Faith and Killing in the US Army in the Second World War
Some Perspectives from the European Theatre of Operations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23036050 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Snape (0000-0002-6130-0117, Durham University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 146-163 |
| Publication date | 2018-12-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2364-2807 • E-ISSN: 2365-3140 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.14220/23642807-00401009 |
| OpenAlex | W2883403102 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 3 |
Challenging the mythology of the Greatest Generation, this article examines theconduct of American combat soldiers in North Africaand Europe during the Second World War. Although the ferocityand barbarityofAmericasPacific Wariswidely recognised and attributed, at least in part, to the cultural and racial cleavages between America and Japan, the treatment of German and Italian soldiers by American groundtroops invites greater examination. Here the religiously susceptible products of alargely Christian and even pacifist society,who went on to comprise agenerational pillar of American religious life in the second half of the twentiethc entury, often behaved with ar uthlessness that shockedcontemporaryobservers,including many of theirown chaplains.Inthe absence of aracial and cultural chasm between the antagonists, this article examines the catalysts and patternsofthis behaviour and exposesthe fragility of traditional moral constraints in the context of Americasmuch-vaunted good war.
Faith · Political science · Sociology · Theology · World War II · History · Law · Philosophy · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies · War, Ethics, and Justification
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2018 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |