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Churchill war criminal, says German historian
November 20 2002
By Kate Connolly
Berlin
Winston Churchill was a war criminal who sanctioned the extermination of Germany's civilian population through indiscriminate bombing of towns and cities, an article in the country's biggest-circulation newspaper has claimed.
In an unprecedented attack on Allied conduct during World War II, the tabloid Bild has called for recognition of the suffering inflicted on the German people during the strategic air campaigns of 1940-45.
The newspaper's crusade, prompted by a new German history of the bomber offensive, is the latest manifestation of a belief among Germans that they, too, were victims of the war - albeit a war started by their country.
The newspaper is serialising Der Brand (The Fire: Germany Under Bombardment 1940-45) by the historian Jorg Friedrich, who claims it as the most authoritative account of the bombing campaigns so far.
Mr Friedrich claims the British government set out at the start of World War II to destroy as many German cities and kill as many of their inhabitants as possible.
Civilian deaths were not collateral damage, he says, but rather the object of the exercise.
He argues that Churchill had favoured a strategy of attacking civilian population centres from the air 20 years before Hitler ordered such raids.
Britain's war leader is quoted during First World War as saying: "Perhaps the next time round the way to do it will be to kill women, children and the civilian population."
Der Brand is far removed from the dry style of most German histories and is filled with emotive accounts of the horrors of bombing, but carries few references to the man who brought retribution on Germany, Adolf Hitler.
The debate is certain to anger those in Britain who see the strategic air campaign as a necessary evil.
The serialisation of the book will also furnish the far-right in Germany with arguments to back its revisionist claims.
- Telegraph
Is it just me or are things heating over in Europe at the moment.
Other developments. France and Britain are NOT on speaking terms. Following Blairs snub at Chirac at an EU summit on agriculture Oct 25 2002. Chirac: "I have never been insulted so much before in my life."
Blair responded by sending Chirac a Winston Churchill fountain pen (now, that's two insults in one package, see if you can spot them)
Poland snubs Germany and Sweden and buys Amercan F16 instead of European fighter planes in a multi-billion dallr deal. The Europeans were unable to counter 'offset' deals to various Polish companies in the same package. And this after the Europeans have agreed to pour billions and billions of Euro into the wrecked polish economy.
And now this...
November 20 2002
By Kate Connolly
Berlin
Winston Churchill was a war criminal who sanctioned the extermination of Germany's civilian population through indiscriminate bombing of towns and cities, an article in the country's biggest-circulation newspaper has claimed.
In an unprecedented attack on Allied conduct during World War II, the tabloid Bild has called for recognition of the suffering inflicted on the German people during the strategic air campaigns of 1940-45.
The newspaper's crusade, prompted by a new German history of the bomber offensive, is the latest manifestation of a belief among Germans that they, too, were victims of the war - albeit a war started by their country.
The newspaper is serialising Der Brand (The Fire: Germany Under Bombardment 1940-45) by the historian Jorg Friedrich, who claims it as the most authoritative account of the bombing campaigns so far.
Mr Friedrich claims the British government set out at the start of World War II to destroy as many German cities and kill as many of their inhabitants as possible.
Civilian deaths were not collateral damage, he says, but rather the object of the exercise.
He argues that Churchill had favoured a strategy of attacking civilian population centres from the air 20 years before Hitler ordered such raids.
Britain's war leader is quoted during First World War as saying: "Perhaps the next time round the way to do it will be to kill women, children and the civilian population."
Der Brand is far removed from the dry style of most German histories and is filled with emotive accounts of the horrors of bombing, but carries few references to the man who brought retribution on Germany, Adolf Hitler.
The debate is certain to anger those in Britain who see the strategic air campaign as a necessary evil.
The serialisation of the book will also furnish the far-right in Germany with arguments to back its revisionist claims.
- Telegraph
Is it just me or are things heating over in Europe at the moment.
Other developments. France and Britain are NOT on speaking terms. Following Blairs snub at Chirac at an EU summit on agriculture Oct 25 2002. Chirac: "I have never been insulted so much before in my life."
Blair responded by sending Chirac a Winston Churchill fountain pen (now, that's two insults in one package, see if you can spot them)
Poland snubs Germany and Sweden and buys Amercan F16 instead of European fighter planes in a multi-billion dallr deal. The Europeans were unable to counter 'offset' deals to various Polish companies in the same package. And this after the Europeans have agreed to pour billions and billions of Euro into the wrecked polish economy.
And now this...
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