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Encounters in the Rubble

American Interactions with German Children and Youth in Postwar Germany
  • Erica J. Lansberg
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2025
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De Gruyter Studies in Military History

About this book

The US occupation of Germany after World War II was a time in which encounters between American soldiers and young German civilians were especially ubiquitous. Overall, German children and youth played a fundamental role in the US occupation, impacting both personal and political relations. Using a blend of sources ranging from German children’s diaries to official US military records, this work provides a wide-reaching examination of the youngest civilians under occupation in the postwar aftermath of the Nazi regime. It centers on the personal experiences of both German children and American military personnel during the occupation, and also examines the ways that young Germans impacted transatlantic policies, especially in the context of the emerging Cold War, including during the Berlin Airlift. This work thus considers the youngest members of the occupied German population as important historical actors during a time of major transition from war to peace, marked by encounters made in the rubble.

Author / Editor information

Erica J. Lansberg, The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    I
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    Dedication

    V
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    Acknowledgments

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    Contents

    IX
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    Abbreviations

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    Introduction

    1
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    Chapter 1 The Encounter: Soldiers and Children in the Ruins

    45
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    Chapter 2 Survival Among Chaos and Change: Occupation Childhoods

    101
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    Chapter 3 From Little Nazis to Democrats? The Bremen Enclave and German Youth Activities

    148
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    Chapter 4 Coca-Cola, Hershey Bars, and the Cold War Geopolitics of Gratitude

    229
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    Chapter 5 Memories of Occupation: Candy Rains Down from the Sky

    280
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    Conclusion

    327
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    Bibliography

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    Index

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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
September 9, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9783111588155
Hardcover published on:
September 9, 2025
Hardcover ISBN:
9783111587028
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Front matter:
10
Main content:
366
Illustrations:
5
Coloured Illustrations:
4
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111588155
eBook ISBN: 9783111588155
Hardcover ISBN: 9783111587028
Keywords for this book
US Occupation of Germany (1945-1949); Post-World War II; History of Children and Youth; Military History_x000D_
Audience(s) for this book
Historians of World War II, the early Cold War, military history, and the history of children and war
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