Moralists fail to hit the target

I cried when I read John Nichol’s account last week of how Ron Needle, a rear gunner on a Lancaster in the Second World War, got to his feet from his wheelchair in front of a group of schoolchildren viewing one of the bombers at the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London. And I cried more so when those fiveand six-year-olds said ‘Thank you’ to him. I even have tears rolling down my cheeks writing this.

Your piece accompanying that article, in which Lancaster wireless operator Reg Payne was quoted, hit the nail on the head when it comes to the service these men gave. He said: ‘Armchair moralists who blame the young men of Bomber Command for carrying out the decisions of our political masters have no idea of the burden we have carried down the years to give them the freedom to blame us. Only those who have faced violent death can understand.’

I was saddened to learn in John Nichol’s article of Ron’s passing. Tonight I’ll raise a glass to Ron and to all those who served. Ray Saperia, Wakefield

With hindsight, it is easy to say that the indiscriminate bombing of Germany during the Second World War was wrong. But I don’t attach any blame to the young men who were putting their lives at risk by carrying out the decisions of their public masters.

The airmen did a brave and dangerous job, and must be absolved from any criticism

rightly directed at Bomber Command chief Arthur Harris and others. Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby

Why do people continually criticise Bomber Command with the benefit of hindsight, and say that they committed war crimes by killing thousands of innocent people? Do they also criticise the

American bomber crews who joined in the raids when America finally came into the war? Do they criticise members of the Luftwaffe, who also killed thousands of innocent people? If so, I’ve not heard them do so.

Britain was alone, and these men were our only form of fighting back. Owen Welch, Stevenage