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Article: Dresden extends its olive branch to royalty
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 11, 1996
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The last time British royalty came to Dresden - in 1992 -
things did not go well. Angry locals pelted the Queen with eggs.
This time, the city fathers hope it will be friendlier. When the
Duke of Kent attends a series of ceremonies in Dresden on Monday,
the desire for reconciliation will be explicit, on both sides.
Monday marks the fiftieth anniversary of the nightmare of
Dresden, on 13 February 1945. At least 35,000 died in a single
night, after RAF Lancasters dropped thousands of tonnes of
high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the city.
A firestorm devoured the "Florence on the Elbe". Within a few
hours, the city was reduced to ruins and rubble. Thirty times as
many died in a single night ...