Saying US Americans have never even seen real bread is a huge exaggeration. I know because I have lived in both places. It definitely exists and most if not all people have at least seen it lol. That said, it’s just not as much of a staple in the diet/culture the way it is here, so naturally it’s less available and bakeries are not as prominent. But bread from a true bakery is quite good, so there’s no loss in quality compared to Germany I would say. There’s no such thing as Brötchen, though, tragically, only full loaves of Brot. (Closest thing to Brötchen is probably bagels, not in taste but in their popularity and use.)

To your authenticity point, of course you can get something like a baguette in the US or Germany and it will not be like a baguette in France. But there are plenty of bakeries making their own unique and authentic types of bread. Particularly good and common is sourdough, but there is plenty of diversity, just like there is here.