Dresden marks 80th anniversary of World War II Allied bombing

Dresden commemorated the victims of World War II and the destruction of the city eight decades ago with several events on Thursday.

Transcript

00:00The German city of Dresden marked the 80th anniversary of the Allied bombing in World

00:06War II with various commemorative events.

00:09On the 13th of February, 1945, Allied forces conducted a three-day aerial raid of the city,

00:15which destroyed large parts of it.

00:17Firestorms also swept through the city center, adding to the misery.

00:22As many as 25,000 people were killed in the bombing campaign, and the pain is still felt

00:26to this day.

00:27My grandmother was 10 years old at the time, and she carried her little sister in a stroller

00:34through this firestorm.

00:35She told me so much about that time.

00:43The annual event carries significant importance to not only Dresdeners, but also Germans from

00:48other cities.

00:50We are from Berlin, but we come here every year, and it is very good that so many people

01:01are here.

01:02And we must not forget what happened here.

01:08Prince Edward of the British royal family attended the event in representation of the

01:12king.

01:13He participated in the events and spoke of the grief still felt at the terrible destruction

01:18and loss of life.

01:20He also visited the Dresden Frauenkirche during his stay, an iconic church in the city, which

01:25was completely destroyed during the bombing.

01:29The church, which was rebuilt and opened in 2005, remained in ruins for decades, and served

01:34as a reminder of the Allies' aggression.