Trümmerfrauen and others who cleared up the ruins

[Fritz]

Here is a selection of photographic impressions of the early postwar days, when somebody had to clear the rubble and rebuild German towns and cities. Most of the men were either in prisoner of war camps or had fallen. The only ones left were the old and the very young as well as the women of Germany. Many of these either volunteered or were forced to carry out this hard task, often with nothing more than their bare hands, hammers, shovels, picks, buckets and handcarts. In the Russian occupied zones, the going was even harder, with no help from outside. The Russians had simply taken anything at all, which was of any use. Even the floorboards and nails were removed from the houses. There was a shortage of everything, food, clothing and heating material, and above all, shelter. The whole country was facing starvation, especially in the Russian zone. The Western occupation armies stepped in on time to avoid a major catastrophe. Despite this, many died in the Winter of 1946/7 due to malnutrition and cold, especially the very young or the elderly, or any with a physical weakness.

 

One recent photo shows the mountain of rubble in the Volkspark Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin, now overgrown. There are at least 12 such "mountains" in the otherwise flat landscape of East Berlin.