Anglo-German friendship on display at the Moehne dam of Dambusters fame.

Rapidly repaired in 1943, by forced labour, following death of 1600 civilians (including 1000 Russians) in the 7-metre-high tsunami unleashed by the dam’s breach.

With Dunkirk, one of the great WW2 myths that, all these years later, helped fuel Brexit.

To whose supporters I would recommend a visit to EU-committed Germany. Vastly wealthier than we are, increasingly comfortable with itself, a true globalexporting superpower, and so much more.

Perhaps Brexit needs to be for post-Imperial Britain what defeat for Germany was in 1945, when we are finally forced to face ourselves in the mirror and take responsibility for our colonial and post-colonial history.

Mark, Jutta and Daisy with Moehne dam in background – at the end of a 1000-km tour down the Danube (OK, different end of Germany, but here a short interlude on the car-powered way home)

Irmgard, Guenther and Jutta 1978 with our Daisy 1 Globetrotter tandem in Berlin, and their much more impressive Motobecane.

Moehne Dam 1943, the immediate aftermath of the Dambusters’ raid.

The destruction left by the one bouncing bomb which hit the dam as planned, spinning on to the bottom of the reservoir and exploding at the dam’s base.

Within weeks, the dam was being rebuilt. By Russian forced labour.

The Moehne dam, still in wartime after its repair.