On the anniversary of its destruction, the German city of Dresden wants to make another commitment to peace and reconciliation today. The central point of commemoration is a human chain that is supposed to unite thousands of people on both sides of the Elbe in the late afternoon. This year, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, rank among others.
Dresden wants to use the chain to remind one of the victims of the Allied air raids. On the other hand, the citizens of the city defend themselves against right-wing extremists and other revisionists from misusing Dresden’s memory.
Up to 25,000 dead
On February 13, 1945 and the days after, British and American bombers had destroyed the center of the city on the Elbe. Up to 25,000 people died. Initially, 773 British bombers dropped huge amounts of explosive devices. This was followed by around 650,000 incendiary bombs that ignited a firestorm. The inner city was like a desert of ruins. Attacks by the Americans followed on February 14 and 15.
„The dead charred to the point of being unrecognizable lay on the street or in the rubble for days before the mountains of corpses could be burned to prevent epidemics,“ says a documentary from the German Historical Museum.
Instrumentalization by right-wing extremists
The air strikes are regularly used by right-wing extremists to put Germany’s war debt into perspective. The bombings are controversial among international lawyers and historians, including in Great Britain. According to air war researcher Jens Wehner, the air strikes on Dresden cannot be viewed without the context of the course of the war.
“If Dresden was a war crime, then there were many other air strikes in World War II – whether committed by Germans or Allies. No matter how you rate this bombing: Dresden is not good for reinterpreting the war, ”said the researcher.
Today, the Dresden population is invited to visit different places of remembrance. President Steinmeier delivers a speech in the Palace of Culture in the afternoon. The human chain then forms, to which up to 12,000 people have flocked in recent years.
