Dresden Death Toll Reduced?

The Allied bombing of Dresden during World War 2, which destroyed 85% of the city, has been the subject of great debate recently, with some people complaining that the action was unnecessary, others stressing that the town was a legitimate military target. Chief among the criticism is the death toll of civilians, which has been claimed to have been as high as 135,000 people. (It’s worth pointing out here that Neo-Nazi groups have used an entirely erroneous figure of 500,000+ in their propaganda). This figure has come under much scrutiny recently, with a four year study by academics in several spheres of history and research claiming a maximum of 25,000 dead. Still a large figure, but smaller than believed. It remains to be seen how this study will be accepted by the historical mainstream.