The present volume analyzes the construction and reproduction of the historical myth of the “untainted Wehrmacht” (the German army) since 1945 in Austria and Germany and its subsequent deconstruction since 1995. The analysis is based on two exhibitions concerning the “War of Annihilation: Crimes of the Wehrmacht, 1941–1944.” which ran, respectively, from 1995 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2003. The exhibitions toured important cities in Germany and Austria. Both tours, especially the first, caused heated debates and controversies. This book provides a detailed analysis of the character of these exhibitions and their controversial reception. Research is anchored in the discourse historical methodology, triangulating a large array of different disciplines, data, and methods of analysis (pp.10–13). First and foremost, it investigates how democratic and pluralistic societies deal with traumatic past experiences and grave breaches of universal values (xiv–xv). It therefore focuses on three main themes, each of which constitutes a part of the book. Thus, Part 1 (chapters 1–4) deals with the theme of memory and the commemoration of the Wehrmacht. Based on a rich array of data, it confirms the racist attitude of Wehrmacht soldiers. Part 2 (chapters 5–8) focuses on national narratives concerning the role of the Wehrmacht and analyzes the discursive and argumentative strategies which helped construct the myth of the untainted Wehrmacht (chapter 6). Tangible results of this myth were felt in parliamentary debates and welfare distribution policy (chapter 5) and the mitigation of the topic in schoolbooks (chapter 7). Part 3 (chapters 9–11) discusses and compares both tours and their reception.

The explicit purpose of the exhibitions was to demonstrate the criminal involvement of the Wehrmacht in the Holocaust. The first exhibition made three claims that overtly challenged the myth of the “untainted Wehrmacht”: the systematic involvement of the Wehrmacht in the planning and execution of the Holocaust, the widespread participation of the troops of the Wehrmacht in the persecution of the Jews, and the anti-Semitic and anti-Slavic racism among Wehrmacht soldiers (236). The first exhibition, then, depicted the Wehrmacht as the vivid link between the high ranks of Nazism and civil society. This particular feature appears to be the main cause of the controversy. After the initial positive reception, the exhibition was criticized fiercely by Wehrmacht veterans, conservative politicians, and historians. The discussion narrowed down to the allegedly unscientific character of the photographs – often snapshots taken during the war. Even though expert historians found problems with only four photos out of 1,400, the decision was taken to close the exhibition and to design a new one, from which the designers of the first exhibition were excluded. Although this second exhibition equally identified the Wehrmacht as a criminal institution, it showed a depersonalized, academic, “objective” account. The three claims, especially the portrayal of the perpetrators, had now disappeared. In severe contrast to the first exhibition, the second was more acceptable as consensus for a new hegemonic narrative. Once again, the discursive construction of history served the interests of dominant groups such as former soldiers, conservative politicians, historians, and journalists.