Leave the wording of the panel at Canada's War Museum concerning the Dresden bombing as is.

To:  Canadian War Mueseum

Leave the wording of the panel at Canada's War Museum concerning the Dresden bombing as is.

Recently, as reported in the news, the Canadian War Museum has come under pressure to reword one of the 60-word panels on display about the allied bombings. The panel currently reads:

"The value and morality of the strategic bomber offensive against Germany remains bitterly contested. Bomber Command's aim was to crush civilian morale and force Germany to surrender by destroying its cities and industrial installations. Although Bomber Command and American attacks left 600,000 Germans dead and more than five million homeless, the raids resulted in only small reductions in German war production until late in the war."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/08/28/war-panel.html

Germans and second/third generation Germans are the third largest ethnic group in Canada. Many are sensitive to issues regarding the first and second world war, largely to the unrecognized suffering of the German people as a result of war activities. By removing the preceding facts from a panel at the Canadian War Museum, Canada is acting to ignore the suffering of the German people at the hands of the allies and that war has two sides.

Dresden was a beautiful city and cultural center with little military interest. Near the close of the war when Dresden came under aerial attack, it housed up to 200,000 refugees from the mass expulsions and exterminations (another fact many North Americans are unaware of) occurring in the Eastern German (Prussian) territories. In fact, even Winston Churchill (who approved the raids) called the bombing of Dresden mere wanton destruction and questioned its morality:

"It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing of German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed. Otherwise we shall come into control of an utterly ruined land… The destruction of Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of Allied bombing. I am of the opinion that military objectives must henceforward be more strictly studied in our own interests than that of the enemy.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken to me on this subject, and I feel the need for more precise concentration upon military objectives such as oil and communications behind the immediate battle-zone, rather than on mere acts of terror and wanton destruction, however impressive."

Source:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Dresden%2CChurchillletter.jpg

By signing this petition, you are in the opinion that factual information regarding the results of the allied bombings had on Germans should be left intact, and Canada shouldn't have to justify that thousands of innocent people were killed at the hands of the allies, just respect and accept it. If Winston Churchill can admit it, why can't Canadians?

For more information:

The bombing of Dresden, consult this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_bombing

Forced expulsions and mass extermination and migrations during and after the war of German nationals in former German territory here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_expulsions

Benes Decrees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene%C5%A1_decrees

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Leave the wording of the panel at Canada's War Museum concerning the Dresden bombing as is. Petition to Canadian War Mueseum was created by and written by Karl vom Dorff (karl@karlvd.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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