This isn’t the first time someone’s asked questions about Herr Verklempt’s possible Nazi ties, and it probably won’t be the last (though it’s a joke vein I’m going to try and stop mining – I never wanted to write Hogan’s Heroes). I think it speaks to a peculiarity of the American consciousness, our need to cling to the Hollywoodian peak of our moral superiority. We were good, and the Nazis were bad, and that’s all there is to it. Then we had the Commies, and for most of my adult life it’s been these nebulous “Terrorists.” From John Wayne to John Rambo to Jack Bauer.
If it’s true we define ourselves by our enemies, I guess it makes sense that we seek out new and ever more terrible enemies to wipe from the map. It doesn’t strike me as the healthiest way to spend time, but there you have it.