Figure 1.--This portrait shows an East Prussian family in 1942. We believe it was taken in the Winter, probably sometime during January-March. The man is an enlisted Wehrmacht soldier. We at first assumed he was the father. It is possible that he is the eldest son and father is away at the front. Judging from the lack of tunic insignia he is a relatively recent enductee. Of course 1942 was a bad time to be inducted into the Wehrmacht. What was to be a massive, short campaign in the East had turned into a life and death struggle with the Soviet Union. We suspect that mother had this portrait taken with the family just before he was posted to the front--more than likely the Eastern Front.
German family life and clothing trends in the 1940s was dominated by World war II and its aftermath. The principal impact at first was concription and the activation of reservists. This mean that fathers and brothers were away at the front. The campaihns at first were short and caualties almost unbelievally light, but this changed with the invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). When the war began to turn against Germany. the NAZIs increased conscription and eventually at the end of the war began drafting teenagers (16 year olds) and older men. Austerity was not a first a factor in Germany. In fact with success on the battlefield, the Germans could loot food and consumer goods and ship it to the Reich. The Armistice with France place stiff reparations on France which the French began paying off in consumer goods like fashionable clothing. This also changed as the War turned ahainst German. The NAZIs adopted a policy of Total War and shortanges began to appear on the Home Front. German industry and large cities were destroyed by the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Thus by the end of the War the German people were bginning to starve and consumer goods like clothes were virtually unobtainable. The immediate post-War years were very difficult for German families. This did not begin to change until the Marshall Plan (1948) began to stimulate the European economy and the German Economic Miracle was launched.
German families like families all over Europe were affected by the War. One impact even before the War was the way the NAZI Party coopted German children beginning at age 10 with introductin into the Hitler Youth. Ironically compared to what came later in the War, German families were some of the European families least affected at the omset of the War. Casualties were light and early victories enabled the Germans to exploit the occupied countries to finance and support the war effort. France proved to be a marvelous source of consonsumer goods for German civilians. And the campaigns were short, meaning that the soldiers were not separated from their families for long periods. This changed after Barbarossa (June 1941) and the Red army offensive before Moscow (December 1941). The Whermacht had to deploy the bulk of its force on distant battelfields. Casualties skyrocketed and leave becane almost impossible to obtain. Thus from 1942 until 1946-47, many German households were without male heads. And of course many families lost their fathers permanetly because of battle field casualties or disappeaance in Soviet camps. Hitler declared war on America (December 1941). This led to around-the-clock bombing (January 1943), bringing the front line to German civilians. Rationing begaing steadily more severe. And families became increasingly separated. It was no longer just the brothers and fathers at the front. The children in the cities had to be evacuated. HJ boys staying in the cities were often away from home manning anti-aircraft batteries. And many young women were involved in war work or assiting in facilities like hospitals and other facilities often at distant locations. As the Allies liberated the occupied countries, the Germans were no longer able to supply the civilan population by exploiting occupied peoples. By the end if the War, German families were living in the ruins of demolished cities.
Post-War Era (1945-49)
The NAZI Government about a week after Hitler shot himself in his bunker (April 30, 1945), surrendered to the Allies (May 7). The family images change significanyl. Not to many photographs were taken in the chaos of the final months of the Reich. Images taken after the War look quite different than those taken during the War. The uniforms are gone, bith the fathers' uniforms and the children's uniforms. And the children are not dressed as well as they were during the War when clothing was available from the exploitation of occupied countries like France. Economoic conditions were terrible. Food was hard to get, let alone clothing. Resourceful German mothers managed to make the children presentable. Consumer good of all kinds were very difficult to obtain. This did not begin to change until the Marshall Plan and the West German currency reform launched the German Economic Miracle (1948). East Germany recovered more slowly.
