Figure 1.--The NAZIs surrendered in May 1945. Conditions in Germany were desperate. The Allies and Soviets brought in food, but just enough to prevent famine. There were shortages if everything, especially food and coal (fuel). Sugar and candy was one of the many items in short supply. Kids this age did not even know what chocolate was until the Americans arrived. The transportation system was destroyed. Millions of men were in POW camps. They would gradually trickle home from the Allied camps. Fewer would return home from the Soviet camps, and those that did only after years of slave labor. That first Christmas was the beginning of adjustment. Dads and brothers were most still in the POW camps. But the bombing and killing had stopped. It was the second non-NAZI Christmas in 12 years. HJ children were not in the streets collecting coins for the Winter Fund. Christmas is Germany's most important holiday and primarily a family celebration, but there were many community events. Here GIs throw a party for needy children, perhaps orphans. we are not sure what has captured the children's attention, but suspect it was Santa. Notice how commonly the children are dressed--fuel was scarce in Germany at the time. The press caption read, "Berlin Children Learn There Is a Santa: Recognition of Christmas was frowned upon by the Nazi regime , so this is a first time that these German children and children of displaced persons ever enjoyed it. They did so at a party given by American soldiers. Two hundred children were invited and the GIs gave up a week's ration of candy to see that their little guests had a real good time. Above Staff Sergeant Carmen de Guida, of Brooklyn, N.Y. sits among the little guests, whose expressions reveal that thy enjoyed the party." The photograph was dated January 4. 1946. There is a huge photographic record of world War II. Note there are no images like this in German occupied countries.

Allied soldiers as a result of losses of friends in the War and then the discovery of the concentration camps harbored much animosity toward the Germany in the early stage of the occupation. And there were string rules against 'fraternization'. We now know that the concentration camps liberated were actually only a small version of the nightmarish horrors of the death camps. These attitudes gradually changed. Here we believe one factor was the German children. The animus toward the Germans did not extend to the kids. American soldiers often made friends with local children. American GIs were famous for their kindness to boys and girls who were sometimes almost 'adopted' as surrogate sons and daughters by lonely soldiers who missed their own families, especially younger brothers and sisters, in the United States. Unlike World War I, the Allies occupied Germany and dismantled the NAZI state. This Americans stayed on in Germany after the War. As a result, there was a lasting experience. Here we see a Christmas party thrown by the GIs for the children, possibly for orphans (figure 1). Even stronger relationships developed as a result of the Soviet blockade of West Berlin and the resulting Berlin Air Lift (1948). GIs often gave children scarce goodies such as chewing gum and Hershey chocolate bars from the base PX. There were also valuable commodities like soap and cigarettes which became staples on the Black Market. The fact that the German kids looked like the kids back home could not help but affect many GIs, but the same affect occurred in Asia as well. The mothers of such boys often did small tasks for the GIs such as laundering and mending their clothes. The payment for such services was frequently some hard-to-obtain product like a bar of soap or a pack of cigarettes. A flourishing black market had developed in the American sector of Germany, much of what was sold coming from American military bases in the region. American-made silk stockings for women were immensely popular with German women-folk and virtually impossible to obtain from German shops. The photograph on a previous page shows a German boy on the rural outskirts of Darmstadt, Germany, with his new friend, an American GI. It seems to be late autumn (probably November) since the landscape is quite bleak. Note also the soldier's winter-issue cap with wool ear flaps turned up, woolen shirt and trousers of olive drab worn with button-on suspenders. American soldiers only wore this uniform during the fall and winter months. The boy seems to be from a neighboring farm and is about eight or nine years old. He wears a woolen stocking cap with a small pom-pom on top, a winter jacket of what appears to be plaid material (it buttons down the front with large buttons), longish short pants, heavy woolen long stockings (grey apparently), and high-top shoes that lace up. This was typical rural dress for boys who lived on farms in the area. Darmstadt was in the American zone during the occupation of Germany in 1948.

Animosity

Allied soldiers as a result of the nearly year-long fight from Normandy to the Reich and losses of friends in the War harbored much animosity toward the Germans, And then there was the discovery of the concentration camps in the final months of the War which only darkened attitudes toward the Germans. We now know that the concentration camps liberated were actually only a small version of the nightmarish horrors of the death camps.

Fraternization

As Allied soldiers approached the borders of the Reich, the U.S. Army provided them with a little booklet to inform him about the German people that he was about to encounter (1944). 【U.S. Army】 The Army, not without reason, painted a ugly picture of the Germans. At the time there was hope that the War be over by Christmas. As it played out, the Germans still had a lot more fight in them. The little volume was essentially an instructional booklet warning the soldiers about the 'double-crossing nature' of the German people. It insisted that the soldiers needed to be resolute with the defeated Germans. The soldiers were ordered not to forge any informal contacts with the enemy. The Army's booklet gave the soldiers a view of a monolithic Germany. It assumed that the understood what Hitler's intentions when they supported him during his rise to power and throughout the War. Many of course did. Historians, however, still debate the level of knowledge and complicity. The Army during the early stage of the occupation implemented strong rules against fraternization. Enforcing those rules proved problematic. Many GIs were disciplined, mostly with monetary fines. It was soon clear that there was no way of stopping fraternization. As one GI wrote, "You can't put love on a political basis. It's nature. You can fight nature for 50 years, but you won't win. I'm going to have my Trudy." 【Goedde】 Nor in the long run did it prove adverse to the De-NAZIfication process.

