ser ▁and ▁Davis ▁acknow ledge ", ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁appeal ▁of ▁" ind ividual ▁struggle ▁against ▁over wh el ming ▁odd s " ▁in ▁the ▁German ▁narr atives ▁of ▁the ▁war , ▁vs ▁the ▁Soviet ▁emphas is ▁on ▁the ▁collect ive . ▁He ▁also ▁described ▁how ▁the ▁Soviet ▁World ▁War   II ▁histor i ography , ▁over ly ▁dog m atic ▁and ▁propag anda - dri ven , ▁remained ▁un trans l ated ▁in ▁the ▁West , ▁allowing ▁the ▁German ▁view ▁of ▁the ▁conflict ▁to ▁domin ate ▁academic ▁and ▁popular ▁per ception s . ▁ ▁Show alter ▁acknowled ged ▁that ▁the ▁rom antic ized ▁views ▁described ▁in ▁the ▁book ▁existed ▁but ▁argued ▁that ▁they ▁remain ▁limited ▁in ▁their ▁impact ▁on ▁the ▁wider ▁popular ▁culture : ▁" Th ird ▁Reich ▁military ▁memor abil ia ▁th riv es — but ▁in ▁a ▁n iche ▁market . ▁( ...) ▁Eastern ▁Front ▁enthus iast s — who ▁buy ▁a ▁dis pro port ion ate ▁number ▁of ▁the ▁books ▁rom antic izing ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front — are ▁a ▁minor ity ▁within ▁a ▁minor ity , ▁and , ▁as ▁a ▁rule , ▁are ▁at ▁some ▁p ains ▁to ▁den y ▁sympathy ▁with ▁the ▁Third ▁Reich ". ▁The ▁rev iewer ▁con cludes ▁that ▁opening ▁of ▁the ▁arch ives ▁since ▁the ▁dissol ution ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁has ▁enabled ▁" bal anced ▁analysis ▁at ▁academic ▁levels ", ▁leading ▁to ▁a ▁new ▁interest ▁in ▁the ▁Red ▁Army ▁operations ▁from ▁the ▁popular ▁history ▁writers ▁and ▁the ▁World ▁War   II ▁enthus iast s