The Symbolism Of Dresden In Paul Addison's 'Firestorm'

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Director of the Centre for Second World War Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Paul Addison, in his nonfiction novel Firestorm (2017) demonstrates how Dresden is now seen as a symbol for the military and behavioral choices involved in the waging of total warfare. He supports his claim by first contributing different essays from different authors in order to give a variety of perspectives, then by focusing on specific aspects of the bombing: addressing the aircraft advancements made on both allied and axis fields, giving “graphic and horrifying detail about the suffering of the victims of the raids” (De Bruhl 215), painting the history and culture of Dresden before the bombing, and finally looking into the individual lives of a few german

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