unit 9 - what was life like in wartime germany

7/27/2019 Unit 9 - What Was Life Like in Wartime Germany

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Unit 9: What was life like in wartime Germany, 1939-45?

The Events of the War

The Outbreak of War

September 1939: Poland was invaded and conquered by Germany Britain and France joined war But by end of 1940: France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway and Luxembourg had been

conquered = ToV avenged and European domination achieved

Britain remained mainly because Hitler became focussed on Soviet Union June 1941: Germany invaded Russia

Operation Barbarossa

Despite 1939 signing of Soviet Pact Hitler was always intending to invade Russia [Russia =strategic threat to European Empire; birthplace of Bolshevism + Judaism]

By invading Russia, Hitler wanted to:- Achieve lebensraum for Germans- Use Slav labour- Exploit oil reserves and grain supply

Operation Barbarossa began with 3 million troops 3 fronts: Leningrad ; Moscow ; Ukraine Germans made rapid advances on all 3 fronts 1941: Leningrad + Moscow = under siege ; 3 million soviets taken prisoner However Winter 1941 Freezing winter and snow , halted Germans just before Moscow German troops unprepared for extreme winter Hitler underestimated Red Army and production efficiency more productive than Germans

by 1943

1941: Russians counter-attacked = halted German advanceStalingrad:

1942: Germans launched offensive to capture Russian oilfield Hitler ordered Sixth Army to capture Stalingrad Fighting in Stalingrad

November: Russians launched counteroffensive that trapped the sixth army 1943: sixth army surrendered Red Army = captured 90,000 men and Generals Russian victory = paved way for Red Armys liberation of Eastern Europe and entry in

Germany.


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North Africa

Feb 1941: German troops invaded North Africa in support of Italian Allies After a series of impressive victories

May 1941: Invaded Egypt but British counter attacked But British preoccupied with Japan Germany managed to capture part of Egypt and 30,000

prisoners

However, German advance halted when defeated by British troops Anglo-American forces defeat Germany in Morocco May 1943: Axis forces in North Africa = surrendered

Italy:

September 1943: Allies invade Italy Italy surrendered German troops also seized many Italian cities May 1945: German troops fought in Italy until then

Defeat on the Western Front:

Operation Overlord: British/American troops invaded France Troops landed on Normandy beaches Hitler was slow to reinforce Normandy German troops fell back = outnumbered Paris and Brussels = taken by Allies Allies then slowed = supplies exhausted German troops rallied to protect German soil German advance halted Allie advance resumed March 1945: Ally troops invade Rhineland and Ruhr German troops surrendered

War in the East

January 1944: Siege of Leningrad ended western Russia liberated by July End of 1944: Whole of Russia liberated Romania/Bulgaria = surrendered 1945: Red Army invaded Germany met with resistance 1945: Soviet forces began final assault on Berlin Battle of Berlin = greatest battle highest deaths [300,000] April 1945: Allied forces + Soviet Forces met in North east Germany April 1945: Hitler committed suicide 8th May 1945: Germany surrendered to Allies


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Morale on the Home Front

The Continuing Importance of the Consumer

Very few Germans wanted war - but there was bedrock support for 1939 regime Support even during war mainly because Regime was sensitive to issues of

rationing/shortages on home frontgovt didnt want repetition of rationing from WW1

Despite rationing considerable consumer sacrifices not made until 1942 1939: Rationing introduced fair + sufficient but quality decline However, as parts of Europe conquered - improvement in general supply of foodstuffs

(especially after French defeat)

April 1942: Most serious reduction in meat ration = 300 grammes a person People unhappy therefore increased by 50 grammes Extra rations = people in strenuous jobs Christmas bonus rations = for all citizens Shortages after 1941 due to supply problems and inefficient distribution 1941: Shortage of clothes 1942: shortage of soaps 1943: household goods rationed Only at very end of war: faced hardships / inflations like WW1

Early Victories

Early victories =celebrated After Polish victory = Germans hoped for peace November 1939: Elser tried to assassinate Hitler by exploding bomb when Fuhrer was

making speech failed

British blamed for bomb Elation of Frances defeat frustration over Britains refusal to submit May 1941: Morale damaged Hess flew to Scotland

Greater Concerns

June 1941: Soviet Union war provoked concern especially when Goebbels appealed forwinter clothes for troops

Failure to win outright victories in Russia led many to question Nazi ideology for first time Even after Stalingrad defeat propaganda exploited patriotic defiance Feb 1943: Goebbels Total War speech rallied many Germans to fight to end After Soviet Union, North African, Atlantic and Italy defeats greater contempt for

leadership

Hitlers isolation in bunker = subject to criticism/jokes:- Whats the difference between the sun and Hitler? The sun rises in the east, Hitler goes

down in the east.

