From: lbs@tkmhp4.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de (Lech Borkowski)
Subject: Re: Neugermanischer Tribalismus, was Re: A-4/V-2 Jahrestag
Reply-To: lbs@tkm.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de
Organization: University of Karlsruhe, Germany
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 00:57:08 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.232831.28050@dscomsf.desy.de> Poser@vxdsyc.desy.de writes:
>In article <1992Oct10.234416.6504@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>, 
>lbs@tkmhp4.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de (Lech Borkowski) writes:
>|>In article <1992Oct9.223656.15049@dscomsf.desy.de> Poser@vxdsyc.desy.de 
>|>writes:
>|>>
>|>> [part of an itemisation which contained a motivation for strategic 
>|>>  bombing operations of the allies in Germany]
>|>
>|> Correction: Luftwaffe attacked civilian targets from the very first
>|>days of the war, in September 1939, during the attack on Poland.
>|>Example: Warsaw and numerous attacks on other cities and refugees
>|>on the roads.
>
>Sometimes I amaze myself by speeding off on wild tangents. My latest posting 
>is one example of same. I won't cancel it, since I contend that my position 
>has some merit. However, lest this degrade into an accusation-vindication 
>match for which I have no eyes at all, let me just note the following:
>
>1) This thread emerged in response to an utterly imbecilic act on behalf
>   of the German Aerospace Industry, namely to commemorate  the inception 
>   of a killing device (for whatever reason, I just surmise native talent
>   or terminal paralysis). Some people took exception to people taking 
>   exception to such an idiocy, citing the example of Air Marshal Harris
>   as yet another questionable incidence of celebration and sought to
>   exculpate the heinous celebration.
> [...]
>Now, I've bent over backwards here to be evenhanded and unequivocal. Please 
>take it to email, if You still have objections. 

>       Till Poser         Internet: poser@vxdsyc.desy.de

 After your explanations I have no further objections to what you wrote.

 Let me make a few general remarks - they are not connected
with your posts but rather with the whole issue of V2 vs. Harris.

 I am trying to understand why in an accomplished society there seems
to be so much sentiment for celebrating V2. Does anyone outside
Germany doubt Germany's scientific and technological achievements? 
The names of those who worked on that project are in the books. So why
to make this extra effort and dance on the graves of the 20000 slaves
who lost their lives in Peenemuende?
 
 I understand Germans questioning the Allies' bombing of civilian
centers. The problem I see is in LINKING these two issues
directly: you made a monument to Harris, so now we will celebrate V2.

 It seems so simple to me (maybe because I am neither British
nor German) to say: don't celebrate V2, you have plenty
of peaceful engineering and scientific achievements to celebrate.
Trying to justify the celebration of V2 by pointing that a monument
to Harris was unveiled earlier in London makes it even worse.
That is the logic of revenge that I called disgusting in my earlier
post. 

 It would make much more sense to me to criticize the bombing
tactics of the Allies WITHOUT linking it with V2. Of course,
you need SOME context within which to criticize the bombing
tactics, but once it came up when discussing the V2 celebration
I would rather take it to a separate thread, where the issues
of V2 and Harris would not collide.

 Lech Borkowski
lbs@neptune.phys.ufl.edu
Xref: sparky soc.culture.german:7225 alt.politics.ec:120