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“Dear Mr President,

The entire world is commemorating the 60th anniversary of one of the most important events in modern history”, the letter begins. “In writing to you, we would like to express our gratitude towards the people of your country who, together with the other peoples of the Soviet Union, made a decisive contribution to victory over Hitler’s militant fascism and to the liberation of Europe’s peoples from the threat of a return to barbarism.

Our national German anti-fascist union, founded in 1992, brings together, above all, Germans who joined the ranks of the allied armed forces. It is true, unfortunately, that there were not a great many of them, although in total they numbered more than 1,000. We see them as having fought on the right side of the lines, as having fought in the aim of giving their support to all freedom-loving peoples, and we also see them as having been conscious German patriots in the struggle for a brighter and peaceful future.

They did what they did in order to support the struggle of peoples under threat of extermination from Nazism and to make a German contribution to destroying our people’s most terrible foe. We are proud that members of our union fought in the ranks of your army, which made an especially significant contribution to saving world civilisation, and at such great cost. We therefore see it as our right and our duty to send you this letter on the occasion of this historic anniversary.

Through our modest efforts we are continuing to help in the work of spreading the historic truth of the tragedy of World War II, its initiators and events, and also of spreading the idea of new generations’ responsibility to ensure that such a destructive war never happens again. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that our country does not forget the lessons of this cruel war that was unleashed by the rulers of the then Third Reich, unfortunately, with the approval and support of most Germans. A stable peace and friendly cooperation between all countries and peoples remain, as before, values of the highest order, and we shall continue to fight tirelessly in their name.

Once again, please accept our gratitude for the invaluable contribution made by your country and its armed forces to returning peace to the world 60 years ago and to saving human civilisation.”