17 OCTOBER 1998, Page 28

Germany's debt

Sir: Mr von Reimann is asking for justice for the Prussians who for the most part fled before the advancing Russian armies (Let- ters, 10 October).

He might reflect on the fact that it was Germany that started the war, and on the devastation and barbaric atrocities commit- ted by the Wehrmacht and the SS, particu- larly in Poland and Belarus.

The compensation he requires should be paid by the German government, which, incidentally, has yet to return to their right- ful owners the estates confiscated by the East German communists.

Alexander Leigh

29 Albert Road, Ashford, Kent