‘Not since that night in Gorbitz, no. I want to show you something.’ He delves into his briefcase, and brings out a news magazine. A western news magazine.

Der Spiegel.

My hands shake as I read the headline on the cover.

1945 DRESDEN BOMBINGS

Secret papers ‘prove it was a war crime’

I excitedly turn the pages. There are several articles and sub-articles, photos of Winston Churchill and other wartime leaders. And a photo of Arnold, looking very dapper and professorial, poor man. Just the first few paragraphs of the main story make everything clear.

THE ‘WAR CRIME’ OF DRESDEN

British heroes implicated by secret papers

Previously unseen secret wartime documents suggest that the February 1945 bombing of historic Dresden and the resulting firestorm which destroyed the city and claimed the lives of more than 20,000 civilians was a premeditated act amounting to a ‘war crime’. The claim comes in a paper by the late historian, Dr Arnold Southwick, who had been researching the bombings at Dresden’s prestigious University of Technology.

The secret documents show how the results of a psychological study into the bombing of Hull and Birmingham were deliberately altered by Churchill’s chief scientific adviser in order to justify the bombing of Dresden and other German cities – and that both Churchill and Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris were fully aware of this.

The Hull study – which Dr Southwick took part in as a boy, having lost his baby brother in the city’s own Blitz – showed that the morale of civilians would not be crushed by heavy bombing raids. However, this study was deliberately turned on its head by Britain’s wartime leaders and advisers to justify even more devastating raids on Dresden.

Dr Southwick contends this proves what many have long suspected: that the Anglo-American bombings on Dresden were a war crime.

My eyes start filling with tears as I read. I’m so proud of Arnie. So pleased that – even beyond the grave – he’s managed to get his paper out into the open. That, finally, people will know the truth about the terror attacks that killed so many, and left my own face permanently scarred.

I pause a moment, and look up at Major Bahlow.

His own eyes are glistening. I don’t really understand why – perhaps he’s just pleased for me. He knows how much I suffered.

Then he seems to pull himself together.

‘Anyway, Lotti. I don’t want to keep you, but I thought you would appreciate that. Keep it hidden, please. It wouldn’t look very good for me if people found out I’d been distributing western news magazines.’

He wipes his eyes, and starts up the car. ‘You said you had a hot date back at the HO Glück Auf, didn’t you? I’ll take you back there now. I’m sure he’ll still be waiting.’