In the ruined Europe of World War II, American soldiers on the
front lines had no eye for breathtaking vistas or romantic
settings. The brutality of battle profoundly darkened their
perceptions of the Old World. As the only means of international
travel for the masses, the military exposed millions of Americans
to a Europe in swift, catastrophic decline.
Drawing on soldiers' diaries, letters, poems, and songs, Peter
Schrijvers offers a compelling account of the experiences of U.S.
combat ground forces: their struggles with the European terrain and
seasons, their confrontations with soldiers, and their often
startling encounters with civilians. Schrijvers relays how the GIs
became so desensitized and dehumanized that the sight of dead
animals often evoked more compassion than the sight of enemy
dead.
The Crash of Ruin concludes with a dramatic and moving account
of the final Allied offensive into German-held territory and the
soldiers' bearing witness to the ultimate symbol of Europe's
descent into ruin--the death camps of the Holocaust.
The harrowing experiences of the GIs convinced them that
Europe's collapse was not only the result of the war, but also the
Old World's deep-seated political cynicism, economic stagnation,
and cultural decadence. The soldiers came to believe that the
plague of war formed an inseparable part of the Old World's decline
and fall.
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