Genstabler wrote:
It's a pity the commentators who attack Welby don't read for themselves what he actually said. He did not apologise and he did mention what the Luftwaffe did to London and Coventry. This is a typical distorted DM headline that just stirs up trouble, which is what journalism seems to be about these days. Read what Welby really said, which was balanced and reasonable.
Indeed. I heard his speech on TV and it was carefully phrased. But the distorted nonsense of the Daily Mail completely missed the point.
There is no doubt that the overkill of the 3-day firestorm was intended to be a deterrent to Stalin, as much as anything else - the RAF memo issued to crews even stated as such.