Complexities of conflict

I read with interest The Fight to the End… and Beyond (June), in which Eric Lee asks: “Why would Wehrmacht troops inflict brutalities on so-called comrades?” Proudly hanging on my wall is a war medal given to my grandfather by the British government, so you can imagine my shock when I discovered a family picture with the same grandpa wearing a German uniform.

After long investigation, I discovered that many Wehrmacht soldiers were recruited from former areas of the German empire, which covered swathes of Poland. My grandfather was arrested by Canadians and, being a Pole, was handed over to the Brits who gave him a Polish uniform. This explains his story, but also why there was so much conflict inside German forces by the end of the war. Above all, it also shows how complex wars truly are. Kate Hollis, Bromley