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.
Remember that at the time there was a lot of concern that the Nazis would establish the National Redoubt in the mountains of Bavaria and fight a protracted guerilla war that could have gone on for years.
The Nazis were begging for a Dresden and got exactly what they deserved.
If all the ~1500 V-2s launched into England had reached their targets accurately, they would have killed more than a quarter million British civilians.
The Nazis deserved 10 Dresdens.