Stalingrad defeat = marked turning point in morale


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Bombing

Bombing campaign by allies : to destroy German war industry and undermine morale onhome front

300,000 Germans killed by Allied bombing, 700,000 injured and 2 million homes destroyed German tried to provide bomb victims with accommodation and financial compensation Blitz spirit maintained by many but By 1943: population of some areas (like Rhineland) bombed and demoralised Worsened by approach of Soviet armies Morale sank even lower after weapons were ineffective against Allies Goebbels tried to raise morale: commissioned blockbuster escapist films (The Adventures of

Baron Munchausen - 1943) and resistance tales (Kolberg 1945) = but minimal impact on

mood

As understanding of certain defeat dawned propaganda less effective

Opposition

Church Opposition Crucifix Crisis

Despite 1943 decline in morale few signs of outward resistance loyal reluctance pushed to limit:

- April 1941: Gaulieter of Bavaria/ Munich demanded removal of all crucifixes in schools[Gauleiter saw crucifixes as sign of Catholic strength] = Protest against removal:

meetings, letters, petitions, demonstrations = Gauleiter had to overturn removal order

Clearly expressed opposition but not dislike of regime just defending their culturewithout challenging Fuhrer

Church Opposition Bishop von Galen

August 1941: Bishop von Galen challenged Hitlers Aktion T4 policy *challenge = verycourageous]

[Galen was happy with attacks against Bolshevism, but not happy with closure of localmonasteries]

Hitler acted pragmatically stopped campaign to close religious institutions and ended T4programme

Any opposition from Churches = to maintain independence not ideological objection toNazism

Dissent was individual not institutional Priests like Bonhoffer resisted/opposed regime Bonhoffer arrested and executed in 1945 Policy of churches = pragmatic cooperation Cardinal even condemned bomb plot


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The Left

Communist opposition was undermined by Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) Thereafter opposition came from individuals and small underground groups (rather than

single group)

KPD and SPD formed small groups, published reports and maintained contact with exiledleaders

Red Orchestra anti-Nazi communist group formed resistance cells set up [coordinated byUhrig]:

- 1941: 90 resistance cells in Berlin- Produced paper/pamphlets attacking regime and calling for resistance

However, communist resistance = vulnerable to Gestapo infiltration 1943: Communist movement collapsed leader captured Individual acts: Jewish Communist group bombed anti-communist exhibition 1942

Socialists formed splinter groups : Red Patrol Socialist Front New Beginning = worked forcooperation with other opposition groups

Youth

1939: Disillusionment set in + speeded up when blitzkrieg reversed Youths alienated by intense focus on military training Minority of young people repelled by brutality actively opposed regime: Groups tried to resist regime:

- Edelweiss Pirates attacked members of Hitler Youth-

White Rose Group [Hans and Sophie Scholl] led students distributing leaflets and tried tosabotage war effort = Scholls executed 1943

Conservative Opposition

Early victories limited action for opposition to regime Goerdeler Circle: Group of Conservatives (inc. Gen. Beck who dissented + foreign office

officials) drew in conservative/military opponents to regime through conscience

Attempted to build diplomatic links with allies Another conservative opposition group: Kreisau Circle drew in intellectuals at first

Aimed to discuss political/social landscape after fall of Nazi regime Kreisau Circle contained range of members: from socialists to Christians Set up contacts between other conservative and religious groups. Relations btw Goerdeler and Kreisau Circle = tense but common ground:

