• WE’VE had this before – resistance by Germans to the Nazi regime, and now once more, according to the review of the book The Good Germans: Resisting the Nazis 1933-1945, by Catrine Clay, (Courageous resistance, Review, December, 18).

No doubt many did die for this cause but the élite, like Claus Von Stauffenberg and Fritz-Dietlof Von Der Schulenburg, had another motive; to prevent Hitler and Germany fighting to the end in the face of the Red Army progress.

The war was lost for Germany and Hitler had to die so as a deal could be made with the Allies before the Soviet Union occupied Germany. Indeed, the same Allies had delayed opening the Second Front, in waiting to see if Germany would destroy the Soviets.

When this didn’t seem to be happening the Second Front was opened up in June 1944 to occupy as much of Europe as possible in order to stop the Soviet advance to coastal northern France.

Nazism turned out to be less of a worry than communism.

WILSON JOHN HAIRE, N19