|
I was born March 1935 in Berlin and grew up in Stuttgart, a city of about 0.5 million in southwest Germany. I grew up in Stuttgart, a city of about 0.5 million in southwest Germany. It was the capital of (now aden-) Württemberg. We speak a dialekt of the German language called “Schwäbisch” (swabian). Stuttgart. It is an industrial city and thus was heavily bombed by the Allies during the War. I was born March 1935 in Berlin. I grew up in a middle class family, living in their apartment home with garden in Stuttgart. I was the only child there, but had several cousins to play with. I have many family photographs showing how I was dressed as I was growing up in Germany. My father was a medical doctor, later head of a hospital, during the war in military service. My parents got married in 1934; they were divorced
by 1937. With my mother I moved to the family of the grandparents in Stuttgart. I recall a good bit about my boyhood clothes, but the family photographs help me recall the details. The family photographs which I sent begin at age 2 1/2 years. I had all sorts of stuffed animals--a large sable. I began Kindergarten at age 4 in 1939. I began school at 6 1/2 years old in the Fall of 1941. My school picture shows me with the book satchel we all had. I graduated to a Gymnasium (secondary school) in Fall 1945. Our family liked to go skiing during the Winter.
Let me explain this with my family as it will tell you alot about my family background. It also provides a good example of how the different German schools played a role in the life of one German family. My family had craft roots, but we entered the middleclass in the 19th century. American and other non-German readers may want to look at some of the HBC background pages to learn more about the different kinds of German schools. My grandfather received an excellent education and I remember him as a very cultured person. As my parents divorced, I have very few memories of my father. The basic structure of German education dates from the 19th century.
I have some early family photographs. They provide a look at how German boys were dressed in the early 20th century before I arrived. These are photographs of my father taken 1905-10. One his with his younger brother when they were 2 1/2 and 4 yeras old. The other two show him when he was about 7 years old. Note the hair cut!
My father was a medical doctor, later head of a hospital, during the war in military service. My parents got married in 1934; they were divorced
by 1937. With my mother I moved to the family of the grandparents in Stuttgart. My grandfather was in the socalled Weimar Republic a civil service officer in a German ministry. He was removed by the NAZIs in 1933 from his position in Berlin for political reasons. We are not Jewish, and he was not related to communists or socialists which mean that we were not in danger. But he did lose his job. My grandfather worked again aftervthe War from 1946 until his death in 1960 for a German ministry in Frankfurt and Bonn as a consultant.
I grew up in Stuttgart, a city of about 0.5 million in southwest Germany. It was the capital of (now aden-) Württemberg. We speak a dialekt of the German language called “Schwäbisch” (swabian). Stuttgart. It is an industrial city and thus was heavily bombed by the Allies during the War. Our house was fortunately not damaged, however I can remember attacks and big fires around. Most of the population in Stuttgart was untill the end of the war were strictly reformed protestants (like Switzerland), conservative. After the Warwar Stuttgart was in the American occupation zone. After the War Stuttgart was in the American occupation zone.
I have many family photographs showing how I was dressed as I was growing up in Germany. I recall a good bit about my boyhood clothes, but the family photographs help me recall the details.
I was born March 1935 in Berlin. I grew up in a middle class family, living in their apartment home with garden in Stuttgart. I was the only child there, but had several cousins to play with. It was very fine to grew up in a house with a big garden. I was never a member of the Hitler-Jugend being only 9 years old when the war ended. From christmas 1944 till fall 1945 I idn`t go to school due to the circumstances. I ended my school education in February 1954.
Here are some details on the clothes I wore as a boy. As you can see they were quite varied. The chronological arrangement here provide a good idea as to how my clothes changed as I grew up. There are a lot of photographsof me a a younger boy. As the war conditions worsened there are fewer photographs at the end of the War and the early post-War era. Several of te family photographs also show what my cousins were wearing. The family photographs which I have provided HBC begin at about age 2 in 1937. Pictures at 2½ year old show me sitting on a swing and riding a tricycle. At this age I had all sorts of stuffed animals--a large sable. I loved playing with them. At Christmas 1937 photograph shows me with my stable of animals. My first professional portrait was taken at about the same time. As a little boy at home I commonly wore a play dress ( Spielhöschen ). I began wearing sailors suits at about age 3 and had quite a few different ones. I never wore Lederhosen, but had several outfits that looked like them. I got my first real suit when I was 5 yeas old, but for special occasions often wore sailor suits. My last boyhood photographs which I include here were taken in the Summer of 1950. In one photograph I am sitting in the garden of our home. [HBC note: By garden Hans J means back yard. British English never uses the American term back yard, as yard in Britain is used in the sense of junk yard or vacant uncared for yard not a well tended garden.] In the other I am sitting in a historic castle ruin.
