The Destruction of Dresden (New 2026 Edition)

About the book

When the first RAF bombers withdrew from Dresden on 13 February 1945, another force was already on its way. David Irving’s account moves between the aircrews carrying out the attacks and the people sheltering below, then follows the rescue parties into the ruined city. His argument centres on the decisions behind the raids and the responsibility of Churchill, the air commanders and their governments.

Inside the book

Drawing on operational records, correspondence and interviews, the book traces the development of area bombing through Hamburg and Kassel before reconstructing the British and American attacks on Dresden. Later chapters follow relief efforts, prisoner-of-war work parties, the identification of victims, wartime propaganda and the political arguments that followed. Maps, document facsimiles, four appendices, source notes and an index accompany the narrative.

This edition

Newly typeset from the revised 2005 text, this 2026 edition restores an omitted passage and records corrections in a four-page edition note. That note distinguishes Irving’s retained assertions from later research: Dresden’s Historians’ Commission concluded that up to 25,000 people died, far below his estimates. It also addresses the falsified police report, alleged strafing of civilians and his misleading description of Auschwitz. The earlier photographic section is not included.