"This terrifying, remarkable work examines the attitudes,
perceptions, and behavior of U.S. fighting men in the Pacific
theater during World War II. Imaginatively drawing on letters,
diaries, memoirs, military reports, and contemporary psychological
assessments, Schrijvers reveals the social, historical, and
emotional roots of the peculiarly frenzied and merciless war...this
temperate study of murderous fury is among the most unsettling
books I've read in years."
--"The Atlantic Monthly"
"One of the most remarkable books I have ever come across. A
significant and fascinating contribution to the field. The Crash of
Ruin should appeal to a large audience of readers interested in
World War II history."
"--Edward M. Coffman, Author of The War to End All Wars: The
American Military Experience in World War I"
"The Crash of Ruin offers the reader both intellectual and
emotional rewards. . . . Its narrative power makes it a wonderful
read."
"--Susan M. Hartmann, The Ohio State University"
"A brilliant contribution to intercultural studies. It
imaginatively combines the anew' military history with an older
American Studies research and writing technique. Not only will the
book attract a wide range of readers, it should also stimulate
scholars to adopt this approach to many other topics in cultural
studies."
"--William R. Childs, Author of Trucking and the Public
Interest"
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 exposedmillions 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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