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Opus Revised-10-04-20 1 Repräsentationen der Battle of Britain und die Konstruktion nationaler Identität Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. phil.) an der neuphilologischen Fakultät der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, eingereicht am 29.05. 2008 Danksagung Ich danke meiner Doktormutter Prof. Dr. Vera Nünning für die mir entgegengebrachte Geduld und Unterstützung; meinem Zweitgutachter Prof. Dr. Peter Paul Schnierer; Dr. Annegret Stegmann und Jens Unterseer, die klaglos und sorgfältig Korrektur lasen; sowie meinen Freunden, Mitdoktoranden und Kollegen, die diese Arbeit durch Hilfe, Zuspruch und Inspiration ermöglicht haben. Semper apertus! 2 1. Einführung, Fragestellung und Thesen 7 1.1 Aufbau der Arbeit 13 1.2 Auswahl des Textkorpus 15 1.2.1 Autobiographien 17 1.2.2 Historiographie und „Popular History“ 19 1.2.3 Historische Romane 20 1.2.4 Filmische Repräsentationen 21 1.3 Nationale Identität 22 1.3.1 Definition: Nationale Identität 23 1.3.1.1 Die Wandlung des Begriffs nationaler Identität: Vom Primordialismus zum …. Konstruktcharakter 25 1.3.1.2 Die Bedeutung der nationalen Identität für Individuum und Kollektiv 37 1.3.2 Möglichkeiten der Konstruktion und Beeinflussung von nationaler Identität 41 1.3.3 Nationale Identität und Literatur 44 1.4 Kollektives Gedächtnis und nationale Identität 47 1.4.1 Einführung 47 1.4.2 Individuelles Gedächtnis – Erinnern und Erinnerung 48 1.4.3 Das kollektive Gedächtnis 50 1.4.4 Die Medialität des kollektiven Gedächtnisses 57 1.4.5 Zusammenfassung: Das kollektive Gedächtnis und die Konstruktion nationaler Identität 59 1.5 Englishness und Britishness – Eigenschaften, Werte und Stereotypen 59 2. Analyse 75 2.1 „The Few“ – Die Instrumentalisierung von Individuen und Gruppen 75 2.1.1 Die Darstellung von „Great Men“ 78 2.1.1.1 Hermann Göring – „an almost ludicrously repellent figure“ 78 2.1.1.2 Hugh Dowding – „Service and Manners“ 82 2.1.1.3 Reginald J. Mitchell – „his legacy to the nation“ 90 2.1.2 Die Darstellung der Piloten 96 3 2.1.2.1 Jugend 98 2.1.2.2 Technische Kompetenz 104 2.1.2.3 Aggressivität 108 2.1.2.4 Umgang mit militärischem Erfolg und dem Tod des Gegners – Die Trennung des Fliegens ….. vom Krieg 115 2.1.2.5 Individualismus und Regelfreiheit 121 2.1.2.6 Mut und Angst 126 2.1.3 Die Gruppe 131 2.1.3.1 Die flache Hierarchie 132 2.1.3.2 Heterogenität 141 2.1.3.3 Die Gruppe der nicht–britischen Piloten 146 2.1.3.4 Deutsche Piloten als Negativfolien? 152 2.2 Krieg und Kampf 165 2.2.1 Darstellung und Instrumentalisierung der Luftkämpfe 166 2.2.1.1 Der Luftkampf als ritterliches Duell 168 2.2.1.2 Der Luftkampf als Jagd 176 2.2.1.3 Die Effekte von Gewalt: Maschinen als Opfer und das Verschwinden des Getöteten 181 2.2.1.4 Explizite Darstellung von Gewalt 184 2.2.1.5 Zwischenfazit – Funktionen und Effekte der Darstellung der Kämpfe 189 2.2.2 Die Kriegsmaschine und der gute Krieg 192 2.2.2.1 Die Feminisierung der Kriegsmaschine 192 2.2.2.2 Die Kriegsmaschine als Tier 196 2.2.2.3 Die Kriegsmaschine als Kunstwerk 199 2.2.2.4 Die Kontrastierung der feindlichen Maschinen 201 2.2.2.5 Die Nostalgisierung der Kriegsmaschine und die Spitfire als Erinnerungsort 204 2.2.2.6 Demythisierung? Die Nutzung der Hurricane