S . ▁between ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 6 ▁and ▁continues ▁to ▁be ▁popular ▁among ▁readers ▁who ▁rom antic ize ▁the ▁German ▁war ▁effort . ▁The ▁ver acity ▁of ▁M ell enth in ' s ▁Pan zer ▁Batt les ▁and ▁other ▁works ▁has ▁been ▁called ▁into ▁question ▁over ▁the ▁years . ▁The ▁historian ▁Wol fram ▁W ette ▁lists ▁M ell enth in ▁in ▁the ▁group ▁of ▁German ▁gener als ▁who ▁author ed ▁apolog etic , ▁un crit ical ▁studies ▁on ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁alongside ▁Ferdinand ▁He im , ▁Kurt ▁von ▁T ipp elsk ir ch , ▁Wal dem ar ▁Er fur th ▁and ▁others . ▁ ▁Crit ics ▁point ▁out ▁that ▁M ell enth in ▁tends ▁to ▁down play ▁We hr macht ' s ▁fail ures ▁while ▁ext ol ling ▁the ▁fighting ▁qual ities ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁soldier . ▁The ▁histor ians ▁Ron ald ▁Sm el ser ▁and ▁Edward ▁J . ▁Dav ies ▁have ▁character ized ▁M ell enth in ' s ▁works ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁" ex cul pat ory ▁mem oir s " ▁genre ▁that ▁fed ▁the ▁post - war ▁revision ist ▁narr ative , ▁alongside ▁books ▁by ▁Er ich ▁von ▁Man stein , ▁Hein z ▁G uder ian , ▁Hans ▁Rud el ▁and ▁Hans ▁von ▁L uck . ▁M ell enth in ▁bl ames ▁We hr macht ' s ▁defeat ▁sole ly ▁on ▁the ▁Soviet ▁advantages ▁in ▁men ▁and ▁mater iel , ▁describing ▁the ▁Red ▁Army ▁as ▁a ▁" r uth less ▁enemy