[cyberia]

Excellent post, Bob. I have heard such stories before and I believe you are right. Perception of better times is no doubt the basis of such feelings.

My cousin from Munich was visiting ten or so years ago when he told me this story.

A production company in the 1970s was filming in the area for a movie on Hitler. The main actor bore a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler. I want to say it might have been Alert Finny, but I'm not sure.

My cousin, like many other locals gathered to watch to filming. As the actor/Hitler was walking down a street to arrive on the set, and elderly man with a missing leg called out to him. With tears flowing down his face this man fell to ground in front of the actor, tugged at his pants cuff and pulled out from a pocket several medals he had won in the war to show them.

Of course, this man was obviously unable to reason out this actor could not have been Hitler. Still, in his mind at that moment there was no doubt, and his demonstration was both touching and disturbing at the same time.

My guess would be selective memory is just that. Selective.