Where does this nonsense about Allied forces lining up and shooting German people even come from?

I lived in Berlin starting in the early '80s for 5 years while I was in the military. I spoke very good German, and I had many friends who were young people like me. I spent time with their parents and grandparents.

Universally, the German people I met were humbled and greatful that British, French, and U.S. military forces treated them (or their parents/grandparents) with mostly kindness and respect in the aftermath of the war. If Allied forces had executed 12m civilians including women and children, everyone would have been talking about it. That's not something that just gets casually buried or overlooked.

How does nonsense like this take root?

And thanks for the heads-up about Christ the King as antiemetic dog whistle. I didn't know.