Calvin Mulcahy

Humanities
On February 13th and 14th, towards the end of the war, Dresden was almost completely whipped
out in a huge fire storm, but this was no natural fire storm. This fire storm was created in a strategic
bombing buy the RAF air force, a British and American organized military group. The RAF team also did
not drop just any bombs but incendiaries which were made to destroy and set every organic material.
Although the bombing of Dresden was not morally justified it can be militarily justified. Yet just because
the bombing was militarily and strategically justified does not mean that this act was morally justified.
Dresden was called a safe place during the war and was thought that it would never be bombed,
in fact solders who went to Dresden were considered the luckiest. This view on Dresden gave people
hope, this factor made Dresden a target. Because Dresden was becoming a symbol of hope the British
and American military saw this as a way to totally wipe all hope from Germany. Usually bombing civilian
occupied territory is forbidden yet if the bombing can help win the war and preserve allied forces it is
allowed. Still, the fact that this bombing can be militarily justified does not mean that it can be morally
justified.
Like any other city, Dresden was filled with innocent civilians that had nothing to do with the
war. Women, children, and hard working men who were just trying to support their families were the
majority of the citys population. And this is exactly where the military wanted to strike. Yet in order to
do so the piolets that were to bomb Dresden were told lies about what they were bombing. This was
done because the generals calling the air strike new that the piolets would never do something so
terrible, they knew the piolets would feel a deep sense of moral injustice. So the piolets were told that
instead of bombing hospitals they were bombing a gun factory. Instead of bombing a hotel they were
bombing a gas factory or a military base.
When the piolets flew over Dresden, they could plainly see that they had been lied to. That in
fact they were not actually bombing a military base or a gun factory. Instead they were sent to bomb
homes and hospitals and schools, they realized that there true target were the civilians. I believe that
the mere fact that the generals had to lie to their solders to get them to do this bombing shows how
morally wrong it was. The generals knew that the piolets would most likely not fallow the orders if they
were told the truth about their mission. So in order to fulfill this plan, not only was each piolet lied to
but they were all told a different lie.
Although the bombing of Dresden was not morally justified it can be militarily justified. Yet just
because the bombing was militarily and strategically justified does not mean that this act was morally
justified. It is truly just about the way you want to look at this, which side you want to take. There is no
final answer to this because people are different and see things in a different way. One general stated
that he would rather end the lives of the whole of Germany then to see one of his own fall. While
another said that he had wished he could take back what he had done.