ies ▁ast utely ▁identify ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁sources ▁histor ians ▁have ▁rarely ▁t apped ▁and ▁survey ▁it ▁thoroughly ." ▁They ▁identified ▁the ▁so - called ▁" g urus " ▁of ▁this ▁generation , ▁influ ential ▁authors ▁and ▁speak ers ▁which ▁presented ▁" a ▁hero ic , ▁san it ized ▁picture ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁army ▁in ▁the ▁east ". ▁ ▁Th emes ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁words ▁of ▁one ▁rev iewer , ▁the ▁central ▁myth ▁described ▁in ▁the ▁book ▁bo ils ▁down ▁to ▁the ▁following : ▁ ▁The ▁German ▁army , ▁or ▁We hr macht , ▁fought ▁a ▁" clean " ▁and ▁val i ant ▁war ▁against ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union , ▁de void ▁of ▁ide ology ▁and ▁at roc ity . ▁The ▁German ▁officer ▁cas te ▁did ▁not ▁share ▁Hitler ' s ▁ide ological ▁pre cept s ▁and ▁bl amed ▁the ▁SS ▁and ▁other ▁Naz i ▁par amil it ary ▁organizations ▁for ▁creating ▁the ▁war ▁of ▁ra cial ▁ens lav ement ▁and ▁ex termin ation ▁that ▁the ▁conflict ▁became . ▁The ▁German ▁Land ser , ▁or ▁soldier , ▁as ▁far ▁as ▁conditions ▁allowed , ▁was ▁generally ▁pat ernal ▁and ▁kind ▁to ▁the ▁Soviet ▁citizens ▁and ▁un inter ested ▁in ▁Soviet ▁Jew ry . ▁That ▁the ▁German ▁military ▁lost ▁this ▁war ▁was ▁due ▁in ▁no ▁way ▁to ▁its ▁battle field ▁ac umen , ▁but ▁to ▁a ▁combination ▁of ▁external ▁factors , ▁first ▁and ▁for em ost ▁Hitler ' s ▁dec isions . ▁According ▁to ▁this ▁myth , ▁the ▁defeat ▁of ▁Germany ▁on ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Front ▁constit