Berlin Street Scene (1948-49)


Figure 1.--The Allied military personnel in Berlin became heros to the German children. The relationship is apparent in this unstaged photograph. I believe this was a photograph taken in Berlin during the Aitlift period, but am not positive. The GI seen here looks to be part of the Berlin garison rather than one of the airmen involved in the Airlift. I'm not sure what the buiklding in the background is.

The Allied military personnel in Berlin became heros to the German children. The image is a good illustration of the evolving German attitude toward the Americans. Of course Berlin was a special case because it was being immediately treeatened by the Soviets. The relationship is apparent in this unstaged photograph. I believe this was a photograph taken in Berlin during the Aitlift period, but am not positive. The GI seen here looks to be part of the Berlin garison rather than one of the airmen involved in the Airlift. I'm not sure what the buiklding in the background is. Perhaps our German Readers will know. The boys with the GI demonstrate different ways German boys were dressing in the late 1940s.

Germany and the Americans

The Allied military personnel in Berlin became heros to the German children. The image is a good illustration of the evolving German attitude toward the Americans. Of course Berlin was a special case. Given twhat the Soviet soldiers did in Berlin, the liied soldiers who arrived to set up a joint administration seemed more like liberators than was the case in the rest og Germany. Also because Berlin in 1948 was being immediately treatened by the Soviets. But in fact all of Germany was threatened by the Soviets and Communism. The relationship is apparent in this unstaged photograph.

Berlin Air Lift

Berlin was at the center if the Cold War. Many believe that the Cold War began and ended in Berlin. The beginning would be the Soviet efforts to push the Western Allies out of Berlin. The end was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Berlin was conquered by the Red Army in savage fighting during the end of April 1945. Stalin was intent on the Red Army taking the prize and lied to General Eisenhower about his intentions. Wehrmacht commanders west of Berlin could not understand why the Americand did not push for Berlin. When the Red Army approached his bunker, Hitler committed suicide. As decided at the Yalta Conference, the three principal Western Allies (Britain, France, and the United States) were given occupation zones in the conquered NAZI capital. As Berlin was located well within the Soviet occupation zone of Germany, all supplies had to pass through the Soviet zone. As a result, the Western allies and the Berlin people were vulnerable to Soviet pressure. This and the symbolic value of Berlin made it the focal point of the Cold War. It was at Berlin that the first major confrontation of the Cold War occurred. Stalin decided in 1948 that he could blockade Berlin and force the Western allies out and the people of West Berlin into submission. Ironically the people of West Berlin were saved by American and British pilots, in most cases the same men that only 3 years earlier had been bombing German cities and had reduced Berlin to ruble. President Truman was determined that the United States would not leave Berlin and a massive airlift was organized and even during the winter, more supploes were reaching Berlin than before tht Soviets had instituted the blockade. One of the pilots was struck by the Berlin children who still lived in desperate conditions after the War. The children of course had little idea of the larger issues involved, but were caught up in the episode when one of the pilots began dropping chocolates in little parachutes when he reached Berlin. Other pilots began doing the same. The Berlin children began calling him Uncle Chocolate and thousands wrote with directions as to how to how the American pilots could hit their homes! Finally with the success of the Airlift, Stalin relented and rail and road links were reopened in 1949.

Chronology

I believe this was a photograph taken in Berlin during the Aitlift period, but am not positive.

American Berlin Garrison

The GI seen here looks to be part of the Berlin garison rather than one of the airmen involved in the Airlift. An American reader who served in Germany tells us, "The soldier in the picture surrounded by the German kids was from the 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st US Infantry Division. He has a combat Infantry Badge and the Belgiun Croix de Guerre is on his right shoulder. On his left shoulder sleeve is the the 1st Divsion patch, know as the "Big Red One. or better yet the "Bloody One." The 18th Infantry Regiment had one Battalion (about 900 men) in occupied Berlin. I was in the 26th Infantry of the 1st US Infantry Division. I can tell by the lapel pin which is below the circular US pins. At that time when the Soviets blockaded Berlin, The 26th Infantry Regemental Combat Team (RCT) located in Bamberg went on high alert and spread themselves against some 10 plus Soviet divisions on the Eastern front. This was the only combat ready unit to face the Soviets at that time. We were just a holding and delaying outfit, since we would have been uable to stop the massive Red Army force facing us. After this experience the United States started to build up their military forces in Germany."

Location

The photograph was apparently taken in Berlin. I'm not sure what the building in the background is. Perhaps our German Readers will know.

German Boys

The boys with the GI demonstrate different ways German boys were dressing in the late 1940s. They seem rather well dressed for a street photigraph. Two boys wear short pants, one with kneesocks and another wears long stockings. A third boy wears long pants. Also notice the suit the one boy is wearing and the jacket the boy on the left is wearing. The biy in the middle I think is wearing suspenders rather than suspender shorts.






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Created: 5:50 PM 1/29/2005
Last updated: 5:50 PM 1/29/2005