The Myth of the Eastern Front by Ronald Smelser, Edward J. Da... - 9780521833653

The Myth of the Eastern FrontThe Nazi-Soviet War in American Popular Culture\nAuthor(s): Ronald Smelser, Edward J. Davies, ll\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521833653, 978-0521833653\nSynopsis\nFrom 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 positive view of German military conduct, opposed against a newly dismissive view of the Russian military in light of Cold War prejudices, was absorbed by many Americans during the 1950s, and continues to this day in a broad subcultur.