Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945
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Ohio University / OhioLINK
2010
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1275450120 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ohiou12754501202021-08-03T05:46:29Z Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 Givens, Seth A. American History Armed Forces European History History International Relations Military History Looting Souvenir hunting liberating stealing souvenirs trophy GIs American soldiers World War II Germany 1945 Wehrmacht SHAEF Luger As the United States Army drove deep into Germany in early-1945, American soldiers stole and appropriated objects on a large scale. While GIs did take items when marching through Allied countries, what occurred in Germany throughout the final campaigns was different and more extensive. Not only was there souvenir hunting on the battlefield—taking pistols, helmets, and flags from German soldiers—but also widespread looting of civilian homes. Servicemen justified their actions by claiming wartime necessity, opportunities for profit, keepsakes, and revenge for Nazi atrocities. Drawing on memoirs, journals, personal papers, and interviews, this thesis seeks to divide American soldiers' stealing into two categories, souvenir hunting and looting, and to extrapolate the four major reasons why GIs looted. Using archival evidence, this work will also examine the U.S. Army' reaction to soldiers' rapacity, its policy-making processes, and the civil-military relationships in Europe throughout the dying days of World War II. 2010-07-21 English text Ohio University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1275450120 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1275450120 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
American History Armed Forces European History History International Relations Military History Looting Souvenir hunting liberating stealing souvenirs trophy GIs American soldiers World War II Germany 1945 Wehrmacht SHAEF Luger |
| spellingShingle |
American History Armed Forces European History History International Relations Military History Looting Souvenir hunting liberating stealing souvenirs trophy GIs American soldiers World War II Germany 1945 Wehrmacht SHAEF Luger Givens, Seth A. Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| author |
Givens, Seth A. |
| author_facet |
Givens, Seth A. |
| author_sort |
Givens, Seth A. |
| title |
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| title_short |
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| title_full |
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| title_fullStr |
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 |
| title_sort |
bringing back memories: gis, souvenir hunting, and looting in germany, 1945 |
| publisher |
Ohio University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2010 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1275450120 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT givenssetha bringingbackmemoriesgissouvenirhuntingandlootingingermany1945 |
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