Yes the Nazis were totally the victims here. It wasn't them who started the Blitz in the UK, or who bombed civilian populations in Warsaw and Rotterdam to hasten surrender in their "lightning war".
During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, German forces systematically destroyed a significant portion of Warsaw's cultural and historical heritage. The destruction was part of a planned effort to erase Polish culture and history. Some buildings included the Palace of the Four Winds, The Brühl Palace, Sigismund's column a monument dedicated to one of the Vasa kings (same dynasty as Gustavus Adolphus), and Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary which had stood since the early 1400s.
When the allies were closing in, it was Hitler who ordered that if Paris could not be held by German forces, it should be destroyed and reduced to a "field of ruins". It was his general who refused the order. The Nazis also destroyed the statue of Alexander Dumas during the occupation of Paris since it honored a man of mixed race.
In Austria, the Nazis set fire to several old monuments and buildings, a good example being the Schloss Immendorf castle, which was burned by the retreating Germans in 1945.
Yes the allies carpet bombed Germany in the final stages of the war, but don't delude yourself into thinking that Hitler was some sort of champion of European history. If he couldn't control something, he would order it destroyed.
You say that "the damage done by allied airforces was disgusting and mostly unnecessary." Disgusting. Ok, it's war. It's all disgusting I guess. But unnecessary? On what basis?
There is an interesting reddit discussion on this very topic. To sum it up, studies have been done on German POWs about the psychological impact of the allied bombing campaign. The bombings made little to no difference on their combat performance or morale. So it was unnecessary if that was the goal of the allies. However, it did play a critical role in ending the war. What hastened the allies victory was that the Germans were forced to divert resources to protect their home skies rather than to the front lines. Also, their production and logistic capabilities were crippled once the allied bombing campaign began.
Yes the Nazis were totally the victims here. It wasn't them who started the Blitz in the UK, or who bombed civilian populations in Warsaw and Rotterdam to hasten surrender in their "lightning war".
During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, German forces systematically destroyed a significant portion of Warsaw's cultural and historical heritage. The destruction was part of a planned effort to erase Polish culture and history. Some buildings included the Palace of the Four Winds, The Brühl Palace, Sigismund's column a monument dedicated to one of the Vasa kings (same dynasty as Gustavus Adolphus), and Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary which had stood since the early 1400s.
When the allies were closing in, it was Hitler who ordered that if Paris could not be held by German forces, it should be destroyed and reduced to a "field of ruins". It was his general who refused the order. The Nazis also destroyed the statue of Alexander Dumas during the occupation of Paris since it honored a man of mixed race.
In Austria, the Nazis set fire to several old monuments and buildings, a good example being the Schloss Immendorf castle, which was burned by the retreating Germans in 1945.
Yes the allies carpet bombed Germany in the final stages of the war, but don't delude yourself into thinking that Hitler was some sort of champion of European history. If he couldn't control something, he would order it destroyed.
You say that "the damage done by allied airforces was disgusting and mostly unnecessary." Disgusting. Ok, it's war. It's all disgusting I guess. But unnecessary? On what basis?
There is an interesting reddit discussion on this very topic. To sum it up, studies have been done on German POWs about the psychological impact of the allied bombing campaign. The bombings made little to no difference on their combat performance or morale. So it was unnecessary if that was the goal of the allies. However, it did play a critical role in ending the war. What hastened the allies victory was that the Germans were forced to divert resources to protect their home skies rather than to the front lines. Also, their production and logistic capabilities were crippled once the allied bombing campaign began.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/y8uiuxnj16crj2kqy61ee/GermanIndustrialOutputGrowth.JPG?rlkey=2wtza7dy1wmjy0q6oefze90dp&e=1&dl=0
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/1mng7dq/did_strategic_bombing_of_germany_in_wwii_reduce/