Germans as Victims of World War II

By JULIA M. KLEIN

Baghdad is aflame, and before this war is over, it may well be in ruins. The debate over what the damage signifies -- over who is responsible and whether the force expended was justified -- will doubtless continue far longer than the war itself. So it has been in Germany, where the smoldering ruins of German cities symbolized not just the Third Reich's well-deserved defeat, but also the plight of German civilians, both guilty and innocent.

Until recently, it could be argued,