▁had ▁" per formed ▁a ▁signal ▁service " ▁in ▁bringing ▁to ▁light ▁these ▁myth s ▁about ▁the ▁second ▁World ▁War . ▁ ▁The ▁military ▁historian ▁Jonathan ▁House , ▁who ▁wrote ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 5 ▁book ▁When ▁Tit ans ▁Cl ashed ▁on ▁the ▁Soviet – G erman ▁War ▁with ▁David ▁Gl ant z , ▁review ed ▁the ▁book ▁for ▁The ▁Journal ▁of ▁Military ▁History , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁" t our ▁de ▁force ▁of ▁cultural ▁histor i ography ". ▁He ▁noted ▁Sm el ser ' s ▁and ▁Dav ies ' s ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁post - war ▁myth ology ▁that ▁presented ▁the ▁We hr macht ▁and ▁even ▁the ▁W affen - SS ▁as ▁" above ▁repro ach , ▁kn ights ▁engaged ▁in ▁a ▁cr us ade ▁to ▁defend ▁Western ▁civil ization ▁against ▁the ▁bar bar ic ▁h ord es ▁of ▁B ols he v ism . ▁( ...) ▁Ron ald ▁Sm el ser ▁and ▁Edward ▁Dav ies ▁have ▁performed ▁a ▁signal ▁service ▁by ▁trac ing ▁the ▁origin ▁and ▁spread ▁of ▁this ▁myth ology ". ▁House ▁recommended ▁that ▁military ▁histor ians ▁not ▁only ▁study ▁the ▁book , ▁but ▁" use ▁it ▁to ▁teach ▁students ▁the ▁d angers ▁of ▁bias ▁and ▁propag anda ▁in ▁history ". ▁He ▁also ▁noted ▁that ▁in ▁expl oring ▁its ▁subject , ▁the ▁book ▁provided ▁a ▁" one - s ided ▁view ▁of ▁the ▁histor i ography " ▁by ▁not ▁taking ▁into ▁account ▁the ▁contemporary , ▁bal anced ▁works ▁on ▁the ▁Soviet – G erman ▁War , ▁such ▁as