Tuesday 26 November 2002

Was Churcill a War Criminal?

An interesting argument, I think most of it surrounds the bombing conducted under the orders of "Bomber" Harris who was shunned after the war. I suppose it's a personal view, and it very much depends on which version of history you read. There awas a lot more to WWII that a simple fight against fascism because the same forces who were behind funding our war effort, also financed Hitlers war machine all be it through different subsidiaries and stuff.

Most people old enough to remember the German blitz on London and the V1s and V2s that followed will dismiss as absurd the charge of German historian, Jorg Friedrich, that Winston Churchill was a war criminal.

"Give it back to 'em, Winny!" they called in East London when the Prime Minister did the rounds of destruction. Later on, with the help of Bomber Command, he did just that.

Yet as one who as a soldier saw the consequences for German cities of our remorseless saturation bombing, I do not think we can wave aside Friedrich's request to look our past in the face.

Ever since the day I entered the city of Bremen with leading elements of General Horrocks's 30 Corps, very close to the end of the war, and saw the consequences of our fire-bombing, my mind has been torn by what we did there.

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