Letter: `Bomber' postage stamps: a flight into controversy

Sir: I suppose it was inevitable that some people, in this case Eamonn Molloy and Nick Hunt, would find a reason to object to the new stamps illustrating famous aircraft (Letters, 11 June).

The name Dresden is immediately quoted by all those who seem to feel that we have something to apologise for in our pursuance of the air war 1939-45. An all-out war (not started by us) became a war of survival, and having got involved, however reluctantly, there is only one way of fighting a war, and that is to win.

It is worth remembering also that before Dresden there was the bombing of Guernica, Warsaw, Rotterdam, Coventry, London and many other cities. Perhaps the range of stamps should be extended to include others such as the Heinkel 111, Dornier 17 and Junkers 88, then Mr Molloy and Mr Hunt would be able to write to their friends in Dresden with a reminder of something which perhaps they would prefer to forget.

A J ALLAM

Old Coulsdon, Surrey