I DO not know the source of Marshall Zhukov describing the Battle of Britain as the most important of the whole Second World War (Letters, February 11), but his point is clear. If Britain had fallen then, Hitler would have triumphed. Britain's decision to fight on against Hitler after Dunkirk affected all that followed and saved the world. Britain stood alone against Hitler for more than a year and that created time for other events to take place. Hitler failed to invade Britain in 1940 and, despite having a pact with Stalin, invaded Russia in June, 1941. Then in December, 1941, America was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor. These tilted the war against the Axis, and were unexpected when they happened.
I would say the turning points in the conflict were Alamein, Stalingrad, and America's defeat of the Japanese navy in the Pacific, all in 1942. Persons trying to revise history have the advantage of looking back and seeing how things turned out. The view for people experiencing things in the present is very different, and the outlook in 1940 and 1941 was bleak. I was born in the 1930s and have distinct memories all through the war. I give thanks for our deliverance.
Christopher Reekie,
12 Orchard Drive, Edinburgh.
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