German Home Front

[Danmark]

In the begining of the war the German people went about there everyday lifes as normal, except they were bombarded with nazi propoganda and war drills. The propoganda told the German people about the war and how the German Army is winning and that Germany will expand soon.
Anyone else can post too.

[CROONAERT]

According to my Great Aunt (who didn't have a particularly good war - losing both brothers, a parent and her fiance, along with her home), her happiest memories come from the period 1933 - 41 and she still looks back fondly on this period (when it's a sunny day, she describes it as "Hitler Weather" for some reason(?) ).

At this period, as an ordinary young woman, living a pretty ordinary life, in a run-of-the-mill small town, she wasn't much affected by the Nazis or their propaganda. She had much more important things to occupy her mind. (Things changed dramatically later, though).

As for life in Germany in the immediate aftermath of the war, she's got no idea as she got out and married a British soldier, living in the UK ever since. The only experience that I've got first hand accounts of is Germany in circa 1949-50, when my father was stationed there, and he recalls that things were better (around Osnabruck) there, than back home in Lancashire (availability of products, etc.).

B.

[Danmark]

After the war Germany was split up into sections, the Russians took the largest piece. The Yanks got the areas of Bavaria, Hessen and parts of Austria. The Tommies got that areas of Germany that bordered Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, they also got a small amount in Austria. The Frenchies got the areas that of Germany that bordered France, Switizerland and Italy. The Russians took much of Eastern Germany, Poland was a Communist State under the command of Russia. Berlin was a joint venture, Western Berlin was controlled mainly by the USA/UK, Eastern Berlin was walled in by the Commies/Russians.

It depends on where in Germany you were after the war, what sector you where in and more importantly who was in control of that sector. The USA/UK instituted new laws(Curfews, no weapons) and were generally more helpfull then the others. The Russians were the worst, they walled in there sectors and prevented most refugees from escaping, unless you had certian papers like a POW pass or if you were on official business there.

I have done a lot research on the matter. Ulm, Germany where some of my family is from was in a USA Sector and reported having a peacefull experience.

[Thomas McCall]

Hello Danmark
Have you done any research in to Russian 'concentration' camps in Eastern Germany aqfter the war and the work the NKVD did there?

[Danmark]

I have done some research on the Russian "Concentration Camps", but they were not all in Eastern Germany. Most were in Siberia, the Ukraine and Eastern Russia.
The camps that were in Eastern Germany were used by the Germans for their concentration camps. Once the Russians invaded Germany they would round up the German Soldiers and put them in camps to be POWs. Most German POWs were considered war criminials in the eyes of their captors, the Russians. When Russian took over Berlin they would tell the German POWs to take off their left shirt leave. The Russians would look for the tattooed/branded mark of the Waffen-SS/SS, if they found that mark they would execute the German POW on site. The Russians would also look for the insignia of the German Sniper/Marksmen, an oval shaped pouch with an Owl or an Eagle in the middle of it with two ribbons on the sides. They would shot those German POWs on site too. Most executions were done by the NKVD or the political branch of the Soviet Army.

The German POWs that did make it to the Russian camps were forced to work hard labor in factories on farms.

The Russian Concentration Camps that were in Eastern Germany after the war were mainly for nazis or nazi supporters.

There is not alot of info on the Russian Concentration Camps. but here are some sites.
http://www.nkvd.org/

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSnkvd.htm

[Thomas McCall]

There is a difference between the Soviet camps set up in Germany after the war and of those of the Gulag in the Soviet Union, the Gulag was for manufacturing, coal and gold mining and also logging.

Whilst the camps in Germany were set up for the concentration of certain people not for murder. The camps in germany did not just include Nazi supporters but also communist party members other political organisations and any body who could pose a threat to the Soviet Union and innocent people that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The NKVD were brutal and they did shoot German POW's and also 4000 Polish POW's in the Kaytn forest in Eastern Poland the NKVD did not massacre just any average German soldier, any Germans which were captured were either given amnesties, sent to a transit camp and then to a Gulag or POW camp in the Soviet Union.

Although the Russian army's behaviour when it entered Germany was barbaric but I suppose that the Russian's just saw it as their right since Germany had invaded their Motherland

[Happy Hussar]

Gulag was a smart way to combine 'manufacturing' and elimination of people.
The Russians werent wasting time to shoot all 'traitors' and 'enemys of country'.
Shoot few millions of people. For what ? Use them.
They used them as workers. I was their redemption for their 'sins'.
And if they didnt survived the work... well the way to redemption is hard.
A little bit cynic isnt ?
And about Katyn and the rest. It was about 15.000 polish officers, policemen, MP and other formations. Stalin ordered to kill about 25.000 people. Oh I shouldnt say Russians, I should say NKWD. Simple Russians were terrorized by NKWD as same as people from other nations.

Barbaric behaviour of russians soldiers... well with what the Germans did to their country and with political police behind their back.
As Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski wrote in his book 'Another world'
"Man cant be human in nonhuman conditions"

[Thomas McCall]

After Stalin's death in 1953 the communist party saw the Gulag as more of a drain on the economy and it was not profitable so the 'thaw' happened with political prisoners being released. By the early 1950's over 2,000,000 people were in the Gulag system or exiles.

[strangelove]

well, about that (concentration camps), more than 200 000 croats were killed during "krizhni put" (i don't knoe how to translate it, it means something like death march). it started at bleiburg when the mass of more than 200 000 people (soldiers, civilians and others) tried to surrender to british army, forced by the fear of incoming partisan killing army. when they reached british occupation zone, they where coldly returned to partisans which executed about 30 000 of them right on that site. after that, rest of people was sent on long journey throgh ex.yu (more than 2 500 km) where they were tortured, and at the end - killed. only few of them survived.

this was a short story of post-war executing in, now ex. yugoslavia.

[Thomas McCall]

I think the British Army sis kind of the same thing with Ukranian cossaks that had sought refugee from the Red Army in Southern Germany and Austria.

The British Army forced thousands of Cossaks back to the Soviet Union where they were prisoned or executed on Stalin's orders. Not one of our finest hours!