I thought this video from OTD Military History to be a useful examination of the phenomenon of the outsized praise for Michael Wittmann and the work of one military historian who seemed to admire the man and his efforts far beyond their actual impact on the Normandy campaign:
From the discussions in the YT comments on this video:
Open admiration for the German military (and the SS in particular) was surprisingly common in the 60s and 70s, seemed to be waning in the 80s onward until about ten or fifteen years ago as the rise of social media allowed open hero worship of war criminals to blossom almost unchecked. In one sense, the ability of people to openly identify themselves as Wehraboos does make it easier to avoid them.
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I agree. The rise of social media has made the problem of Nazi worship much worse. The major issue is that most of them hide behind pseudonyms because they know their ideas are wrong but they are cowards who won’t own what they believe.
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@Nicholas Russon - I must take issue with your characterization that admirers of the WWII German military are guilty of “hero worship” in the sense you portray it. As an historian, I find the WWII German military to be fascinating. Their tactics and employment of such were often astounding in boldness as well as execution. To admire their military’s abilities and accomplishments is not hero worship, nor is it any form of NAZI sympathizing. I hate the political aspect of NAZI Germany. I hate what they did to Jews, and the others they considered the “undesirables” of Europe. That’s not to say there are not neo-Nazi types who do glorify and celebrate Hitler’s desires, but please do not lump historians and military history types into the same basket.
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The use of language like “admire” and “astounding in boldness” is exactly what I’m talking about. You say you’re not hero worshiping and then seem to display the opposite.
@OTD Military History I honestly do not know how to respond to your comment, so thank you for your time.
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I’m saying you are engaging in hero worship
I concur. I can be fascinated by the WWII German military (hell, the Axis militaries as a whole) without resorting to hero worship, especially as I’ve met some of the men involved, even a few who were in charge, and knew how complicated their experiences were.
If historians don’t want to discuss anything involving the Germans in WWII out of concern for being an “accidental Nazi sympathizer,” why even talk about WWII?
Saying they were quite bold in some of their campaigns, as long as you have definitive proof, isn’t a gateway to being a neo-Nazi. Sympathy for their ideology is.