February 13, 2008

We will never forget Dresden!

"You guys burnt the place down, turned it into a single column of flame. More people died there in the firestorm, in that one big flame, than died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined." --Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

On the evening of February 13, 1945, an orgy of genocide and barbarism began against a defenseless German city, one of the greatest cultural centers of northern Europe. Within less than 14 hours not only was it reduced to flaming ruins, but an estimated one-third of its inhabitants, possibly as many as a half a million, had perished in what was the worst single event massacre of all time.

Although this is clearly biased in that it is a Russian film and they make it a point to absolve Russia of some responsibility by showing what they have done to restore Dresden, there was no better documentary from any western country. In fact in Germany such films are opposed, sometimes through financial extortion, or even imprisonment.
pt 1

pt 2

pt 3

rememberance

bomber über dresden,
sie kamen in der nacht.
bomber über dresden,
den tod im bombenschacht.
bomber über dresden,
sie brachten euch den tod.
bomber über dresden,
sie brachten euch elend und not.

brennende häuser und schreiende kinder
doch bomber über dresden und sie kamen immer wieder.

bomber über dresden,
sie brachten euch den tod.
bomber über dresden,
sie brachten euch elend und not.
bomber über dresden,
sie kamen in der nacht.
bomber über dresden,
den tod im bombenschacht.

English:
bombers over Dresden,
it came in the night
bomber over Dresden,
death in the bomb pit
bomber over Dresden,
it brought you death
bomber over Dresden,
it brought you misery and emergency.

burning houses and crying children
bombers over Dresden and they came back nevertheless.

bombers over Dresden,
it brought you death
bomber over Dresden,
it brought you misery and emergency
bomber over Dresden, they came in the night
bomber over Dresden, death in the bomb pit

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