Target in Sight...

February 14, 1945 was not a day filled with romantic love. British pilots and US pilots were firebombing Dresden during World War II. The goal of the firebombing was to eliminate a military and industrial target, create confusion and help the Soviets who were fighting on the Eastern front.

The attack on Prague was a different story. Prague was not a target and the casualties were all civilians and not a single factory was destroyed. This accident occurred because of radar failure. From the air, Prague and Dresden appear similar and are only 120km apart. This mistake became known as "Ugly Wednesday."

Other than this accidental attack, Prague was mostly untouched during the war. It was under Nazi occupation but was a friendly city to the Allies. Today, Prague appears to have suffered very little damage. In comparison, Warsaw was almost completely destroyed and replaced with Soviet era buildings. Standing in the "old city" of Warsaw, the damage might not be visible but it is felt.