This thesis examines the public manifestations of the culture of remembrance of WWII in the Hlučín Region, with an emphasis on the commemorations of the fallen local soldiers fighting in the Wehrmacht. The aim of the thesis is to describe the public commemorations of WWII in the Hlučín Region, and to examine the relation between the regional and the mainstream Czech narrative. The core difference between the narratives arises from the fact that the Hlučín residents took part in WWII on the side of the Germans. I investigate the means used in the commemorations, as well as who initiates, organizes and finances the commemorations and what are the motivations of the commemorations' participants. Among the means, I focus on the analyses of the memorials and graves of the fallen soldiers, as well as on acts of piety. I concentrate on the period after the Velvet Revolution, when the particular narrative of the Hlučín Region ceased to be a taboo. In the first chapter I present the terms, theoretical concepts and methodology of the research. The second chapter deals with the history of the Hlučín Region and the identity of its inhabitants. In the third chapter I outline the Czech narrative of WWII during the communist regime and after 1989. The fourth chapter presents the results of my research of the...

This study examines the relationship between British and American officials and the fifty-five Wehrmacht general officers who were held as prisoners of war in the United States during World War II. This relationship transformed as the war developed and new national security concerns emerged in the immediate postwar era. As largely evidenced by the records of the United States War Department and the British War Office, the transformation of this relationship illustrates two important points. First, despite some similarities, the respective priorities of British and American authorities regarding their POW general officers differed significantly. British officials consistently interrogated and eavesdropped on all of their senior officer prisoners, primarily seeking operational and tactical intelligence to aid the Allied war effort. By contrast, American officials initially had little regard for the value of Wehrmacht general officer POWs. Second, by the end of the war, admiration for the prowess of German officers and the German military tradition in particular, coupled with anxiety about Soviet intentions and the strength of the Red Army, drove Washington into a collaborative relationship with many of the Wehrmacht general officers in its custody. The evolution of America's national security concerns in the years immediately following the end of World War II impacted its policy governing the treatment of high-ranking prisoners of war.

Univ., Diss.--Erfurt, 2006.

Zugl.: Kiel, Univ., Diss., 2007.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2008.

RWTH, Diss.--Aachen, 2001. / Literaturverz. S. [454] - 479.

Zugl.: Hamburg, Helmut-Schmidt-Univ., Diss., 2006.

The 1944 German Ardennes offensive failed. It was overly ambitious, built on erroneous assumptions, insufficiently supported by logistics, and depended on the weather for success. Yet, the offensive achieved more than it should have given the strength and combat experience of the Allied armies in Europe. Previous attempts to explain the limited success of the German offensive have emphasized the failure of Allied strategic intelligence - Ultra. Intelligence is an accurate, but incomplete explanation for initial German success in the Ardennes. Three conditions allowed the Wehrmacht, approaching its manpower and logistical end, to crush the US First Army. First, coalition warfare so weakened the First Army that it became vulnerable to attack. Second, the Allies failed to develop a unified intelligence network capable of assessing the information that indicated the timing and target of the German attack. Finally, a well-executed German security and deception plan surprised the Allies. The well-executed German offensive manipulated both Allied intelligence and the Anglo-American coalition.

The evolution of United States military doctrine was heavily influenced by the Wehrmacht and their early Blitzkrieg campaigns during World War II. This thesis traces the origins of this development and shows how the context of the Cold War led to a heavy influence by the Wehrmacht on American military doctrine. By analyzing studies conducted by the United States Army Historical Division from 1946-1961, I will show how these studies left a profound impact on American Military doctrine, particularly in the context of the Cold War. I will show the development of the Active Defense Doctrine and AirLand Battle during the 1970s and 1980s were largely influenced by lessons learned from the Wehrmacht. By comparing these doctrines with the Wehrmacht's Truppenführung, the influence is undeniable. Finally, I will show how the American military put these lessons into practice during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The postwar children coming of age in the late 1960s in West Germany mounted a widesweeping socio-political protest against what they saw as the strangling silence of their parents, the Nazi generation. These protesters, referred to as the 68ers for their pivotal year, continued their struggle in following decades, incorporating an important and controversial exhibition, and finally culminating in their own administration thirty years from their defining moment. Using such diverse kinds of information as parliamentary debates, interviews, and contemporary criticism, this thesis explores the impact of the 68ers' initial protest and the influence they ultimately had on their nation and society. The 68ers changed the face of German society by forcing a dialogue with the past that made a full exploration of the Nazi generation possible in Germany. They also incorporated gender politics into their protest and forced a social revolution that allowed a woman to be elected Chancellor.