Dude - we bombed Dresden in February of 1945. The war lasted a scant two more months. The will of the German people was completely broken at that time. The German army was completely broken. Everyone knew the war was over and Germany had lost.
It lasted a scant two more months precisely because we did bomb Dresden.
We punctuated what was happening to the NAzis and German people with Dresden. Just like with the Imperialists we punctuated what was happening with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Japan, we avoided a very costly invasion by so doing. I believe we avoided equal hardships amongst the German people and their leadership by doing the same type of thing with Dresden.
Horrible thing, horrific thing...but as I said, it was the end points made regarding any will or desire on their part to have any fight or last stands.
And Dresden, dude, was like, totally the place through which to route troops to try to hold back the Soviets for a second shot.
Dude - we bombed Dresden in February of 1945. The war lasted a scant two more months. The will of the German people was completely broken at that time. The German army was completely broken. Everyone knew the war was over and Germany had lost.
Hardly, the German army was barely over failing to relieve Budapest (Operations Konrad I-III) and managed to witdraw from that in fair order.
Either success in that operation, or a successfull repulse of the Soviet offensive at Seelowe Heights, could very well have knocked the Soviets out of the war, they were on their last legs themselves with regard to manpower. At the very least they would have created the possibility of the Germans running the war into late 45 or 46, a possibility that in retrospect we can belittle, but at the time, when you're in the fog of a conflict in which the opponent appears to be able to pull technological and logistical hat tricks out left and right, you're not going to take ANY chances with...