als explizite Kontrastfolie 207 2.2.2.7 Zwischenfazit 209 4 2.3 Courage and Sacrifice – Darstellung und Instrumentalisierung von Verletzung, ……… psychischer Erschöpfung und Tod 210 2.3.1 Verletzung 211 2.3.2 Erschöpfung und psychische Zerstörung 218 2.3.3 Tod 223 2.3.4 Zwischenfazit 235 2.4 The White Cliffs of Dover und andere Stätten der Nation – Die Integration von nationalen ….. Orten in die Darstellungen der Schlacht 236 2.4.1 Die White Cliffs of Dover und der Ärmelkanal 237 2.4.2 Der nationale Ort jenseits des Einmaligen – Der Pub und die Luftschlacht 245 2.4.3 Pastorale und Ländlichkeit 248 2.5 Primäre Bedeutungszuweisungen im Wandel 262 2.5.2.1 Die Integration spekulativer Geschichte 264 2.5.1.2 Die Integration anderer Erinnerungsorte 266 2.5.2.1 Das Fehlen eines englischen Nationalismus 270 2.5.2.2 Die Battle of Britain als einigendes und demokratisierendes Ereignis 272 2.5.2.3 „Standing Alone“ – Die Rettung der Zivilisation als spezifisch englische Leistung 275 2.5.2.4 Kontrastierung mit Kontinentaleuropa 277 2.5.2.5 Die Battle of Britain als Entscheidungsschlacht des Zweiten Weltkriegs 279 2.5.2.6 Their Finest Hour – Die Luftschlacht als Golden Age 282 2.5.3 Remythisierungen 285 2.5.3.1 Die Battle of Britain als Deutungsmuster für den Kalten Krieg 286 2.5.3.2 Die Rolle Großbritanniens in einem vereinigten Europa 291 2.5.4 Modifikationen und Negationen von Mythenbildung, Erinnerung und Identität 294 3. Fazit 300 3.1 Versuch einer zeitlichen Einordnung 300 3.2 Die Instrumentalisierung einzelner Elemente 303 3.3 Mythisierung durch Darstellungsstrategien 305 5 3.4 Mythisierung durch Demythisierung 307 3.5 Die Battle of Britain und ihre Rolle als geschützter Erinnerungsort 308 4. Literaturverzeichnis 311 4.1 Primärmaterial 311 4.1.1 Texte 311 4.1.2 Filme 314 4.2 Sekundärliteratur 314 6 1. Einführung, Fragestellung und Thesen Noch über ein halbes Jahrhundert nach seinem Ende prägt der Zweite Weltkrieg das Selbstbild der britischen Gesellschaft. Zwar haben Dekolonisation und Immigration, die Rolle Großbritanniens in der Europäischen Union und Bestrebungen in Wales und Schottland, die politische Dominanz Englands im United Kingdom zu beenden, seit 1945 das politische Tagesgeschäft bestimmt und die englische nationale Identität problematisiert. Es reicht jedoch ein Blick in die entsprechende Abteilung einer Bücherkette wie Waterstone’s oder WH Smith, um zu erkennen, dass der „People’s War“ 1 tiefe Spuren in der nationalen Identität der Briten hinterlassen hat – von den bald rituellen Beschwerden des deutschen Botschafters über Vergleiche und Anspielungen auf den Krieg, wie sie in der britischen yellow press anlässlich bedeutender Länderspiele häufig auftauchen, ganz zu schweigen. 2 Der Zweite Weltkrieg bietet die Möglichkeit, ein ungetrübt positives nationales Selbstbild zu konstruieren, indem eine integrative „ Britishness “ als zentrales Merkmal einer Nation benannt wird, die vom Anfang an bis zum Ende des Krieges gegen Deutschland und Japan kämpfte und zusammen mit den späteren Supermächten den Sieg über den Nationalsozialismus errang. Damit lassen sich Repräsentationen dieses Ereignisses als nostalgische Identifikationsangebote wahrnehmen, die den schmerzhaft empfundenen Bedeutungsverlust des ehemaligen Mitglieds der „Big Three“, das Zurückbleiben hinter den beiden Supermächten des Kalten Krieges und den oft formulierten Eindruck der wirtschaftlichen Zweitrangigkeit hinter den Verlierern des Zweiten Weltkriegs erträglicher erscheinen lassen. 