The German essence: Thoughts of US soldier Raymond Gantter on “the Germans” during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest (Published on 16/10/2025)
Anyone studying the period of the Second World War and the political circumstances in Germany at that time will inevitably be confronted with the question of how all this was actually possible – and, as numerous sources attest, was apparently met with the approval of a very large part of the German population right up until the end.
As always, painting everything in black and white should be avoided. At all times, depending on the convictions of the observer, there were (and still are) the »bad« and the »good guys«, numerous shades in between, and those who are sometimes one or the other or a bit of both at the same time. The point is not to point fingers at anyone, but rather to document – as objectively as possible – the views held by the German population at the time and also how Germans were viewed by other countries.
The German term »Wesen« (translated here with »essence«, for lack of a better term), with its double meaning – which can describe a person’s attitude, but also its outward appearance – seems particularly suited and was therefore chosen as the thematic heading.
An interesting external perspective on the German character comes from US soldier Raymond Gantter, who served in Europe during World War II with the 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st US Infantry Division (»The Big Red One«) and also fought in the Hürtgen Forest from 21 November 1944 onwards. He wrote about his war experiences in his book »Roll me over – An Infantryman’s World War II«. In his description of the fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, he also expresses his view of the Germans and writes (ibid. [2007], p. 35 f.)
“November 24. Still in Hurtgen Forest.
It’s a clear day at last, after a night of rain, and it is expected that the Air Corps will give the Jerries hell today.
A month from tonight will be Christmas Eve. That’s a thought that doesn’t bear much dwelling on. It’s just occurred to me, as an ironic underscoring of my premature Christmas homesickness, that my childish delight in Christmas has its origin in the holiday customs observed in my family when I was a youngster. And those customs were German. This reflection puts me and my current task strangely at odds. I don’t mean that I’m slipping into any apologia for the German state, or even for the German people. I’m convinced that the very qualities in the German national character from which burgeoned the lovely Christmas customs also nurtured and richly fed the vigorous and rank growth that became Nazism.
The ecstatic emotionalism that saw symbols in trees, fairy tales in rivers and rocks, holy legends in falling snow – the same emotionalism that transmuted these gentle miracles into song and story, also gave birth to the myth of the Aryan super race, spawned the bizarre Gothic tale of a German superculture, and in monstrous abortion spewed the nightmare of concentration camps and genocide. I’m no scientist, surely, and perhaps there is no scientific validity in the attributing of »national characteristics« to a group of people, but if there is, I would list an openmouthed childishness among the outstanding German characteristics, a naive and credulous belief in the painted and hollow shams that wiser people readily identify as canvas, cardboard, and gilt paint.”
As always, readers can decide for themselves whether and how much truth there was or is in these theories.
(Head picture: Daisies against a gravestone
at the German military cemetery Montabaur, May 2023,)
If you wish to support my work, you can do so here. Many thanks!