Dresden was severely damaged and almost destroyed by American and British bombing raids in 1945. Dresden was a major communications hub and manufacturing centre with 127 factories and major workshops. The German military designated it asa  defensive strongpoint, in order to slow down the Soviet Red Army. The bombing of Dresden remains controversial part of Allied history. Between February 13-15, 773 Royal Air Force Lancasters dropped 1181 tons of incendiary bombs and almost 1500 tons of high explosive bombs. They targeted rail yards at the centre of the city. The high explosive bombs damaged buildings and exposed their wooden skeletons. The incendiary bombs ignited the wood. The Nazi's reported 200 000 dead. German historians in 2010 estimated the dead to be between 18 000 to 25 000.  One man, a major Nazi museum director and art dealer, used the bombings to cover up and hide a large collection of artwork that had been stolen by the Nazis. It was estimated to be worth over a b...