Putin criticizes Allies for Dresden bombing
In January 1945 the British air ministry drew up a plan THUNDERCLAP for attacks on Berlin and population centres in eastern Germany. This was to take advantage of the recently launched Soviet offensive westwards from the Vistula and add to the growing chaos in Germany by disrupting the flow of refugees fleeing in the face of the Soviet attack. At the same time, the western Allies wished to demonstrate to the Soviets at the forthcoming Yalta conference that they were giving them the support of their heavy bombers, and, indeed,
at Yalta the Soviets specifically requested help in this form.
From: The Oxford Companion to World War II via
www.valourandhorror.com
On the other hand, a
recent article from Germany claims that the various late WWII fire bombings in both eastern Germany and Japan were done for geopolitical rather than military purposes.
And is revisionist nonsense, of course. We have all the staff consulations over it. Russians and allies were in full agreement on the subject, nobody was sending any messages to anybody but the Germans. The message to the Germans was die already, or give the freak up.