Figure 1.--Here bread is being distrubuted by truck in Berlin. The press caption read, "Bread Is Where You Find It: One of Berlin's bakers, who manages to turn out a goodly supply of bread daily, in spite of the shortage of ingridents, sends a truck to various sectors of the city. German housewives cluster about the open air counter to buy their daily ration of bread." The photograph was dated August 11, 1945. Photographer: Charles Haacker.

Allied bombers had pulveried Berlin even before the Red Army arrived. The bombers had concentrated on the city center with the Government buildings. The subsequent fighting futher damaged the city, including areas that had not been bombed. German civilians were caught up in the maelstrom of war as neve before. Hitler refused to allow an evacuation of the city as the Red Army approached. Some escaped, but they had to do it on their own. There were bomb shelters like the flak towers for safety during the Allied bombing, there was no safety from the Red Army which moved methodically from block to block toward the city center. Soviet oficials who had enormous experience in seizing German occupied cities moved quickly with available resource to bring the city back to life. The first job when the firing stopped was to begin restoring essential services. [Bellamy, p. 670.] Most of the Allied bombing damage to Germany was done in the final year of the War. A high priority goal was the destruction of the German transpot system, meaning primarily the German rail sustem--the Deutsche Reichsbahn. At first it was the bombers which focued on the on the rail yards in the cities. After the descrution of the Luftwaffe, the P-51 Mustang escorts came down on the deck and shot up anything that moved, trains, barges, and trucks. As the Red Army moved to surround the city, virtually all transport that had survived the bombing ceased to opetate. But that was the least of the problems facing Berliners. There was not just food shortages, bombed-out sewers contaminated the city's water supplies. [White, p. 126.] The Soviets selected local Germans to head block committes and organised the cleang-up. [Bellamy, p. 670.] Berlin was vast landscape covered with mounds of rubble created by bombed our brick buildings. Most observers looking at the mounds of rubble at the time thought that it would take more than a generation to rebuild. There was no construction materials available so the bricks were recovered by the Trümmerfrau (rubble women). Water was a major problem with the river the primary source. The other major problem was food. Soviet authorities did what they could to feed Beriners. Food supplies were inadequate, but there was nothing like the NAZI Hunger Plan. The Germans occupying Soviet cities did not feed the population, except those who got jobs working for them. The desperate Berliners had no other food source with the transport system destoyed. The Red Army set up field kitches to feed the city. Colonel-General Nikolai Berzarin's oversaw the emergency feeding effort. [Beevor] Durng the battle, captured Germans soldiers were sumarrily shot or imternged. After the surrender, Red Army soldiers went apartment by apartment, arresting and anyone in a uniform and not just soldiers. Policemen, firemen, and railwaymen were arrested. [Beevor] Interning policemen and railwaymen did not help with the recovery. Despite Soviet efforts there were serious food shortages. There was just not enough food to feed the population. Germany had survived during the War by seizing foof from occupied countries and shipping it to the Reich. This was no longer possible. One source reports that Berliners one month into the occuation was getting about 65 percent of a daily ration of 1,240 calories believed to be necessary [Ziemke, p. 303.] Even so, that was substabtially above what many people in Europe had to survive on under NAZI occupation. And the destruction meant that more than a million Berliners had no where to live. [Beevor] Berlin was inside the Soviet occuoation Zone. The American and British arrived in Berlin to cccupy their own zones (July 1945). The French arrived a little later. Collectively the three zones became known as West Berlin. Feeding West Berliners became the rsposibility of the Western Allies. Food was bought in from the Western Allied occupation zones in Germany by train and truck. Large quantities of coal also had to be transported for home heating and electrical generation. They also did not have the food needed.

Allied Bombing

Allied bombers had pulveried Berlin even before the Red Army arrived. There were British raids in 1940, but most of the damage was done in the final months of the War (late 1944 and early-1945). By this time the Luftwaffe was no longer an effective force. The bombers had concentrated on the city center with the Government buildings. The substantial bombing of the city wa begun by British RAF Bomber Command with its heavy Lancaster bombers. The American Eighth Air Force joined the fight (1943). This began the Around the Clock bombing offensive. The British dropped some 45,500 tons of bombs. The Americans dropped 23,000 tons. An estimated third of the city, especially the central city with the important buildings was nounds of rubble even before the Red Army arrived. Some 0.6 million apartments were destroyed. Many Berliners had left the city because of the bombing Some 2.8 million of the city’s pre-War population of of 4.5 million remained. Some 20,000-50,000 Berliners were killed in the bombing, not as many as might be epected given the scale of the bombing. The subsequent fighting futher damaged the city, including areas that had not been bombed. With a much higher death count.

