Allies in Memory Amidst the ruins of postwar Europe, and just as the Cold War dawned, many new memorials were dedicated to those Americans who had fought and fallen for freedom. Some of these monuments, plaques, stained-glass windows and other commemorative signposts were established by agents of the US government, partly in the service of transatlantic diplomacy; some were built by American veterans' groups mourning lost comrades; and some were provided by grateful and grieving European communities. As the war receded, Europe also became the site for other forms of American commemoration: from the sombre and solemn battlefield pilgrimages of veterans, to the political theatre of presidents, to the production and consumption of commemorative souvenirs. With a specific focus on the processes and practices in two distinct regions of Europe-Normandy and East Anglia-Sam Edwards tells a story of postwar Euro-American cultural contact, and of the acts of transatlantic commemoration that this bequeathed.

No abstract

The story of the wartime 'friendly invasion' by American soldiers has been a staple of British popular culture since at least the end of the Second World War. Transatlantic love affairs and sexual encounters between Americans and Britons during the conflict were central to the origins -and lived experience -of the 'special relationship'. This article assesses how such events and episodes have been reimagined in post-war popular culture. By examining various films, novels and television series from the 1940s to the 1990s, the article explores how cultural representations of the 'friendly invasion' -and especially of Anglo-American romance -have played an important role in mediating the discourses, disputes and shifting realities of contemporary Anglo-American relations. In doing so, the article contributes to on-going work interrogating anew the cultural history of the special relationship.

No abstract

No abstract