Changing Attitudes

These attitudes gradually changed. One factor were German women. We believe another one factor was the German children. The animus toward the Germans even from the beginning did not extend to the kids. American soldiers often made friends with local children. The more adventuresome boys were the first to approach the GIs. Parents kept the more timid girls under tighter control. American GIs were famous for their kindness to boys and girls who were sometimes almost 'adopted' as surrogate sons and daughters by lonely soldiers who missed their own families, especially younger brothers and sisters, in the United States. Unlike World War I, the Allies occupied Germany and dismantled the NAZI state. This Americans stayed on in Germany after the War. As a result, there was a lasting experiences. During World War I, the GIs were in France (1917-19). The situation in Germany was longer. The Americans crossed the Rhine (March 1945). And there are Americans still in Germany as part of NATO. We see both individual and group contacts. Individuals befriended kids on a casual basis. We also note group activities where American units support organized efforts and institutions like orphanage. .

Race

The hateful woke mind of course immediately turns to race. There are comments that the bond with German children was only bcause they were little blond kids. The fact that the German kids looked like the kids back home could not help but affect many GIs, but the same affect occurred in Asia as well. It is true that they looked like American kids. The Germans at the time were the largest immigrant group. And the English settlement of course had an Anglo-Saxon component. World War II was a global war. And GIs spread across every all the various theaters. The American soldier where ever he was showed the same sympathy toward children, both in enemy controlled areas and allied countries. Examples included Britain, Italy, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Okinawa, Japan, and Korea. The woke mind wants to turn everything into a racial issue, but is simply not the case. Neither race or language could keep GIs and children apart. Compare this to the Germans and Japanese where hatred could be directed toward children.

Individuals

GIs often gave children scarce goodies such as chewing gum and Hershey chocolate bars from the base PX. There were also valuable commodities like soap and cigarettes which became staples on the Black Market. The photograph on a previous page shows a German boy on the rural outskirts of Darmstadt, Germany, with his new friend, an American GI. It seems to be late autumn (probably November) since the landscape is quite bleak. Note also the soldier's winter-issue cap with wool ear flaps turned up, woolen shirt and trousers of olive drab worn with button-on suspenders. American soldiers only wore this uniform during the fall and winter months. The boy seems to be from a neighboring farm and is about 8 or 9-years old. He wears a woolen stocking cap with a small pom-pom on top, a winter jacket of what appears to be plaid material (it buttons down the front with large buttons), longish short pants, heavy woolen long stockings (grey apparently), and high-top shoes that lace up. This was typical rural dress for boys who lived on farms in the area. Darmstadt was in the American zone during the occupation of Germany in 1948.

Events

We note a range of events for children supported by the American GIs during the occupation of Germany. Here we see a Christmas party thrown by the GIs for the children, possible for orphans (figure 1). The GIs made sure there was plenty of candy to go around. Children this age would not have known what chocolate was until the Americans arrived. Even other candies were in very short supply. (Sugar was mostly an imported commodity and Germany was unable to import from the tropical countries that produced sugar. Chocolate of course war entirely imported.) We also see a range of community events in which the GIs were involved. German schools got donated food for the children. This was, however, an effort by the occupation authorities and not donations by individual military uni

The Cold War

As the Red Army smashed in eastern Germany, they commonly raced every woman it site, in including old-women and teenagers. Ulikle the Germans, however, they did not normally mistreat children. There were some actions in which whole villages were destroyed such was the fury of the Soviet soldier with what the German atrocities in the Soviet Union. In the Cold War following World War II. it was hard for the Germans to get over this orgy of rape. But as sen in East Germany, there was no choice with the Soviets in control. The Soviets and East Herman authorizes suppressed any discussion of this. You could be arrested and confined to a concentration camp for even mentioning it. And it was erased from the historical record. In West Germany, peo0ple could speak freely. And strong relationships developed as a result of the Soviet blockade of West Berlin and the resulting Berlin Air Lift (1948). Once the Americans demonstrated that they were going to stay, the Germans were more than willing to join the democratic western states. This was of huge geopolitical importance. Germany was the most powerful single country in Europe, beyond the Soviet Union. How Germany swung was in large measure going to determine the outcome if the Cold War.

Adults

The mothers of such boys often did small tasks for the GIs such as laundering and mending their clothes. The payment for such services was frequently some hard-to-obtain product like a bar of soap or a pack of cigarettes. A flourishing black market had developed in the American sector of Germany, much of what was sold coming from American military bases in the region. American-made silk stockings for women were immensely popular with German women-folk and virtually impossible to obtain from German shops.

Sources

Goedde, Petra. "From villains to victims: Fraternization and the feminization of Germany, 1945-1947," Diplomatic History, Vol. 23, Issue 1 (January 1999), pp. 1-20.

U.S. Army. Pocket Guide to Germany (1944).

Created: 1:19 AM 3/16/2016
Last updated: 1:05 PM 7/17/2024