Gis, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945
Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Seth A. Givens June 2010 © 2010 Seth A. Givens. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 by SETH A. GIVENS has been approved for the Department of History and the College of Arts and Sciences by Ingo W. Trauschweizer Assistant Professor of History Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT GIVENS, SETH A., M.A., June 2010, History Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 (139 pp.) Director of Thesis: Ingo W. Trauschweizer 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.
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