The Liberal View of the German Soldier

[Steve_Fossey]

This first part may be somewhat tangential.What books or other sources discuss Luftwaffe pilots, their interest in American Western movies, and the use of the term Indianer?

On the main point of the thread. Liberal may not be the best descriptor of the point I think is trying to be raised. Perhaps “the popular view in English speaking nations of the German soldier” might more accurate. I have read a number of Stephen Ambrose's books and did not come away with the impression that the average German soldier was not a fine soldier.

There is a book that consciously makes the comparison. I have not read the book, but it is telling that the blurb for the book talks about the myth of German army superiority.When the Odds Were Even: The Vosges Mountains Campaign, October 1944-January 1945 (Presidio, 1994) by Keith Bonn (based on his PhD thesis in International History at the University of Chicago) considers the relative effectiveness of German and US infantry. U Chicago is a first rate university and Bonn’s background makes him very well qualified: “An infantry officer with extensive tactical experience in various command and staff positions in airborne, infantry, light infantry and joint units in Korea, Central America, and the continental United States. A ranger and master parachutist, he earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA) with a concentration in the German language, an M.A. from the University of Chicago in European history, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in International history. His doctoral dissertation became the basis for his first book,When the Odds Were Even: The Vosges Mountains Campaign, October 1944-January 1945 (Presidio, 1994). He authored the 48th, 49th, and 50th editions ofThe Army Officer's Guide (Stackpole Books, 1999, 2002, and 2005). With Master Sergeant Tony Baker, Bonn co-authoredA Guide to Military Operations Other Than War (Stackpole Books, 2000). Bonn taught various core and upper-division elective courses in history during a three-year assignment to the Department of History at USMA.”


Here is a review of the book: http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/a...krev/bonn.html

Steve