DRESDEN

The numbers of dead -- frequently cited in excess of 100,000 -- were greatly exaggerated, for propaganda purposes, by Josef Goebbels (Taylor estimates the actual death toll at between 25,000 and 40,000); Charges that Allied pilots overhead shot down German civilians as they fled toward safety were patently false; Contrary to popular belief, Dresden was a city of considerable military importance, both as a transportation hub and a major producer of armaments and military provisions. First Chapter and book review at the NYT (reg req)