DRESDEN. Members of the Norwegian branch of the Resistance Movement remembered the victims of the Dresden terror bombing on the anniversary of the atrocity.
On the anniversary of the terror bombing of Dresden, the Nordic Resistance Movement conducted activism to draw attention to the genocide that occurred in 1945.
Activists put up posters with the messages: “We must never forget the firestorm in Dresden” and “We must never forget the real holocaust”.
Below are some selected quotes from survivors describing the terror, followed by some photos from the actions conducted in Norway.
Young women carrying babies ran up and down the streets, their dresses and hair on fire, screaming until they fell down, or the collapsing buildings fell on top of them.
– German survivor
As the incendiaries fell, the phosphorus clung to the bodies of those below, turning them into human torches. The screaming of those who were being burned alive was added to the cries of those not yet hit. There was no need for flares to lead the second wave of bombers to their target, as the whole city had become a gigantic torch. Dresden had no defences, no anti-aircraft guns, no searchlights, nothing.
– Victor Gregg (British prisoner of war, survivor and author of the book Dresden: A Survivor’s Story).
Previous terror bombings of German cities had produced firestorms, but more as a side effect. However, the attack on Dresden was carefully planned with the specific intent of creating a firestorm. The first attack was to be followed by a far stronger one, three hours later. The Allies hoped this would “lure in” not only Dresden’s fire service, but also surrounding fire brigades and rescue workers – who would then be obliterated. It was assumed the first wave of attacks would knock out all forms of communications, which meant the air raid sirens of the German Air Force would be unable to warn the city’s inhabitants of the subsequent attacks.
– The Firestorm in Dresden (Norwegian article)
