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As a kid, even though I had hardly traveled out of state and never overseas - Europe, its states, Germany, England, France, etc., its famous cities, Paris, London, Berlin were things I could relate to. The pre-war newsreels showed cities that looked like NYC, etc., and as a fan of old movies, I'd seen those cities looking like cities I knew; whereas, the Pacific battles in Iwo Jima, Leyte, Okinawa only meant something to me because they were location of WWII battles.
Is this Western bias - sure, maybe, but America was born by breaking free of England and the dominant immigrant groups that had assimilated - when I was growing up in the late '60s / '70s - were from, mainly, Europe. I could relate to the Allied invasion of Sicily; whereas, I had no frame of reference for Saipan and knew almost no Asian people.
In a very good way things have changed a lot from those years, but it makes sense to me that the European theater was more relatable for most Americans.
Is this Western bias - sure, maybe, but America was born by breaking free of England and the dominant immigrant groups that had assimilated - when I was growing up in the late '60s / '70s - were from, mainly, Europe. I could relate to the Allied invasion of Sicily; whereas, I had no frame of reference for Saipan and knew almost no Asian people.
In a very good way things have changed a lot from those years, but it makes sense to me that the European theater was more relatable for most Americans.
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