- Restoration of human rights and freedoms end to war and restoration of Rule of Law- Kreisau Circle wanted more democratic Germany based on self-governing Lander- Many in Goerdeler wanted aristocratically governed society [consent given to Nazis

through plebiscites = want to reject the rule of masses]

- Political consensus after war mixed economy to ensure economic growth and socialpeace

- Goerdeler wanted end to state involvement in economic affairs- Moltke (Kreisau) wanted federal European Union


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- Goerdeler wanted Germany to remain an independent European power 1944: Kreisau Circle discovered by Gestapo Moltke arrested Kreisau Circle and Goerdeler Circle involved in Stauffenbergs plot to kill Hitler: Many were arrested, tortured and executed

Army

1939: Army had become subordinate part of regime Oath of allegiance = loyalty to Hitler Blitzkrieg victories = Hitler military Genius 1943: some dissidents emerged: Some: result of long term opposition to regime they had morally despised from beginning Majority: Opposition more pragmatic:

- Increasing political interference of SS = intolerable- Generals on eastern front shocked by atrocities committed against regime enemies

and implementation of extermination

- For most: opposition was triggered by belief that Germany was losing the war: [US entryto war ; Stalingrad/Russia defeat ; North Africa defeat ; = war turned against Germany]

March 1943: Operation Flash to kill Hitler failedbomb didnt explode *planted by General+ the conspirators = arrested by Gestapo

The Bomb Plot 1944 (Operation Valkyrie)

Causes:

Oath of allegiance 1918 myth stab in the back = deterred many potential plotters formconspiring

1944: Stauffenberg emerged as lead plotter Stauffenberg was linked to Kreisau Circle and wanted internal purification Many Generals wanted to plant bomb before Germany was invaded maintain image of

invincibility

Aimed to inspire rising ousting Nazi regime and replacing with new President and Chancellor

Wanted to make peace with Western Allies and end war before Russia invaded Germany As Chief of Staff Stauffenburg had access to Fuhrers HQleft bomb in Hitlers briefcase =

FAILED

Stauffenburg, Beck and conspirators arrested and executedOutcome:

Hitlers revenge was severe: 100s of suspected conspirators arrested, tortured, and executed Many executed by garrotting in Berlin prison:

- Army now had little authority: salute was compulsory ; political officers rooted outdissent and Himmler = commander in chief of Home Army


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- But a tiny minority of Generals executed for their part in the conspiracy- Therefore Army resistance confined to few individuals = leadership to naive and isolated

to pose real threat

- Bomb plot = partly restores some dignity/respect to army but the failure did notrestore the tarnished image of the army

- 1945: Total defeat = shattered myths of military invincibility stab in the back

The German War Economy

War Production

Outbreak of war 1939: planning for war economy = split among competing agencies:- Ministry of War = led economics for armament programme- Overlap: Economics Ministry (Funk) and 4YP office (Goring)- 1940: Ministry of Munitions created (Todt) = helped to end some confusion

Early Problems

Strains on economy throughout war despite victories Until 1942: Germany not fully mobilised for war instead fought quick wars (blitzkrieg) that

didnt place such demand on economic production

Arms production fell [due to loss of labour through conscription + concentrated consumerproduction]

[Consumer production rose by 16%] However Operation Barbarossa = military expenditure rose to 60 billion Reichsmarks War demands = shift of labour, investment and priorities towards munitions [no. of

workers in aircraft manufacturing doubled by 1941]

Shortage of labour was apparent even at start of war:- May 1940: 3 million fewer workers in workforce than year before- Shortage of labour = used prisoners of war 2million- However, not enough to meet demands- 1942: Compulsory Labour Decree for all occupied countries- 1945: 6 million foreign workers in Germany working in production

Speer and Total War

December 1941: Simplification and Increased Efficiency in Armaments Production (Fuhrerorder) = Todt should rationalise armaments industry significant change in priorities:

Todts ministry (munitions) gave direct orders to industries for munitions Speer (replaced Todt)- developed Todts plans and more efficient control of raw materials

distributions

1943: Goebbels initiative TOTAL WAR in speech = universal male labour and closure ofnonessential businesses


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Reinforced by Speers appointment as minister for armaments and production = Speer controls all industrial output and raw materials

