Dresden. 75 years on.

Dresden. 75 years on.

75 years ago this week Dresden, in Saxony, known as the ‘jewel box’ because of its stunning architecture was obliterated by British and American bombers. The flames reached almost a mile high. Around 25,000 people were thought to have been killed. The novelist Kurt Vonnegut was there. It was he who wrote that the smouldering landscape was like walking on the surface of the moon. Even in the immediate aftermath it was controversial. Churchill instantly appeared to regret it. The Nazi government dramatically inflated the death toll to cast themselves as much the victims of monstrous violence as the Jews, Slavs, Poles, Romany and other groups they had murdered on an industrial scale.


In this podcast Dan talks to Sinclair McKay about his new book about Dresden. They met in Coventry. A city also infamous for destruction from above during the Second World War. Today the two cities are twinned, united by the shock of firestorms delivered from above.


Was it a war crime? Was it necessary? Why did it happen? Dan asks Sinclair about one of the Second World War's most controversial moments.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1490)

The Bombing of Guernica

The Bombing of Guernica

The aerial bombardment that rained down on the Spanish city of Guernica in 1937 was one of the most shocking atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Dan and David Brydan - historian of Modern Spain at Ki...

8 Des 202529min

Sitting Bull and the Battle of Little Bighorn

Sitting Bull and the Battle of Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn - also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass - was one of the most dramatic and important clashes in American history. In June 1876, on the rolling plains of Montana...

4 Des 202553min

How to Survive the Age of Sail

How to Survive the Age of Sail

What was life really like aboard the great wooden ships of the Age of Sail? Dan joins After Dark hosts Anthony and Maddy to step aboard these creaking vessels and uncover who served at sea, what drove...

1 Des 202538min

The Assassination of JFK

The Assassination of JFK

Anyone alive at the time remembers the day President John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Texas, on November 22 1963. In this episode, Dan provides a moment-by-moment account of the day that shock...

27 Nov 202527min

John F. Kennedy: Myths vs Reality

John F. Kennedy: Myths vs Reality

John F. Kennedy was a man of charm, power, and contradictions. Behind the public image of the heroic president lay a figure plagued by pain, haunted by his past, and driven by desire.Dan is joined by ...

24 Nov 202543min

The Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada

In 1588, Spain’s mighty armada sailed to invade England and change the balance of power in Europe. Dan explains why Philip II launched the Armada, details the high-stakes clash in the Channel, and out...

20 Nov 20251h 9min

Nuremberg: The Trial of Göring

Nuremberg: The Trial of Göring

Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide.When the Nuremberg Trials began in November 1945, Hermann Göring was the highest-ranking Nazi to face justice for the crimes of the Third Reich. Ch...

17 Nov 202540min

The Black Death

The Black Death

Could the plucked backside of a chicken really cure the plague? If that question has ever crossed your mind, then this episode is for you. Today, we’re diving into the Black Death - where it originate...

13 Nov 202535min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-historiske-romanser
rss-benadet
historier-som-endret-verden
sektledere
med-egne-oyne
aftenposten-historie
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historiepodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-gamle-greier
vare-historier
undersattene
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
taakeprat