Stunde Null is the German language equivalent of "zero hour ", a military planning term indicating the beginning of some operation or event. Historically, "Stunde Null" specifically refers to the capitulation of the Nazi government on May 8, 1945 at midnight, marking the end of World War II in Germany. The period immediately following this time is the Nachkriegszeit, "time after the war".
Nachkriegszeit
The Russians were the first to arrive in Berlin, and when they did, all they saw was a city devastated by the air raids. It was described as a Geisterstadt, a ghost town.
The Extent of the Devastation
*From the 245,000 buildings in Berlin before the war, around 48,000 were destroyed
- 1/3 of all private apartments were totally destroyed
- 23% of industrial capacity was obliterated and the rest was dismantled for transportation by the Russians in the Demontage
- 75 million tonnes of rubble , which equated to 1/7 of all the rubble in Germany
- All electricity, gas and water supplies were destroyed
- It was forbidden to wash one's whole body
- The transport network was badly destroyed:
- The underground stations had been flooded and over 900 of them had been bombed.
- The first buses resumed service on 19 May.
|
|
- 78,000 Deaths:
- 50,000 victims of the air raids
- 977 suicides
- A further 4000 died on a daily basis in August 1945, because of the cholera and dyptheria epedemics
- The population shrank and the demography was significantly altered:
- 4.3 million lived in Berlin before the war, after it was only 2.8 million
- 1/4 of the population were over 60
- 1 in 10 was under 30
- 16 women to every 10 men
Das Aufräumen - The Clean Up
| The job of clearing up the city fell to the Russians, as they were there first (the Western Allies arrived on 4th July 1945); according to them, the clean up operation would last 12 years.
On the 29 May 1945, all women, aged between 15 and 65 were conscripted as Trümmerfrauen (Rubble Women). 60.000 women worked to rebuild Berlin.
|
Rations and Starvation
The biggest problem that the Berliners had to face was the threat of starvation. German war-time ration cards were no longer valid. Any remaining rations were either used to feed Russian troops or stolen by hungry Germans.
On 15 May the Russians introduced a new 5-tier ration card system. The highest tier was reserved for intellectuals and artists. Trümmerfrauen and Schwerarbeiter (Manual workers) received the second tier card, which was more valuable to them than the 12 Reichsmarks they received for cleaning a 1000 bricks. The lowest card, nicknamed the Friedhofskarte (ticket to cemetery) was issued to housewives and the elderly.
During this period, the average Berliner was around 6 to 9 kg underweight.
Other Sources of Food
Due to the meagre rations, the black market came into its own. 4000 visited it daily. Payment was either in cigarettes or by bartering.
There were even rumours of cannibalism and the trading of human flesh.
Two new words entered the German vocabulary during 1945: hamstern and fringsen
Hamstern
This meant to travel in to the countryside, in order to exchange possessions for food. Anything from watches and jewellery to blankets and rugs were exchanged for very small amounts of food.
Fringsen
This word is etymologically based on the name Cardinal Frings , a senior figure in the Catholic Church. It meant to steal to survive.
Der Elendswinter - 1945-46
This was one of the coldest winters in living memory. Temperatures plummeted to -30°C and there was no protection from the biting cold in the bombed out houses. 40,000 people suffered from hypothermia and 1000 died as a result. The Berlin Magistrat created official Wärmeräume (warm rooms) for people to warm themselves in.
Crime
In 1946, Berlin was a crime capital:
The criminals were mostly:
- The destitute
- The homeless
External Links
- Deutsches Historisches Museum - The End as the Beginning in German[1]
- Die Stunde Null in German[2]
