Rollo, I don't think it was just a feeling. I'm quite certain that long after 1950 the German government was still obliged to consult the Allied High Commissars at least on any foreign policy decisions they made, and that they were able to veto any decisions.
Little Hawk, I don't agree with your conclusions although much of what you say is correct. Of course no two wrongs make one right. We know this. But ask a world that has been plunged into the bloodiest war since 1618 to remember this and treat the perpetrators wisely! And how were they to know which Germans were guilty and which weren't? Even the Germans found it hard to decide in many cases. Behaving like they did was more of an achievement than you give them credit for.
No, I don't think anyone from my family ordered any people to be gassed, but I don't know what my father (who was 22 when the war ended) did and witnessed in Russia because he died too soon for me to ask him, possibly as a late consequence of his treatment in a Czech POW camp. Should I hold this against the Czechs? My mother was a schoolgirl when the train that took her to school every morning was shot at by low-flying British planes more than once. Should I hold this against the British?
These things are far too complex to disentangle by eMail. If Canada wasn't so far away and I less afraid of flying we might one day get the chance to discuss them face to face. As it is, I think we should let it rest. Or if you like you can eMail me at skw@worldmusic.de.