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Winston Churchill, with advisor Lindemann, initiated unrestricted bombing of Germany, targeting working-class civilian areas, beginning with Freiburg on 08/10/1940. The aim was to break German morale. By 1945, 61 German cities, housing 25 million people, were devastated. The US bombed industrial plants by day, while the British targeted civilians at night, aiming to destroy homes and kill women, children, and the elderly.
Bomber Harris focused on Berlin, seeking its total devastation. High explosives and incendiary bombs created firestorms, burning tens of thousands alive. Dresden was turned into an inferno with temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius. People were burned alive, and some were sucked into the fire. Survivors described seeing women and babies mutilated.
After bombings, Allied planes strafed refugees and rescuers. Dresden, a city with no military significance, was largely destroyed, resulting in estimates of 35,000 to 500,000 deaths. Some RAF pilots recognized the bombings as "terror bombing." One witness described seeing women and children alight and flying through the air. The terror bombings resulted in approximately three million German deaths, including 500,000 children, up to ten million wounded, and 25 million homeless.