As a professor of history, Steve Hochstadt failed the grade with his “Forum” column titled “Civilian deaths in war, then and now.” This opinion piece is one of many pro-Germany articles that he has written of the past few months; but this time, he crosses the line with an attempt to rewrite history.

The historical reality is that the bombings of Berlin, Dresden and Hiroshima cannot be put into the same category as the bombing of London or Pearl Harbor, nor can they be compared to the battle of Stalingrad; the latter were responses to the former. Germany and Japan started World War II by attacking other civilian populations and ultimately inviting upon themselves the destruction that came as a consequence.

In more current history, the Iraqi military was the aggressor, not the United States. The Iraqi military murdered the Kurds and their own people and that brought destruction to Baghdad. It has become more likely that North Korea and Iran will also experience harsh justice for their negative roles on the world stage. The civilians who march in step with tyrants often pay for their masters’ mistakes.

I would suggest to professor Hochstadt that he research such sources as “The World at War” video series and such books as “Hitler – The Nightmare Years,” before he attempts to equate the criminals with those who fought back. I give his paper an F.

Ronald J. Theriault, Rumford