Our family photographs show me wearing a wide range of clothing and outfits. They are a very good represenation of what a middle cklass German boy wore befor during and afyer World War II. Here are some specific details about the clothes I wore as a boy. My father obviously was rather found of the sailor style as he bought them and sent them as gifts. When I was 2¾ years old a photograph in our garden shows me wearing a " Gamaschen ". We wore various styles of coats and jackets in the Winter. As a little boy at home I commonly wore a play dress ( Spielhöschen ). This snapshot shows me wearing a Spielhöschen . These outfits are called rompers in America and barboteuses in France. I am 3 years old in a photograh taken in mid-1938. I'm not sure to what age I wore these outfits. I was no longer wearing them at the time I began school. I'm not sure what color this one was. Younger boys wore Traininganzüge for play outside in the cold Winter weather. Under a Traininganzüge we always wore long stockings. Sweaters were commonly worn in the Fall and Winter, primarily pullovers. The Norwegian ( Norwegermuster ) was the most popular style. I wore several sailor suits when I was a boy. It was my father who bought them for me. My father obviously was rather found of the sailor style as he bought them and sent them as gifts. I had dark blue suits in a havy material for winter. I had another sailor suit for the summer. This was a light-blue suit in a light-weight material with long pants. We wore long-sleeve shirts most of the year (Fall/Winter/Spring). Only in the warm Summer weather did we wear short-sleeved shirts. Usually they were white or light colors for easy washing until after the War. At home and in school we generally wore short pants. Younger boys also wore long stockings with shorts during the Winter. This varied somewhat depending on one's parents. Some mothers were more protective than others. I never had Bavarian Lederhosen. Sometimes on sundays for walking with our parents or grand parents we wore our best suits ( Ausgehanzug ) like my sailor suits with long pants. Older boys might have knicker suits. Long, knitted stockings were worn in the Winter when the temperature fell below 15°-18°C. Usually this meant from October through April which meant more than half the year. My long stockings were mostly brown. Our family photographs of course do not show my underwear so I will describe them. Our Summer and Winter underwear were different.
About my hair. I never had much hair, even as a boy. Now, you can count them! As a boy my hair style did not change much. The image here shows how I normally wore it (figure 1). I never had my head shaved like my father. In most cases this was a sign of boys who grew up in poor families where paying for the barber was money to be saved, at least in Germany. In these homes it was easier for mother or father to cut all the hair at home and this did not cost anything.
I began Kindergarten at age 4 in 1939. I was dressed in a warm black or navy-blue training suit ( Trainingsanzug ) in Winter. Note the cap called a devil's cap ( Teufelsmüze ). I also had a handkerchief and some sweets. I began school at 6 1/2 years old in the Fall of 1941. I am wearing my Baskenmütze as a cap. My school picture shows me with my leather book satchel ( Ranzen ) we all had. We carried everything we needed n out satchels. I am wearing my best jacket. These satchels are very characteristic of German schoolboys. We had very different shoulder straps than the ones the girls had. We had these satchels until age 14. That was when most of us finished school. After age 10 about 8 percent of the students were selected out for a more academic program. They went on to Gymnasium (secondary school). Mother took me out of school in the Fall of 1944 as conditions were becomng so dangerous. I did not return to school until the War was over. In Fall 1945 I graduated to a Gymnasium (secondary school) as I did. At the Gymnasium we boys, instead of a back satchel ( Ranzen ), beginning about age 12 used a book satchel with a handle. I learned English in my Gymnasium, although school was still very difficult in 1945-46. My mother had already begun to leabn English at the hospital where she worked with the Americans. She was able to help me and I studied while I was out of scghool. To get a dictionary we had to bring, as I remember, two kg of paper for recycling in 1946.
My family liked to go skiing during the Winter. I started to go on these trips during the Winter of 1942-43. My mother managed to get some small size skies for me. I am wearing another Traininganzug with a yellow woollen cap. I had canvas gloves. This was a real treat for us. I eventually became a real ski enthuiast, however, after this trip conditions in Germany began to deteriorate because of the War and it wan't until after the War that I could really enjoy skiiing. While mother and I had a wonderful time in the snow, this was also the same time that the Germany 6th Army was surrounded and defeated ny the Red Army aided by the same snow that we were enjoying.
As a boy of 8+ years I was aware of the War and the Hitler Youth (HJ) organisation. I was never was a member because boys and girls did not join until we reached age 10 years. Returning to school in fall 1944 after the summer holidays I attended with other childs from my class three to four times an afternoon event of the HJ as a socalled "Pimpf", no uniform and no much obligations. This was probably
the planned beginning to join the HJ because during this 4th schoolyear I would have become 10 years old and would be forced to enter the HJ. My mother and the aunt didn't push me. My grandparents at the other side had to be very cautious not to become suspicious as not supporting the regime. At Christmas 1944 my mother took me to another small town nearby where she was working in a hospital. From this time on I was no more going to school - well, I was out of the view of the regime, as the organisation even of school visiting obviously was no more under control.
