The bombing of Dresden

In the final days of the Second World War, the Allies destroyed the so-called "Florence on the Elbe": in a single night 796 bombers flew over Dresden, twenty-five thousand people died, many more were deeply traumatised and a magnificent city was left in ruins. Sinclair McKay gives us the story of that fateful night from the perspective of its inhabitants. He shows us everything from what was playing in the cinemas to the china on the shelves, and tells the many personal stories, never before told, of inhabitants, refugees, workers, children, pilots and prisoners. McKay brings the city to life before and after the tragedy, while exploring the rich cultural context.

Sinclair Mckay

He is a British historian, writer and journalist. He has a long career as an editor at The Daily Telegraph, but his international recognition comes from his bestselling historical books, such as The Secret Lives of Codebreakers (published in the UK as The Secret Life of Bletchley Park) and The Secret Listeners for Aurum. He has also touched on the themes of espionage and adventure in titles such as The Man with the Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered the World, about the spellbinding power of the James Bond films. In his latest book, Dresden 1945. Fire and Darkness, published in 2020, the British writer takes a turn and recovers the memories of the survivors of the horror of the bombing of this city at the end of the Second World War.