The Myth of the Eastern Front The Nazi-Soviet War in American Popular Culture [Paperback]

Some Americans are receptive to a positive interpretation of German military conduct on the Russian front in World War II.From the 1950s onward, Cold Warera Americans were receptive to a view of World War II similar to the view held by many Germans and military personnel on how the war was fought on the Eastern front in Russia. A broad subculture of German military enthusiasts continues to romanticize the German army to this day.From the 1950s onward, Cold Warera Americans were receptive to a view of World War II similar to the view held by many Germans and military personnel on how the war was fought on the Eastern front in Russia. A broad subculture of German military enthusiasts continues to romanticize the German army to this day.From the 1950s onward, Americans were quite receptive to a view of World War II similar to the view held by many Germans and military personnel on how the war was fought on the Eastern Front in Russia. Through a network of formerly high-ranking Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr officers who had served on the Eastern Front, Germans were able to shape American opinions into an interpretation of World War II that left the Wehrmacht with a clean reputation in World War II history. A broad subculture of German military enthusiasts continues to romanticize the German army to this day.1. Americans experience the war in Russia, 19415; 2. The Cold War and the emergence of a lost cause mythology; 3. The German generals talk, write, and network; 4. Memoirs, novels, and popular histories; 5. Winning hearts and minds: the Germans interpret the war for the United States public; 6. The gurus; 7. Wargames, the internet, and the popular culture of the Romancers; 8. Romancing the war, re-enactors, and 'what-if' history. Ronald Smelser and Edward Davies vividly show how the pernicious idea of an honorable German war on the Eastern Front permeated the American consciousness with devastating consequences not only for the broad understanding of German atrocitiesló!