The atrocious bombing of Dresden, GermanyOn 13 and 14 February 1945 the British Royal Air Force gave final authorization to begin what would later become known as one of the most Great atrocities never seen before have been committed against a civilian population. That night the RAF launched 796 bombers and 9 Mosquitos carrying 1,478 tonnes of explosives as well as 1,182 tonnes of incendiary bombs (Dear311) which turned the city of Dresden, Germany, into a virtual hell. This attack included another US Air Force strike the following morning. The attack on Dresden was never a legitimate act of war, and its result was the mass murder of over 135,000 people. The bombing of civilian targets in enemy territory became an open question on 30 March 1942, when the Prime Minister's scientific advisor, Professor FALindemann (who was later recognized as Lord Cherwell) gave Winston Churchill a report which contained a strong argument to favor of hitting civilian targets. Cherwell's report contained the final rationalization of the program that Bomber Command was undertaking, and would henceforth be carved out of the bomber offensive plans. (Hastings). In his report, Lindemann estimated that forty tons of explosives, detonated in densely populated areas, would destroy the homes of 4,000 to 8,000 people. The report further stated that fifty-eight of Germany's major cities had a population of 22 million people. Lindemann argued that the refugee nation could be the result of strategic airstrikes. There is a widespread belief among scholars that the information contained in this report formed the basis for the attack on Dresden. Lindemann's figures were correct, but his thinking was immoral and inhumane. The people to whom his statistics so objectively referred were innocent civilians, more than half of them women and children. The attack against them was nothing less than outright murder. Any benefits gained by destroying these civilians. lives, families and homes were multiplied tenfold by the moral reprehensibility of such a clearly criminal act. The city of Dresden was a historic center of Europe and was known worldwide for its beautiful architecture. It was the capital of Saxony and located along the banks of the Elbe River. Dresden had very little industrial activity, and was targeted only once before a small raid by the US Air Force in October 1944. It was a city also known for its production of fine china and its glorious museums (Dear 311).