Robert C. Tugwell
Belton, S.C.

Certainly, Stalin's record stains the Allies. Yet when one considers the entire war, including the war in Asia, it remains clear that in an overall sense the Allies did represent "good" and the Axis certainly stood for "evil." American veterans can justifiably take pride in having fought for a just cause. In addition, when one again considers the entire war, the contribution of the United States to the defeat of the Axis looms very large. The liberation of the Asian continent from the brutal Japanese occupation improved the lives of far more people than any contribution made by other nations in the war.

For myself, I have always felt that the question posed by Davies in the title of his article can be answered by recognizing that the British Empire defeated Italy, the Soviet Union defeated Germany, and the United States defeated Japan. While the Allied effort certainly failed to banish evil from the world, the efforts of the American people are an accomplishment that future generations will admire and appreciate.

Paul Buxbaum
Charlottesville, Va.

A Familiar Face

I have been enjoying World War II magazine for several years, but the October issue was a very big surprise when I looked at page 23 at the workers coming out of the Kaiser shipyard in Richmond and saw my grandfather, Joseph Leo Riley. I was six years old then, and I remember him talking about working in the shipyard. He passed away in 1966. I am sure he would have enjoyed seeing the picture—I know I did. Thank you very much.

Larry Riley
Enid, Okla.

The Good German

Your report on Stalag Luft III ("Portfolio," October 2007) reminded me of the following story: I went through my internship at the Tacoma General Hospital, together with several other interns from various countries. Fritz H., from Germany, was an extremely jovial person who openly discussed his past.

One time when the interns were at lunch with the residents in anesthesia, Fritz told us about how he had been drafted in 1945, at the age of seventeen, into a German antiaircraft gun emplacement, just outside Berlin. When we asked whom they were shooting at, he replied, "During the day, mostly American B-17s."

One resident across the table asked him, "Do you remember which month in 1945?" The answer was, "Yes, February through April, and by then a Russian grenade hit our gun emplacement circled by sandbags. I was blown out of the circle and was unharmed but quite deaf."

The resident turned pale and said, "My God, I flew a B-17 over Berlin during that period and you were shooting at me!"

Deep silence followed, and everybody held his breath. Only the noises of the surrounding tables could be heard. After some minutes, Fritz said, "Thank God I did not hit you. I was just following orders and I did not belong to the Hitler-Jugend. My dad was a music professor and kept me out of it."

The resident stood up and reached his hand over the table, saying, "Fritz, those were bad times. We both are alive and I hope we can work together." Fritz grabbed the outstretched hand with both of his, and with tears in his eyes, said, "Yes, I want to be friends." Again several minutes of utter silence surrounded our table and we interns were speechless.

This unforgettable scene stayed with me for the rest of my life. Fritz was a real nice person, very well liked, who wanted to stay here but returned to Germany to get married. He brought his wife to Tacoma, but she insisted they go back, as she was unable to get used to this country.

J. K. Stutterheim
Lakebay, Wash.

Generosity, Grace in Iwo Jima Letter Exchange

It was refreshing to read the exchange of letters between Eileen Judd and Bert Rutan (Mail, November 2007) regarding the identity of a GI in a famous photograph of Iwo Jima. In an age when ego and possessiveness often rule, this sets the standard on how we should resolve such questions: with grace, honesty, humility, and generosity.

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