Taylor's groundbreaking research offers a completely new examination of the facts and reveals that Dresden was a highly militarized city actively involved in the production of military armaments and communications. Incorporating first-hand accounts, contemporaneous press material and memoirs, and never-before-seen government records, Taylor proves unequivocally the very real military threat Dresden posed -- and how a legacy of propaganda shrouded the truth for sixty years.

About this title

Review:

"A major contribution to the story of Dresden."--Christian Science Monitor

"I thought I knew what happened at Dresden on that fiery day in 1945 -- and then I read this book."--James Bradley

"Taylor carefully debunks .... the 'pervasive postwar myth' ... What emerges is a picture markedly different from conventional accounts."--New York Times Book Review

"Compelling ... Mr. Taylor makes a persuasive case that Dresden was not an innocent bystander in the tragedy that was WWII."--Washington Times

"Deeply affecting ... a bracing rebuke to the myths and propaganda that have painted over the memory of this tragedy."--People

"[An] authoritative and moving account .... Impeccably documented."--The Independent (London)

"The enigmatic past and the patient muse of history are brilliantly served ... by this blockbuster of a book."--Chicago Sun-Times

"In narrative power and persuasion, [Taylor] has paralleled in DRESDEN what Antony Beevor achieved in STALINGRAD."--Nicholas Fearn, The Independent on Sunday (London)

"Genius...an absolutely magnificent work both of scholarship and of narration."--The Literary Review (London)

"Groundbreaking ... [shines] new light on that fateful day and the resulting myths."--Calgary Sun

About the Author:

Frederick Taylor studied history and modern languages at Oxford University and Sussex University. A Volkswagen Studentship award enabled him to research and travel widely in both parts of divided Germany at the height of the Cold War. Taylor is the author of Dresden and has edited and translated a number of works from German, including The Goebbels Diaries, 1939-1941. He is married with three children and lives in Cornwall, England.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060006773
• ISBN 13: 9780060006778
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 518