It was my recollection that it was only an accidental discharge of bombs. My mistake. On the other hand, it changes little. All Little Hawk and I were pointing out was that the Germans did not intentionally bomb British cities until after Britain bombed Berlin.

I heard someone say recently that all wars are a series of blunders; the one who makes the fewest wins. The same goes for diplomacy or other great acts of public policy. To a very great extent it's always a bit of groping in the dark whether it's trying to understand how your actions affect the economy or rolling the dice in the fog of war. Armchair generals and politicians are always better at it than the real thing, hindsight being so much easier than foresight.

I always discount what someone says he would have done in the same way I discount some 50 year old's assessment of he would have done if he had been playing at the crucial juncture of a football game. Easy to say when the pressure's not on you and you have all the facts before you.