Radicalisation

Speer aimed to introduce labour, time and space saving measures = boosting production 1943: Armaments Commission to standardise production allowing greater production:

- More floor space = production of Me109 at 1000 a month- Reduced number of different tank/vehicle models = greater productivity- Central control of raw materials and more realistic contracts = rise in armament output- Better processes = cut amount of raw material used- Last years of war = significant improvement in industrial production [production for

BMW planes increased by 200% by 1943]

- Production lines introduced = faster production- Munitions output rose btw 1939 44 by 60%

Change in work methods; increased mechanism ; better material distribution ; better wagefor German workers ; intro of mass production techniques = increases in productivity =

increase in military expenditure.

Continuing Chaos

Despite improvement in efficiency of war production under Speer economic performancewas not well organised:

Power blocs too conflicting for any consistent policy to be formulated When clear decision given from centre countered economic logic Much of Nazism = irrational and illogical ie the Final Solution But aims mostly supported by financial/industrial world:

- Looting of conquered countries done systematically by sections of German business- Other companies acquired large sections of conquered enterprises

Following Bomb Plot Goebbels given power for Total War

After Jan 1945: Economy on brink of collapse defeat appeared inevitable: Hitler ordered scorched earth policy Speer ignored this order, refused to destroy German

industry he knew it would be essential for recovery after war.

Use of Foreign Workers

Foreign workers productivity = 60-80% less than German worker Use of foreign labour = important when Germans compulsory conscription

- Tried to improve production gave eastern workers pay and overtime equal to otherforeign workers

- 1000s died on projects due to bad conditions: food, shelter, sanitation Due to poor treatment foreign workers failed to solve labour problems


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Raw Materials - Iron Ore:

Germanys lack of natural resources (espec. High quality iron ore) = shaped Nazi aims Goring developed low quality iron ore but could never meet the demands of military needs

= Germany partly dependant on imports:

- Constant amount of ore imported from Sweden (5m tons)- Annexations of Austria, Poland and Alsace-Lorraine = huge quantities of high quality iron

ore [6.5 m tonnes]

Supplies of Iron ore to war economy = doubled to 20m tonnes by 1943

Raw Materials- Other Raw Materials

Germany need to annex natural resources of other countries in order to fight major war: Policy failed because of failure of Blitzskrieg from 1942 Invasion of Soviet Union had ideological causes (destruction of Bolshevism) but also

economical = oil fields:

- Access to oil supplies were limited [mainly imported from Romania 3m tonnes 1943]However not enough to supply an economy and armed forces in total war 1942

Even conquest did not ensure supply of needed materials

- Despite increase in ore and steel there was a chronic shortage of steel especiallybefore 1942

- Shortage of coal despite Germanys large reserves and annexation of Belgiums andSoviet Unions.

German production of coal = static

Failure of Germany to fully exploit raw material of defeated countries prevented expansionof economy to fight war.

Female Labour

Despite Labour shortage only 200,000 extra women entered work force Hitlers refusal to conscript women = ideologically based Even with move towards total war registration of women in work 1943 had little effect In total only 400,000 women were recruited for work Speer tried to change this but Hitler wouldnt allow full mobilisation Other factors that stopped more women entering war work:

- Number of married women with families had risen dramatically + wages to wives ofsoldiers

- 88% of single women were in employment at start of war therefore not slack inemployment that could be recruited for war production

- Nature of womens employment = harder to redistribute women into war industryMore than half of agricultural workforces were women by 1944

Also high female workforce in textiles

Nazi ideology = not sole reason why women were not fully mobilised for war effort


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Persecution of Germanys Jews

Start of war tightening of restrictions on Jews September 1939: Curfew on all Jews September 1939: Heydrich (Jewish emigration + Association for Jews in Germany minister)

ordered concentration of Jews around train stations = ghettoes

All radios confiscated from Jews January 1940: All Jewish peoples ration books stamped with J = some goods barred from

Jews (ie leather)

1941: All Jews had to wear Star of David badge 1943: Jews lost German citizernship

Case Study: Victor Klemperer

Klemperer (Jew) married to non-Jew Klemperer kept diary very reliable source: Forced into ramped Jew House Arrested after forgetting to blackout window Klemperer and wife forced to wear star of david badge Klemperer saved from being deported east by military decoration and non Jewish wife By 1942: Wife and him begging due to such little rationing and house ransacked by

