Sir, The successful Normandy landings did indeed safeguard Britain from invasion.
However, this offensive also set in motion some of the most significant events of the Second World War.
It brought liberty to France, whose citizens continue to show gratitude to the fallen and those still with us.
It helped hasten the end of the war thereby saving many more hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides.
It initiated the liberation of survivors of the concentration camps.
Ultimately, it played a huge part in preventing Nazi Germany’s fascist rule of all of Europe and beyond.
Britain and the world is no doubt a better place for the efforts of those D-Day heroes.
We have men and women in their 90s travelling hundreds of miles to pay their respects (one even staged the Great Escape in reverse). In turn they continue to be revered by those they fought to free.
The statement from last Tuesday’s letters page “was it really worth their while” leaves me, for once, speechless.
Alan Shepherd. Manor Street, Forfar.
Control over Germany made more sense
Sir, Although feeling it a duty, due to family sacrifice, to have an acquaintance with the conduct of the war and its unfolding, the details of the Potsdam Conference were not, within my interest as such.
I thank Dr Cameron for pointing me in the right direction (letters, June 12). With Poland losing land to Russia and gaining from Germany, I suppose it was the best that could be gleaned from an obdurate and devious Stalin. Churchill was a formidable diplomat and gained much by that, where others may have not.
Yet, if Stalin’s first priority were the security of the Soviet Union, full control of Germany would have made more sense than full control of part of Poland and oppression of the rest.
Of course, minds such as Stalin’s are beyond the comprehension of most and his reasons were no doubt profound! With a Cold War looming on a grey horizon, he had other concerns to address, as did the other members of that conference.
To seek full justice in our world may be a fool’s errand, but, nevertheless, we as a country have always fought and sacrificed to gain what we can!
I guess we have no reason to hang our heads in shame, or have undue regret.
Leslie Milligan. 18b Myrtelhall Gardens, Dundee.
‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’
Sir, The other evening I was out on the bike and found myself on the high road behind Lundin Links in Fife.
This road provides a fantastic vista of the Forth estuary. One can see from Elie point in the east, past the Bass Rock, Berwick Law, Arthur’s Seat and round to the Binn in the west.
Unfortunately, it is entirely spoilt by windmills. On this particular occasion, none that I could see were turning. The wind was not blowing.
In 2012, Alex Salmond and his government promised that Scotland would become the “Saudi Arabia of renewables” in the European market.
Aye right ! Providing the wind blows.
If all the other promises that Mr Salmond and his party have made, work out in the same way as their energy policy, then God help Scotland if they are successful in the forthcoming referendum.
John M Young. Coldstream Crescent, Leven.
‘Smart meter’ solution?
Sir, Now it is agreed that windmills provide an inadequate electricity supply, it is likely that the ultimate use of a so-called “smart meter” in the home will be to price electricity up at peak demand times, when the windmills can’t generate enough, to discourage and therefore reduce demand.
Electricity will probably be cheaper when the windmills can cope, so it might balance out.
Some say that the cuts will come anyway, as without wind it doesn’t matter how many windmills there are.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
They’ve done a pretty good job
Sir, Mona Clark seems to be under the illusion ( letters, June 12 ) that the SNP government were in favour of the Edinburgh tram system. This is not so. The First Minister warned that digging up an old city such as Edinburgh would create many problems and lead to massive cost over-runs. However, his minority government was out-voted by the opposition parties.
As for the cost of constructing the Scottish Parliament building, it was the late Labour leader Donald Dewar who pushed for a new building. The SNP had put forward the former Royal High School as a suitable venue, but Mr Dewar dismissed it as “a nationalist shibboleth”.
However, the new Holyrood building proved to be a much more expensive option.
Finally, may I add that the SNP government have made a pretty sound job of running Scotland for the last seven years despite having to do so in the face of financial cuts from Westminster.
Arch Ramsay. 49 Whitfield Gardens, Dundee.