November 2, 2004
WHERE'S BOMBER HARRIS WHEN YOU NEED HIM?:
German tabloid demands apology from Queen for wartime air raids (Luke Harding, November 2, 2004, The Guardian)
Germany's biggest selling tabloid, Bild, yesterday called on the Queen to apologise for Britain's wartime destruction of German cities, ahead of her state visit to Germany today.In a provocative double-page spread, the newspaper urged the Queen to utter a "few suitable words of regret" during her three-day trip for the thousands of German civilians killed during British air raids.
The tabloid's campaign has attracted no support from Germany's centre-left government but comes at a tricky moment in Anglo-German relations - and when the idea that Germans were also victims of the second world war is for the first time being more broadly debated.
Word of the Day (Wordsmith, 11/02/04)
zabernism (ZAB-uhr-niz-uhm) nounPosted by Orrin Judd at November 2, 2004 7:02 AMThe misuse of military power; aggression; bullying.
[After Zabern, German name for Saverne, a village in Alsace, France.
In 1912, in this village, a German military officer killed a lame
cobbler who smiled at him.]
The Queen in fact ought to apologize that German cities weren't decimated earlier, bringing the war to a quicker end.
Of course there were good reasons why that wasn't done---couldn't have been done. Still, I'm sure the Germans would appreciate the effort. It's the thought that counts, after all.
(On the other hand who, these days, cares about good reasons, context, or truth?....)
Posted by: Barry Meislin at November 2, 2004 7:17 AMDear Tabloid Bild,
You're lucky we didn't zabernize your cities with nucular bombs. (Notice nucular).
Mrs. Queen
Posted by: AllenS at November 2, 2004 7:24 AMBomber Harris? Wasn't he the guy who wrestled himself in one of the Monty Python films? (If I remeber correctly, it was MONTY PYTHON AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.)
Posted by: John Barrett Jr. at November 2, 2004 7:39 AMA lot of people think Germany's troubled history comes from an ingrained militarism, but there is a good case to be made that the greater problem is its national tendency to feel beleagured and sorry for itself.
Posted by: Peter B at November 2, 2004 8:34 AMIf the Germans truly thought themselves victims (of the Nazis), someone would have killed Hitler around 1938. But in fact, they did think themselves victims (after the Great War), so they venerated Hitler, the deliverer, until it was too late.
Perhaps the Queen should ask to visit Bergen-Belsen on her trip. That would shut them up.
Posted by: jim hamlen at November 2, 2004 8:39 AMThe air battle of Germany was to attrit German air power, for. in modern war, when your out of airplanes, you're out of beer. It doensn't matte how much better your Panthers are compared to Shermans or how much better your Tigers are than anything. When the skies clear and the Jabos come out, it's all over.
The real war crime is being too weak to win. The Germans commit the war crime a lot.
Posted by: Lou Gots at November 2, 2004 8:41 AMPeter:
And, unfortunately, WWI and WWII brought a reaction against militarism but the universalization of self-pity.
Posted by: oj at November 2, 2004 8:47 AMAs an aside, during WWI, the Germans allowed Alsatians to fight only on the Eastern Front against Tsarist Russia because they were afraid that Alsatian soldiers would defect en masse to the French.
Saverne is quite a lovely city with nice bridges and delightful cafes, and a famous palace. It's a pleasant spring day trip from Strasbourg.
Posted by: Bart at November 2, 2004 10:33 AMLou:
Good point, but it is only pertinent to the USAAF's daylight bombing campaign.
The RAF bombed at night.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at November 2, 2004 11:17 AM