German World War II KLV Evacuations: Getting Home (1945-46)


Figure 1.--This August 11 1946 press photo shows one of the last contingent of German children evacuated to Bavaria returning to Belin. Notice the station that had not yet been rebuilt. The caption read, "War children return home: Berlin. The last large contingent of German children evacuated to Bavaria during the war returned here recently, increasing the total number thus far brought home to 2,700. The U.S. military Government is sponsoring the evacuation. A special train with 455 of the youngsters aboard was met with designated representatives of each of Berlin's distriucts, whose job it was to arrange for tranhsportation to respective neighborhoods. They are shown above with their identifying placards." Notice that virtually none of the parents and other relatives were there.

The KLV evacuations were designed to save city children from the Allied strategic bombing campaign. German children at the end of the War were, as a result, scattered all over the country. Some children were in the countryside, but many children were at opposite ends of the country. And getting home was not as easy as it might sound. Germany was in a shambles. Berlin and other major cities were immense piles of rubbles. Much of the damage was done by the Allied bombers, but a major battle was fought in Berlin and there was fighting in other cities as well. All those ruins we see were primarily apartment buildings that had been destroyed. Miraculously, the German people mostly survived the bombing because of the effective NAZI civil defense system. The buildings did not. This left a huge number of families homeless. A vast swath of dwellings in the hear of virtually every German city were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The damage was of course the greatest in the cities, the very areas from which children were evacuated. Many parents both military or civilians were dead or injured. Many fathers were in POW camps. Jobs were almost nonexistent. Thus even if the parents had survived the War, the homes were gone and the ability to support a family was gone. Thus many parents parents, especially single mothers were in no position to care for their children. And combined with this, there was no way to get the children home. Few Germans had cars, and fewer still had cars that survived the War. Obtaining gas was virtually impossible. The children had been primarily evacuated by rail. And Germany's renowned rail system was wrecked. Destroying Germany's rail system, including locomotives, rolling stock, bridges, and stations had been a priority of the Allied strategic bombing campaign in an effort to destroy the NAZI war economy. And they largely succeeded. Thus even if a home was in tact, there was no way to get the Germany home immediately after the War. The U.S. Military Government and the Red Cross played a major role in getting the children home. It would be more then a year before all the evacuated children were able to get home.

Stranded

The KLV evacuations were designed to save city children from the Allied strategic bombing campaign. German children at the end of the War were, as a result, scattered all over the country. Some children were in the countryside relatively near home and their parents came to get them, if the HJ staff running the camps permitted them to leve. Most children were at opposite ends of the country far away from hime. And traveling at the time was very dangerous as Allied planes were attacking transportation targets.

The Great Trek

There was one exception to the stranded KLV children. Some of the KLV camps were located in occupied territories, especially the area of western Poland annexed to the Reich. Here they were safe from Allied bombers as western Polans was on the outer limits of the bombers' range. The only problem occurred when the Red Army launched Operation Bagration (June-August 1944). This destroyed Army Group Center, the most important Wehrmacht formation. Thus the Red Army was able to drive into Poland, forcing what remained of the the Wehermacht back to the Reich. In part because of Hitler's reluctance to retreat, these withdrawls were often done at the last minute and thus chaotically. And as the Red Army neared western Poland, substantial numbers of German civilians joined the Whermacht in what became known as the Great Trek. The term camfrom the Afrikanner experience in southern Africa. NAZI big wigs commonly refused to allow evacuations so as not to undermine morale and bolster resistance. Often at the last minute they took off in their big cars, leaving German civilians to fend for themselves. We are not sure how the HJ staffs at the ca,ps behaved. Western Poland was an area in which numbers of KLV camps were located [Hermand]. And thus the KLV children joined the Great Trek. Few rail lines were still operating by the time evacuation was authorized. And those rail lines that were still operating were commandered by the Whermacht. Few trucks were available or the gas to run them. So the Great Trek was largely conducted by horse drawn carts and on foot. Much of this was conducted in winter weather.

After the War

And getting home after the War was not as easy as it might sound. Germany was in a shambles. Berlin and other major cities were immense piles of rubbles. Much of the damage was done by the Allied bombers, but a major battle was fought in Berlin and there was fighting in other cities as well. All those ruins we see were primarily apartment buildings that had been destroyed. Miraculously, the German people mostly survived the bombing because of the effective NAZI civil defense system. The buildings did not. This left a huge number of families homeless. A vast swath of dwellings in the hear of virtually every German city were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The damage was of course the greatest in the cities, the very areas from which children were evacuated. Many parents both military or civilians were dead or injured. Many fathers were in POW camps. Jobs were almost non-existent. Thus even if the parents had survived the War, the homes were gone and the ability to support a family was gone. Thus many parents parents, especially single mothers were in no position to care for their children. And combined with this, there was no way to get the children home. Few Germans had cars, and fewer still had cars that survived the War. Obtaining gas was virtually impossible. The children had been primarily evacuated by rail. And Germany's renowned rail system was wrecked. Destroying Germany's rail system, including locomotives, rolling stock, bridges, and stations had been a priority of the Allied strategic bombing campaign in an effort to destroy the NAZI war economy. And they largely succeeded. Thus even if a home was in tact, there was no way to get the Germany home immediately after the War. The U.S. Military Government and the Red Cross played a major role in getting the children home. It would be more then a year before all the evacuated children were able to get home.

Sources

Hermand, Jost. A Hitler Youth in Poland: The Nazis Program for Evacuating Children during World War II . First published in German, 1993. Translated by Margot Bettauer. (Dembo. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1997).







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