I grew up during World War II. After America entered the War, the Allies expanded the stategic bombing campaign. The bombing became increasingly intensive during 1943. Stuttgart as an industrial city was one of the cities which the Allies targeted. As a result, we children in Stuttgart were evacuated during Fall 1943. We were moved to the surrounding villages, if possible to the homes of relatives. A photograph of me in Winter 1943/44 when I was about 8 3/4 years shows me with a younger cousin. He was about 4 1/2 years old. I am wearing my Baskenmütze. My little cousin has a cap with bill. My coat is a warm Lodenmantel with a hood fastened by buttons to the coat. [HBC note: A French reader tells us that Lodenmantel means a coat made with a sort of waterproof woollen fabric. It is no longer made and worn except in Bavaria and Austria (even by adults). In French the term was " manteau de loden ".] Obtaining children's clothes became increasingly difficult as the War progressed, especially by 1945. [HBC note: Clothing became a special problen for Germany during the War. Besides of the War-time priorities and disruption due to the bombings, the Royal Navy cut Germany off from supplies of cotton--all of which was imported.] We "inherited" most of our clothes from older brothers and sisters and cousins. As I was an only child, I inherited many garments from cousins. I was very lucky. We had American relatives who sent us some clothes after the War when it was almost impossible to obtain children's clothes in Germany.
The earliest Christmases that I remember were during the War. I remember that wee had a Christmas tree even during the War. The Christmas tree as most people know is vert important to Christmas celebration in Germany.
My mother My mother worked in 1944 in a hospital in a small city about 70 miles east of Stuttgart near to the village, W.al, where I was living in the family of relatives. At the end of the war, beginning at New Years 1945 till June I was with her in this city and the hospital. It was partially a public and a military hospital. We were very fortunate to be at the hospital. At the end of the war with American occupation we now got good food, chickens etc and chocolate for the children; my mother continued to work on for the public and military part till June 1945 when we returned to Stuttgart.
We lived in Stuttgart, but wgen the bombing internsified, we were evacuated. I lived with relatives in amall village and was separated from my mother. She came and got me just before Chritmas 1944. I was 10 years old when the War ended. My mother and I fortunately found ourselves in the American occupation zone. When the war ended I had just turned 10 years old (my birthday is in March). When the American soldiers approached Ellwangen my mother had to stay in the hospital, she took me there to keep me safe. First, wounded German soldiers came, than wounded American soldiers arrived. The hospital was a peaceful place, but overcrowded. he Americans immediately organised medical help, there was no shortness of material and food anymore.In July my mother was allowed to return to home in Stuttgart. The grand-parents still lived there, our house was not much damaged, broken windows and problems with the roof, well, this was war. In September 1945 I started school again in one of the Gymnasiums in Stuttgart. War was over. In school we got "Schulspeisung" (food for the pupils) in the long break at about 10:30 am, I think organised by an American organisation. From relatives in US (Brooklyn) we got CARE-parcels with additional food and clothings. In Stuttgart, an "Amerika-Haus" opened with a cultural program, library, cinema and language courses - which I didn't attend because I now learned English in school. With the (American) occupation in Ellwangen, Göppingen and Stuttgart we had no bad experiences. Here are my observations and thoughts as a boy of that time.
A HBC reader has provided us a photogrph of his Confirmation in 1949. "I got my first long pants suit for Confirmation in May 1949. This is a Protestant religious celebration held when a boy reaches 14 years old. I wore my
long pants suit later on for social events with the family, going to the theatre and opera, even in the dancing school with 16 years." Hans here is a member of a large group photographed in front of their Church (figure 1). The girls all wear dark dresses. The boys all wear suits. Most are dark suiys, but there
are a few lighht colored ones as well. Almost all the boys wear necktiesare bowries with a white lapel flower. A few boys wear open collar shirts. There are a lot more boys than girls. We are not sure why tht would be. The year was 4 years after the end of World War II. Economic hd begun to improve. The children all seemed to be well dressed for the occassion.
A French reader writes, "This is a fascinating account! It is one of the best about Europe on HBC with a lot of interesting details and the iages are charming. The inter-war and post war is very interesting to known. Thanfully Hans has taken time to write down his experiences. for the rest of us. I hope there are more of these pages to come."
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing German pages:
[Return to the Main German personal experience page]
[German choirs]
[German movies]
[German royalty]
[German school uniforms]
[German youth groups]
[German sailor suits]
[Lederhosen]
[Ethnic]
[Tights]
[Long stockings]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[About Us]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Cloth and textiles]
[Garments]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
