For the last 45 years, I've worked with people from all the countries that were at war in 1939-45. We've spent a huge amount of effort to cast aside the differences that made that war more likely, and - at least at a parochial level - we have succeeded. Among my first jobs was working for NAAFI in Germany in the early 1970s. At the time, German citizens would still apologise to other NATO nationalities, in otherwise quite normal social interactions, for what 'they' inflicted on us during WW2. I couldn't accept that then, and I'm certainly not going to accept it now. As in the Cold War, we fought a regime and its ideology, not a nation. I will not subscribe to a celebration of the events of 1939-45 that crows about the defeat of that nation (or 'Victory Over Europe' as it was termed in some advertising). The few remaining veterans of that war that I know have no interest in celebrating any military victory, simply a peace that - very fortunately - was won by an alliance that essentially had freedom as its watchword. And, despite the suspicions of some here, still does. Imperfectly, perhaps.I want to be able to look my German friends in the eye today and be able to celebrate with them that peace and freedom, not some football-fan-stylee 'two world wars and one world cup' event that seems to be so much of the driver today.
