Source Analysis

Source Analysis:

Apocalypse 1945 The Destruction of Dresden: David Irving

The original edition of this book was written in 1963 by David Irving with the most recent

version being published in 1999. It details in a sensationalistic manner the RAF raid on Dresden

on 13^th February, 1945. The purpose of the book is to recount the horrors of the bombing of Dresden

and to place the Allied war effort into a light of disrepute. The strengths of Irving's book is that he

did conduct interviews with now dead members of the RAF command and He had exclusive access to East German archives in the middle of the Cold War.. It's weakness lie in the books lack of objectivity. Irving's book is incredibly biased towards Nazi Germany and against the Allies. Irving's sources are also questionable as they often are derived from, forged documents or lying communist officials.

However it is useful in showing the motives of Irving as a Holocaust denier as he openly

describes Dresden as, “the worst single massacre in European history.” Irving's book is also useful

for showing the change in emphasis in history during the 60's to more post-modernist approach that

valued human opinion over empirical fact.

Irving's book doesn't ignore the other side of the debate simply because in 1963 it didn't exist. So it is seen as the starter of the debate and was for a long time the main source for condemning the bombing of Dresden and the bombing campaign as a whole.

Firestorm: The bombing of Dresden, 1945: edited - Paul D. Addison and Jeremy A. Crang

Firestorm book featuring a collection of historical articles by various historians and edited by Paul D. Addison and Jeremy A. Crang written to “review the origins, conduct and consequences of the raids.” It was published in 2006 to offer readers a broad view of opinions from authorities on the bombing of Dresden.

The book allows Historians from other fields to examine the raids and each article deals with a different aspect of the raid including its consequences and the debate over it. It is great for giving a rough idea of what occurred of the raid and more importantly, the raid. Objectivity is a strong part of this source as it allows the reader to make an informed decision by offering so many different perspectives to the argument. The source is limited however as the ideas mentioned in the various articles can only be explained in a sparse amount of detail requiring other sources to compliment it.

With a chapter titled, “The Post-War Debate” it gives the perfect summary of of the Dresden debate and an excellent starting point for research. It contrasts to the first source (Destruction of Dresden) as it is written using many different perspectives rather than just a single one. Firestorm also contains articles from noted historians not specialising in Second World War History, notable Hew Strachan who is a World War 1 historian.

Dresden: Tuesday 13 February 1945: Frederick Taylor

Ferderick Taylor's book, published in 2003, is now considered the leading academic writing on the raids. The main strength of this source is Taylor's extensive research into German archives in post-Cold War Europe. Not only this but it has three specifically set aside Appendices to answer controversial issues raised in Irving's book. The book is not perfect however as Taylor does not consider those arguing against him of having a valid point, readily reminding readers that Irving was a university drop-out and mocking McKee's casualty estimates.

Taylor's book has been highly valuable in contrasting Irving's (source 1) ideas and theories, allowing the question to be based around the two. The use of the three Appendices is highly useful as the information is already organised into a form benefiting the essay. The source is incredibly reliable as it is based on well researched evidence shown by the extensive list of references. Taylor also, unlike Irving, considers the work of other historians and uses them to compliment his own (an example being (Jorg Bergander).