Gestapo

After bombing in area Klemperer tore off star of david badge and ran to countryside wherefound shelter

After war returned to being professor at university

Turning Points September 1939

Start of war crucial turning point in Nazi racial policy Over the war circumstance of removal and destruction of international Jewry took place: Successful conquest of Poland and much of western Europe millions more Jews under Nazi

control

Concentration of Jews in areas began from early in war 1939: Himmler ordered deportation of Jews from German conquered Poland 1940: Jews used for slave labour and confined to ghettoes.


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Turning Points Summer 1940

From 1939-40: Final Solution to Jewish Question thought to be = territorial 1940: Heydrich suggested deportation to Madagascar: Hitler = happy plan of annihilation since most Jews would die by transportation, lack of

food etc

But ^ plan relied on defeat of British and German control of sea

Turning Points June 1941

June 1941: Invasion of Soviet Union increased number of Jews in Nazi control Invasion of Russia = higher possibility of deporting Jews to the far east but relied on

military victory

Destruction of Jews as consequence of Lebensraum SS Einsatzgruppen (special group of soldiers from SS shot and hunted down Jews) By 1942: 700,000 Jews had been murdered by Einsatzgruppen

Turning Points August 1941

Even till late 1941: undecided about fate of Jews Shooting Jews = not realistic not efficient Deporting Jews = would have to be after victories Hitler thought Jews could be used as hostages in future dealings with USA September 1941: Hitler changed attitude for 2 reasons:

- Stalin had ordered deportation of 1million Germans to Siberia from Russia- Hitler furious with Stalins orders also Roosevelts order to shoot any threatening

German warships

Turning Points - Deportations

Poland divided up Gauleiter of each region demanded removal of Jews from region- Late 1941: Gauleiter pressured their allowance to deport their Jews some Gauleiter

demanded permission to exterminate the Jews

- Mid-September: order given for deportations to the east (decided by Hitler andHimmler)

Kershaw argues that decision to deport brought much closer the Final Solution Deportations led to initiatives from local/regional Nazi leaders Some regions set up gassing facilities at a concentration camp (Belzec) for killing Jews

incapable of work

Lodz: Jews being shot and gassed in vans 100,000 Jews gassed in vans at Chelmno Central Policy made in response to events:

- Himmler ordered no Jew could emigrate from Germany- Fuhrer (advised by Goebbels) to demand aggressive policy to rid Berlin of Jews

(Judenfrei) Goebbels inspired propaganda stir up anti-Jewish hatred


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Turning Points - December 1941

December 1941: Final turning point = declaration of war against USA Hitler fulfilling prophecy extermination of all Jews Ruthless enforcement of Final Solution from 1942 and effort to sustain effort (as Germany

began to lose the war)= decisive clarification policy been made

Wannsee Conference January 1942

Chaired by Heydrich to coordinate steps to be taken about Jewish question 1942: construction of extermination camps Sobibor, Belzec and Treblinka Systematic programme for annihilation of Jew = formed Germans deported to Ghettoes in east then to death camps of Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor,

Majdanek and Auschwitz

Extermination

Network of concentration camps spread SS officials tried to exploit camps slave labour like in Soviet Union SS employed Jewish labour worked them to death Largest extermination camp Auschwitz 1million murdered Treblinka 800, 000 murdered 1944: Even when resources very strained Eichmann used railways to transport Jews to

their death Pursuit for Final Solution = clarifies relationship btw ideological considerations and demands

of economy for labour and materials

By the time Auschwitz liberated by Soviet Union troops 6 million Jews murderedThe Final Solution: conclusion

1942: Goebbels diary: fairly barbaric procedure taking place in east He and Heydrich had been important in process of anti-Semitic policy radicalisation Complicity from whole movement essential for fulfilment of Final Solution working

towards the Fuhrer Pressure for solution from below ie Gauleiter concerned his region was being used to

dump Jews in.

Final Solution = example of how 1000s been trapped into working towards the fuhrer

unit 9 - what was life like in wartime germany

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