Encounters in the Rubble: American Interactions with German Children and Youth in Postwar Germany

Erica J. Lansberg

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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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This book is in the series

Volume 12 | 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

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Dedication Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	V
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	1
Chapter 1 The Encounter: Soldiers and Children in the Ruins Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	45
Chapter 2 Survival Among Chaos and Change: Occupation Childhoods Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	101
Chapter 3 From Little Nazis to Democrats? The Bremen Enclave and German Youth Activities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	148
Chapter 4 Coca-Cola, Hershey Bars, and the Cold War Geopolitics of Gratitude Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	229
Chapter 5 Memories of Occupation: Candy Rains Down from the Sky Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	280
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	327
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed

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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Manufacturer information:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Genthiner Straße 13
10785 Berlin
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com

Encounters in the Rubble

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About this book

Author / Editor information

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