▁Front ▁of ▁World ▁War   II ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁in ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁historical ▁revision ism . ▁The ▁book ▁traces ▁the ▁foundation ▁of ▁the ▁post - war ▁myth ▁of ▁the ▁" C lean ▁We hr macht ", ▁its ▁support ▁by ▁US ▁military ▁officials , ▁and ▁the ▁impact ▁of ▁We hr macht ▁and ▁W affen - SS ▁myth ology ▁on ▁American ▁popular ▁culture , ▁up ▁to ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁its ▁publication . ▁ ▁The ▁book ▁gar ner ed ▁largely ▁positive ▁reviews . ▁It ▁was ▁comm ended ▁for ▁its ▁thorough ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁the ▁myth ▁by ▁German ▁ex - part icip ants ▁and ▁its ▁entry ▁into ▁American ▁culture , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁its ▁comp elling ▁analysis ▁of ▁contemporary ▁war - rom ancing ▁tr ends . ▁One ▁rev iewer ▁described ▁the ▁book ▁as ▁a ▁" t our ▁de ▁force ▁of ▁cultural ▁histor i ography ", ▁and ▁another ▁observed ▁that ▁it ▁" pres ents ▁a ▁dis com fort ing ▁portrait ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁views ▁of ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front ". ▁Crit ics ▁regarded ▁its ▁theory ▁of ▁American ▁per ception s ▁of ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front ▁to ▁be ▁un con vin cing . ▁ ▁Background ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁the ▁publication ▁of ▁The ▁M yth ▁of ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front , ▁the ▁authors ▁were ▁colle agues ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁department ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Ut ah . ▁According ▁to ▁one ▁rev iewer , ▁they ▁were ▁" well ▁qualified ▁for ▁the ▁task " ▁of ▁de construct ing ▁the ▁myth ▁in ▁the ▁book ' s ▁title : ▁" Sm el