Dresden casualties and an Atom bomb target?

[Jens]

Originally Posted by Laurent Rizzotti

By the way, most raids in 1945 in Eastern Germany had seen for long the numbers of dead artificially inflated by Soviet or communists, that counted with the raid casualties people that died in the ground battle when Red Army invaded the area. For example, Postdam in April 1945 where the raid casualty figure was reduced from 5000 to 1500. Another example is the USAAF raid on Berlin in early February 1945, often cited as having done 25000 dead and that probably did only 10% of this number.

Sorry but this seems not to be true. The number of the Berlin raid was inflated by the Nazis by the factor 10.
The same is about Dresden. The original police report (after the raids in February) gives a number of "only" 25.000 dead people. Later someone (most probably from Goebbels) add a 0. The official number in the GDR was 35.000 dead people.
So what is the origin of these numbers? Around 25.000 bodies and parts of bodies were found in Dresden after the raids. These were buried at different sites in Dresden and counted. After the war there existed a myth about the high temperatures in the town made people burning so complete with no traces. So the GDR added around 10.000 dead people couldnt be buried. This figure was also quite common in the west. But this is not right, so the real is 25.000+ but not over 30.000.
(Source of this: I know some people who are member in a comission of historians in Dresden, who have the order to research the dead figure. BTW i live in DD since 28 years This is a link to the "Kommission" http://www.dresden.de/ger/02/10/05/c...98c1f90c746a95)

What about the higher figures?
250.000 comes from Propaganda Ministerium (adding a 0)
over 200.000 comes from a german army Major, he was "Adjudant" of the Commanding general in Dresden. He tells his story (and the dead figure) in the 1970s, but all his statings are wrong, including the locations and weapons of the german defense sites in Dresden (was his task in 1945)!
"The final report of the Höhere SS and Polizeiführer dated 22 March 1945", is an falsification of David Irving (is proved by a court). Indeed the report counted 20.204 dead. (Source: http://www.holocaustdenialontrial.or...ns005.asp#5.2d)

For all who interested german wikipedia article about Dresden 1945 is recommened.

[Jens]

One adding about "hundred thousands" refugees. It is true that many refugees came to Dresden, but nearly the same number leaved Dresden at the same day. This has been proved by many witnesses ( i habe even one in my familie leaving Dresden and already seeing the first RAF markings!), trains were coming in and going out the whole time. So in Dresden there were "only" some thousand refugees waiting on their train to the west.