Figure 1.--These German children joyfully celebrating the new 1944 year had no idea of the forces that the allience largely forged by Hitler was mobiling against their country. Germany unlike the rest of Europe through 1942 was largely untouched by war. This began to change in 1943. but 1944 is when the War came home to Germany and its people, both those guilty of launching the War and genocide and the innocents as well.

The War came home for the German people in 1944. The War had turned for the Germans in 1942, but the reverses came on distant battlefields--at Stalingrad on the Volga and in North Africa. As 1944 began the Germans still controlled France, had bottled up the Allies in Italy, and were entrenhed in vast aeas in the East. The Allies were only beginning to crack the Luftwaffe. Some Germans realized that the War was lost, but many Germans including high NAZI officals and military commanders did not realize how close their Führer's 1,000 year Reich was to a Wagnerian Gotterdamerung. Until 1944 it was the Germans who had inflicted death and destruction on other countries. Now NAZI barbarities would come home to roost. In many ways there was an air of normalacy in Germany at the beginning of the year that defied reality. And this was not just among NAZI loyalists and the uniformed public. It was also the case with major military figures. Perhaps the consumate German military commander in both the West and East was Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. After doing what could be done to slow down the Soviet advance, Hitler fired him (March 1944). Manstein took the considerable honorarium awarded along with much of the family savings and purchased an estate in East Prussia. [Murry and Millet, p. 401.] This has to be the worst real estate deal in histoy. The Native Americans got a better deal when they sold Manhattan. Rationing began to bite as it was no longer as easy to loot conquered countries. The Allied air campaign also complicated supplying the cities with both food and coat by late 1944. The food situation thus deteriorated rapidly. Then the Allies inflicted one staggering military blow after another on German armies and German cities. The arrival of the P-51 Mustang as an escort fighter both defeated the Luftwaffe and ooen the hearland if Germany to a rain of destruction unprecedented in warfare. The Soviets launched a series of offenses in the East that destroyed Germany's principal military formations and brought the Red Army to the Vistula. The Allies finally took Rome and 2 days latter breached the Atlantic Wall. Within a few weeks the German Army in France was dealt a staggering retreat and uin full retreat. By the end of the Year the Western Allies had reached the Rhine in the Netherlands and approaching it in the Rhineland.

War Developments: Late 1943

The War came home for the German people in 1944. The War had turned for the Germans in 1942, but the reverses came on distant battlefields--at Stalingrad on the Volga and in North Africa. The German defeat at Kursk (July 1943) put them permanently on the defensive in the East. The loss of Sicily led to the surrender of Fascist Italy and Allied lamdings in Italy. As 1944 began the Germans still controlled France, had bottled up the Allies in Italy, and were entrenched in vast aeas in the East. The Allies were only beginning to crack the Luftwaffe. The Soviets were preparing five massive offensives in the Eat that would destroy the Wehrmacht.

German Understanding

After the stunning victories early in the War, many Germans found it difficult to accept that NAZI Germany was doomed. Some Germans realized that the War was lost, but many Germans including high NAZI officals and military commanders did not realize how close their Führer's 1,000 year Reich was to a Wagnerian Gotterdamerung. Until 1944 it was the Germans who had inflicted death and destruction on other countries. Now NAZI barbarities would come home to roost. In many ways there was an air of normalacy in Germany at the beginning of the year that defied reality. And this was not just among NAZI loyalists and the uniformed public. It was also the case with major military figures. Perhaps the consumate German military commander in both the West and East was Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. After doing what could be done to slow down the Soviet advance, Hitler fired him (March 1944). Manstein took the considerable honorarium awarded along with much of the family savings and purchased an estate in East Prussia. [Murry and Millet, p. 401.] This has to be the worst real estate deal in histoy. The Native Americans got a better deal when they sold Manhattan.

Rationing

Rationing began to bite as it was no longer as easy to loot conquered countries. ThecAllied air campaign also complicated supplying the cities with both food and coat by late 1944. The food situation thus deteriorated rapidly.

Weddings

The War affected weddings like every other aspect of German home life. We are not entirely sure how the War affected weddings. They certainly became much more spartan affairs. With so many young men at the front, it must have reduced the number of weddings. Other young Germans put off marriage because of the uncertainty. Others seem to have decided to marry not knowing what the future hold. Here different individuals drew very different conclusions from the same situation. We note how young the soldiers are in some wedding photographs (figure 1). They apparently decided to have at least a fleeting piece of happiness as the bride groom had such a high liklihood of being killed. German armies had suffered relatively light losses in the first years of the War, but by 1943 German losses had mounted to unsustainable levels and in 1944 the Allied bombing was destroying German cities. On the battlefield the allied coalition that Hitler's policies essentially forged were reaching the borders of the Reich and the home front was becoming the front line. In such circumstances, weddings surely much have plummeted.

Reichsarbietsdienst (RAD)

The Reich Labor Service was created for young people after they had finished school. It was part of a Depression era program to create jobs for young people and work on useful public proects. It also provided military desciplin and thus was a useful experience for future soldiers. The RAD once the War began had provided a pool of labor to work on military projects. By 1944 as the Allies approached the borders of the Reich, the RAD began to be find itself in combat situations.

Powerful Blows

Then the Allies inflicted one staggering military blow after another on German armies and German cities. The arrival of the P-51 Mustang as an escort fighter both defeated the Luftwaffe and ooen the hearland if Germany to a rain of destruction unprecedented in warfare. The Soviets launched a series of offenses in the East that destroyed Germany's principal military formations and brought the Red Army to the Vistula. The Allies finally took Rome and 2 days latter breached the Atlantic Wall. Within a few weeks the German Army in France was dealt a staggering retreat and uin full retreat. By the end of the Year the Western Allies had reached the Rhine in the Netherlands and approaching it in the Rhineland.

Sources

Murray, Williamson and Allan R. Millet. A War to be Won: Fighting the Second World War (Belknap: Cambridge, Massaschusetts, 200), 656p.

Created: 5:18 AM 8/14/2007
Last updated: 10:34 PM 10/19/2008