In the closing months of the war, Bomber Command turned its attention to the rail hub and communications center of Dresden. On the night of 13 February 1945, over 800 RAF heavy bombers—Lancasters and Halifaxes—filled the skies above the city, dropping incendiaries and high explosives that ignited a firestorm. The 8th Air Force followed up with a daylight strike. Briefing documents state the objective was "to burn an enemy industrial area" and to disrupt German troop movements eastward as the Red Army approached. The glow of the fires was visible 150 miles away. The raid remains one of the most controversial of the war, sparking post-war debate over area bombing and civilian casualties that continues to echo through military ethics classrooms today.