“We saw terrible things: cremated adults shrunk to the size of small children, pieces of arms and legs, dead people, whole families burnt to death, burning people ran to and fro, burnt coaches filled with civilian refugees, dead rescuers and soldiers, many were calling and looking for their children and families, and fire everywhere, everywhere fire, and all the time the hot wind of the firestorm threw people back into the burning houses they were trying to escape from.”
“I cannot forget these terrible details. I can never forget them.”
— Lothar Metzger, survivor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden
And I would bet good old LOTHAR NEVER WANTED TO MAKE WAR ON INNOCENT PEOPLE AGAIN.
Yup.
When utterly defeating an implacable enemy, the only way to do so is to permanently break the will of the populace to resist ever again.
Tokyo. Dresden. Nagasaki. Hiroshima. Berlin down to the last bunker and Nazi.
War sucks. Don’t start one you’re bound to lose. It’s the American way of WINNING.