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| Britain |
| British bid to mend war scars |
| 2004-10-16 |
| BRITAIN has taken an important step towards healing the scars of World War II by publicly acknowledging the horrors of RAF bombing raids carried out on the cities of the Third Reich. The gesture comes shortly before a state visit to Germany by the Queen and marks a new stage in relations between the two countries. The Queen will host a concert in Berlin in November to raise money for the final restoration of Dresden's Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), destroyed in an Allied bombing raid in February 1945. Another raid was recalled in a moving ceremony in a cathedral in the north German city of Brunswick. Britain's ambassador to Berlin, Peter Torrey, paid tribute to the 560 victims of the RAF's raid, exactly 60 years ago, on Brunswick. "It was a bleak and terrifying moment in the modern history of Brunswick," said Sir Peter in the nave of the cathedral. "How can we explain to our children the madness that was unleashed in those days? How can we explain that such a beautiful and historical city as Brunswick became the target of attacks from the air?" Tears ran down the cheeks of survivors of the attack in the congregation. Never before has a representative of the British Government given voice to their suffering. "This is a highly significant moment for our city and for relations between our two countries," said Werner Hempel, the cathedral dean. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Franco-Prussian War of 1870 World War 1 World War 2 Can't blame the first two on Hitler, must be something in the water. Oh, and one more thing. Don't make us come in there again. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-10-16 12:46:44 PM |
| #4 Gurnica, Warsaw, Rotterdam, etc. Those who invented terror bombing directed not at military targets but populations really show chutzpuh expecting an apology from those who they practiced it against. |
| Posted by: Don 2004-10-16 8:10:10 PM |
| #3 Thanks BD, you seem to have covered the waterfront. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-10-16 6:38:12 PM |
| #2 It's an exaggeration to say that the Germans bombed the hell out of Britain. They didn't do that, although not for lack of trying. British raids on Germany killed far more than German raids managed. As 'Bomber' Harris put it: Germany sowed the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. No apologies necessary. The mass bombings stand as punishment for German instigation of the conflict, and a as painful reminder of the consequences of starting such an utterly unjustifiable war of aggression. The bombing would have been stopped sooner, and lives wouldn't have been taken by the hundreds of thousands, had Germany relinquished stolen lands, released enslaved people, stopped butchering Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Slavs, etc. etc., and surrendered earlier. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-10-16 12:53:19 PM |
| #1 BZZZZTTTT Dumb.. Hitler and his people bombed the hell out of the UK during WW2. The crimes Germany commited against the Russians are unexcuesable. The Genocide against Jews and other undermenchen proclude making apologies. We rebuilt Germany and made her part of the modern west. That is enough. Germany can't be allowed to forget it's past. Sorry this is just plain wrong. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-16 7:42:05 AM |