No Evacuation

German civilians were caught up in the maelstrom of war as neve before. Hitler refused to allow an evacuation of the city as the Red Army approached. Some escaped, but they had to do it on their own.

Red Army Atrocities

There were bomb shelters like the flak towers for safety during the Allied bombing, there was no safety from the Red Army which moved methodically from block to block toward the city center.

Restoring City Life

Soviet oficials who had enormous experience in seizing German occupied cities moved quickly with available resource to bring the city back to life. The first job when the firing stopped was to begin restoring essential services. [Bellamy, p. 670.]

Tramsport

Most of the Allied bombing damage to Germany was done in the final year of the War. A high priority goal was the destruction of the German transpot system, meaning primarily the German rail sustem--the Deutsche Reichsbahn. At first it was the bombers which focued on the on the rail yards in the cities. After the descrution of the Luftwaffe, the P-51 Mustang escorts came down on the deck and shot up anything that moved, trains, barges, and trucks. As the Red Army moved to surround the city, virtually all transport that had survived the bombing ceased to opetate. But that was the least of the problems facing Berliners.

Water

There was not just food shortages, bombed-out sewers contaminated the city's water supplies. [White, p. 126.] Water was a major problem with the river the primary source.

Trümmerfrau

The Soviets selected local Germans to head block committes and organised the clean-up. [Bellamy, p. 670.] Berlin was vast landscape covered with mounds of rubble created by bombed our brick buildings. Most observers looking at the mounds of rubble at the time thought that it would take more than a generation to rebuild. There was no construction materials available so the bricks were recovered by the Trümmerfrau (rubble women).

Food

The other major problem was food. Soviet authorities did what they could to feed Beriners. Food supplies were inadequate, but there was nothing like the NAZI Hunger Plan. The Germans occupying Soviet cities did not feed the population, except those who got jobs working for them. The desperate Berliners had no other food source with the transport system destoyed. The Red Army set up field kitches to feed the city. Colonel-General Nikolai Berzarin's oversaw the emergency feeding effort. [Beevor] Despite Soviet efforts there were serious food shortages. There was just not enough food to feed the population. Germany had survived during the War by seizing foof from occupied countries and shipping it to the Reich. This was no longer possible. As a result, the biggest problem that the Berliners had to face after the Red Army wave of rape subsided was finding food. German ration cards were no longer of any value. Any remaining food stocks were either seized by the Soviet troops or disappeare when hungry Germans broke into the wearhouses. The Soviets introduced a new five-tier ration-card system (May 15). The first tier was for intellectuals and artists. The second tier was for rubble women and Schwerarbeiter (manual workers). This was more valuable than the 12 Reichsmark they received for cleaning up a millions of briks. The lowest tier was nicknamed the Friedhofskarte (cemetery ticket). It was was issued to mon-working housewives and the elderly. Germans had bee losing weight even before the Red Army arrived. The average Berliner during this period was about 6 to 9 kg (13 to 20 lb) underweight. One source reports that Berliners one month into the occuation was getting about 65 percent of a daily ration of 1,240 caloriesbelieved to be necessary [Ziemke, p. 303.] Even so, that was substabtially above what many people in Europe had to survive on under NAZI occupation.

Housing

The destruction meant that more than a million Berliners had no where to live. [Beevor]

Arrests

Durng the battle, captured Germans soldiers were sumarrily shot or imternged. After the surrender, Red Army soldiers went apartment by apartment, arresting and anyone in a uniform and not just soldiers. Policemen, firemen, and railwaymen were arrested. [Beevor] Interning policemen and railwaymen did not help with the recovery.

The Western Allies

Berlin was inside the Soviet occuoation Zone. The American and British arrived in Berlin to cccupy their own zones (July 1945). The French arrived a little later. Collectively the three zones became known as West Berlin. Feeding West Berliners became the rsposibility of the Western Allies. Food was bought in from the Western Allied occupation zones in Germany by train and truck. Large quantities of coal also had to be transported for home heating and electrical generation. They also did not have the food needed.

Sources

Beevor, Anthony. The Fall of Berlin 1945 (2003).

Bellamy, Chris. Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War (Alfred A. Knopf: 2007).

White, Osmar. Conquerors' Road: An Eyewitness Report of Germany 1945 (Cambridge University Press: 2003).

Ziemke, Earl F. "Chapter 17 Zone and Sector", The U.S. Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944–1946 (Washington, D. C.: Center of Military History, United States Army: 1990).

Created: 3:56 AM 4/24/2019
Last updated: 3:56 AM 4/24/2019