MAY I be allowed to comment on Keith Ratcliffe's letter in Points in Brief (EA, April 24).

How can he explain in brief the results of the numerous campaigns of WWII so perhaps you will be kind enough to allow me to put my feelings in print, as I also remember what happened.

Before D-Day came along the Royal Air Force saved us in the Battle of Britain (Fighter Command).

Then Bomber Command saved the country in 1943 with the August 17 raid on the island of Peenemunde, that was the testing station for the V1 and V2 terror weapons.

Over 500 aircraft including Lancasters, Halifaxes and short Stirlings, some of which were made in Blunsdon, Sevenhampton and the Rail Workshops in Swindon, took part, stopping a lot of production on the order for 20,000 V1s that would, along with the long range guns in France and the V2 rockets, would have devastated anywhere in England south of Luton. So there would have been no D-Day then.

Before that the Germans who were working on the A Bomb invaded Norway to grab the heavy water at the Norsk Hydro Plant and surprise, the entire supply had vanished. See page 459 in a book A Man Called Intrepid by William Stevenson ISBN 0-345-25558-5-225.

As regards the US casualties, there was a programme on the TV recently that explained why so many of the US floating tanks sank.

I expect you, Keith, agreed with the US General who said in Germany in 1945 "You dummies, let us fight two wars in Europe, we might as well take on the Russians now we have the US Army here."

ALLAN THIPTHORPE

Toothill