3 Der Zweite Weltkrieg erlaubt die Selbstdarstellung als kommune Nation und die Schaffung einer „umbrella identity“ für eine pluralistische und heterogene Gesellschaft. 4 Die Wahrnehmung des Zweiten Weltkriegs als einen „guten Krieg“ ist in diesem Rahmen nicht zu unterschätzen. Die Alliierten verhinderten in Europa die Hegemonie des nationalsozialistischen Deutschlands. Im Vergleich zum Ersten Weltkrieg ließ sich dieser Konflikt daher als ein klar umrissener Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse darstellen: Eine Wertzuweisung, die bis heute gültig ist und damit die Repräsentationen des Ereignisses prägt. 1 Vgl. Malcolm Smith. Britain and 1940. History, Myth and Popular Memory . London: Routledge, 2000, 7; Angus Calder. The Myth of the Blitz . [1991] London: Pimlico, 2003, xiv, 59, 218f. 2 Vgl. Mark Connelly. We Can Take It. Britain and the Memory of the Second World War . Harlow: Pearson, 2004, 1; Barbara Korte. „Wars and 'British' Identities from Norman Conquerors to Bosnian Warriors. An Overview of Cultural Representations.“ In: Barbara Korte/ Ralf Schneider (Hg.). War and the Cultural Construction of Identities in Britain . Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2002, 9–24, 12. 3 Zur These eines wirtschaftlichen Abstiegs Großbritanniens nach dem Zweiten Weltkriegs vgl. Correlli Barnett. The Audit of War. The Illusion and Reality of Britain as a Great Nation . London: Macmillan, 1986, 7; Peter Clarke. Hope and Glory. Britain 1900–2000 . London: Penguin, 2004. 4 Vgl. Barbara Korte/ Ralf Schneider. „Introduction.“ In: Korte/ Schneider, War and the Cultural Construction of Identities in Britain , 1–18, 2f. 7 Dass die britische Zivilbevölkerung wie nie zuvor in die Kriegsbemühungen eingebunden war und dabei auch zum Ziel deutscher Angriffe wurde, hatte zudem den Effekt, dass der Zweite Weltkrieg zu einem „People’s War“ stilisiert wurde, in dem die gesamte Nation, ungeachtet der Unterschiede hinsichtlich Status, Herkunft und Geschlecht, für den Sieg kämpfte und Opfer brachte. Da Großbritannien im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen europäischen Nationen unbesiegt und unbesetzt blieb, kann es als gleichwertiger Partner der USA und der Sowjetunion gezeigt werden und bekommt damit die Rolle einer „great nation“ zugewiesen, die die gleiche Bedeutung wie diese beiden Alliierten besitzt, obwohl diese einen viel größeren Einfluss auf den Kriegsverlauf nahmen und sehr viel mehr Tote zu beklagen hatten. 5 Der Einfluss Großbritanniens auf den Verlauf des Zweiten Weltkriegs wird durch diese Interpretation überhöht, dennoch ist sie bis heute im kollektiven Gedächtnis dominant. Repräsentationen des Zweiten Weltkriegs erlauben gleichzeitig den Rückgriff auf ein konservatives Bild nationaler Identität. Im Vergleich zu den Ereignissen der Nachkriegszeit erlauben sie die Konstruktion eines Selbstbildes, das sich durch klare Rollen und wenige Ambivalenzen auszeichnet. Das Bild des „People’s War“ zeigt eine homogene Nation:
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