I've written elsewhere on one of my pet dinner party rant subjects: the emasculation of Jews in war films. From the glittering dawn of Hollywood to the present, my argument (backed by an unhealthy amount of film-watching) is that whenever Jews appear in movies about war, they are emasculated, either by death, inherent lack of martial ability, or by absorption (marriage, sex) in a non-Jewish milieu.
Think about it: Saving Private Ryan; Enemy At The Gates; Independence Day even. In film after film, the Jewish soldier is either useless in combat, killed, or otherwise prevented from being a living, breathing, self-defending human being.
Think about it: Saving Private Ryan; Enemy At The Gates; Independence Day even. In film after film, the Jewish soldier is either useless in combat, killed, or otherwise prevented from being a living, breathing, self-defending human being.
It's not for me here to make the case for Jewish military prowess. These days, Israel fairly does that job.
Besides, what I want to address here is the difference between film, in which Jews are portrayed as bad soldiers, and World War Two fiction, in which 'real life' soldierly Jews appear to me to dominate.
One of the books I hope to take on holiday with me next week is the London comic novel Fowlers End (1957) by Gerald Kersh (1911-1968, a Jew and a Coldstream Guardsman).
Besides, what I want to address here is the difference between film, in which Jews are portrayed as bad soldiers, and World War Two fiction, in which 'real life' soldierly Jews appear to me to dominate.
One of the books I hope to take on holiday with me next week is the London comic novel Fowlers End (1957) by Gerald Kersh (1911-1968, a Jew and a Coldstream Guardsman).
Fowlers End will hopefully be a great read. I've really enjoyed other books by Kersh; he finds the humanity and laughs as well as the horror in the mid-20th century London underworld. What's relevant here though, is the military character of several of Kersh's other books.
Of course, Kersh was drawing in part from his own experiences. One of my favourite authors, Alexander Baron (1917-1999, a Jew and Pioneer Corps soldier), certainly does this.
Now, here's the thing. I've read a lot of factual accounts of the fighting in World War Two, written from the point of view of servicemen, Jewish and non-Jewish, of all sorts of ranks and regiments. But Kersh and Baron were both Jewish; I have yet to find any *serious* World War Two-derived fiction, by non-Jewish servicemen. Baron and Kersh together do not a full argument make. But they're a start, and I have nothing to contradict me.
This sounds ridiculous. It may be that I'm not looking hard enough. Who am I missing? Who else fought in 1939-1945 and wrote fiction about it? Can anyone make any suggestions?
This sounds ridiculous. It may be that I'm not looking hard enough. Who am I missing? Who else fought in 1939-1945 and wrote fiction about it? Can anyone make any suggestions?