Epilogue

Abstract

The American combat soldiers formed their perception of Europe under the exceptional conditions of war. These conditions seriously distorted their mental image of the overseas continent. The violence and destruction prevented the soldiers from seeing much of Europe’s scenic splendor and perverted most of its natural beauty. After years of merciless fighting, the mauled European armies the GIs watched in action were only faint reflections of their former selves. The society the Americans discerned through the fog of battle and the shadow of total war looked as if it had reached the point of total disintegration.