Parallels Between Today’s War and WWII

Anne Burley (letter, April 1) risks overstating her case when she says London’s “entire East End disappeared” because of German bombing in World War II. I lived in the East End until recently, and my house had been built in 1826. Huge damage was inflicted by the Luftwaffe, but only a fraction of the housing stock was destroyed. However, there are interesting parallels between that war and this. Churchill’s contingency plans for a German invasion involved the use of chemical weapons (mustard gas) and for units of the British army to adopt civilian clothes to undertake resistance activities against an invading and occupying Nazi army.

Another interesting parallel is reflected in Hermann Goering’s speech at his Nuremberg trial: “Naturally, the common people don’t want war, but it is the leaders of a country that determine the policy, and it is a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”

Peter Andrew

London