First, by acknowledging that Europe didn't have a military-industrial monster with a very voracious appetite at the centres of national economies, unlike the US. They then used that to be the 'big dawg'- bases where they wanted them and military control of NATO whenever a spat cropped up. Third...
Dig out Ken Burns' 10 parter about the war. It's excellent. Regularly on PBS, which I believe has a streaming service. I watch it every time it comes on.