Germany ’48 – ’53 A Child’s Tale Part 3

At the time, I don’t suppose anyone ever thought that they were living through history, and just how important the Airlift would be to the free world! In 1997, I was staying in the Victory Services Club in London, prior to moving down to Wales. My stay coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, many of the surviving aircrews were staying there as well. It was a very moving experience, talking to elderly men, who in their late teens, early twenties had flown those life saving supplies into Berlin!

When we moved back to Berlin for the second time, the Blockade was over and my father was serving with RMP. We now lived in Olympischer Strasse. We first lived in a flat at the bottom end of the street and then, at some period we moved further up the road to a large house almost opposite the Red Shield Club. The house was huge. Large gardens and a swimming pool. I think that during the war, it had been occupied by German Officers. I have often wondered who the houses that the army commandeered belonged to. Some of them were quite magnificent. I think perhaps a lot of them had originally belonged to Jewish families and been commandeered by others long before the British arrived! The Olympic Stadium was within easy walking distance of the house. Whilst some of it was in use by British Troops, vast areas had been left to fall into a state of disrepair. Most of the grounds were overgrown and contained a lot of wildlife. I remember making good use of both the outdoor and indoor pools. It was where I learned to swim. The life guards who were German, had all been Olympic Swimmers in their previous life. There were hundreds of troops that used to use these facilities. Somewhere within the huge complex was a very big canteen. The place was heaving with so many different soldiers from so many branches of the army. I was well versed in what the many unit shoulder flashes represented. I find it odd when I look back, to remember that I was able to investigate all of the facilities of the stadium, weightlifting rooms, wrestling halls, squash courts, fencing rooms and many more. All standing empty! How times have changed. I would walk to the stadium by myself. Spend hours there before coming home without my parents having any worries as to my well being.

I don’t remember having a lot of friends during my time in Germany. I obviously made friends at school, but after school they seemed few and far between. During that time, I remember that there were strict demarcation lines between the various ranks. Whilst it was ok to mix at school it never happened after school. Not very far from where I lived, were OR’s flats. There was an unwritten rule that if the officers brat’s crossed an invisible line, they were fair game and in for a good hiding if caught. Everyone seemed to accept it then, it all seems so very archaic now! The one set of people that we would all unite against were the children of members of the Control Commission Germany (CCG). Everyone hated them and no one trusted them. I remember on the school bus, chanting the words “if you can’t get a job, join the CCG.” They were part of the central administration of the British Zone. A lot of them were ex officers and other ranks. Not liked at all. It was generally considered that they were unable to get any other employment!

I really enjoyed my time in Germany as a child and I know my parents enjoyed theirs. It was an exciting time! I remember meeting an old soldier a few years ago whilst in hospital. He had been stationed in Berlin just after the war. He told me that it was one of the best times of his life. I would have to agree with him!

The End. 🙂

21 thoughts on “Germany ’48 – ’53 A Child’s Tale Part 3”

  1. Toc – These memories need to be preserved for posterity. Somewhere there are the almost daily letters, written on onion-skin wartime airmail forms from various points of the European theatre that my uncle, a humble soldier, wrote to his mother, my grandmother. They also need to be collected and collated into a book.

    OZ

  2. Hi toc.

    Thank you. I really enjoyed all the parts.

    I was too young to remember occupying Germany with my parents since we left for his next posting when I was 6 months old.

    Big Sis, however, has a clear recollection of our time there. I told her about your posts. She has read the first two and tells me that they brought back so many memories. She has promised to tell me more about our time there next time we meet up in person.

    Thanks again.

  3. Memory Lane complete, thank you Toc, I’ve enjoyed reading these immensely, and, with your permission, I am going to save them.

  4. Many thanks to all that took the time read this long post and to those who added a Like, or a comment. I wrote this some time when I used to post military stuff under the pen name of “A Monkey’s Tale”. None of that would be suitable reading for this site. It had always been on my Bucket List of things to revisit Berlin. It still remains very fresh in my mind. I even managed to find on Google Earth, the house where we lived on Olympischer Strasse, it looks like it is now a school. The Red Shield Club on the other side of the road which catered for soldiers and sold only tea and cakes is now an oriental restaurant.

    Berlin was always a premier posting for RMP right from the very beginning. It was the nearest posting to the Russian army, by virtue of the fact that the city was divided into four sectors, British, America, Russian and French (how they managed to get a part, considering their gallant WW2 efforts) remains a mystery. Hess of course was imprisoned in Spandau Prison and the Russians exercised their right to take their turn at guarding him. This of course gave them the right to parade through the British sector. This was in all probability why he remained incarcerated until his death.

    Sad to say, it looks very unlikely that I will be able to complete this particular Bucket List wish. It would appear that my bucket has sprung a leak and my flying days are over. I really should have done it ages ago!

  5. “It would appear that my bucket has sprung a leak and my flying days are over.”

    Sherbert, Toc, I hope you are OK. Best wishes.

  6. Toc, I am reminded by your comment on the French sector after WWII that Sarkozy only last week was negotiating unilaterally with the prospective new rulers of Libya. Plus ca change……..

  7. Its been a treat reading your posts on this subject Toc, I have printed them off, and am going to read them again, as I soak in a glorious bath, which is any minute now. Goodnight, and god bless.

  8. Slightly off topic, but prompted by Toc’s #4, can anybody explain to me how France, a defeated and occupied nation during the preceding contretemps, got an equal chunk of Berlin after the war along with the Septics, Ruskies and Brits – apart from the unyielding promulgation of French national interest above anything and everything else? Why not Belgium or Norway or any other nation and, more importantly, why were the French allowed to get away with it? Bravo? Boadicea? Anyone?

    OZ

  10. Tocino: I’ve emailed all three posts to my mum, will see what she has to say after she reads them.

    OZ: Trier was in the green amphibian’s occupation zone. I came along a bit too late to remember much of it, but my mother had stories about how the French were. My father, as much a Septic as is humanly possible, has his own stories to tell. If anyone is interested, I can bother you with them, but only then. France has always been handled with kid gloves. After wrecking Europe during the Revolution and Napoleonic wars France was barely reprimanded. France got off lightly after the Franco-Prussian war. After France attempted to destroy Germany after WWI, they were treated as the victims. Then after surrendering to Germany and making the Nazis look good in comparison, the French were treated as equals with the allies who actually did something during the war. The First Indochina War, Algeria, and Rwanda are still often over-looked in order to preserve France’s delicate sensibilities. Perhaps it’s because they are, like the rooster that is their national symbol, good at making a fuss and attracting attention to themselves even when they don’t do anything?

  11. Tocino, even if your flying days are over, you could get to Berlin by train. It is quite amazing to see it now. Thanks for your memories. I’ve recently noted that many of the books about pre- and postwar Berlin that I’ve read (like Hans Fallada’s works) mention Spenerstrasse, where we rented a flat, usually as a haunt of baddies. Perhaps it’s because it’s so close to the Moabit prison.

  12. Christopher, the book “Un hero tres discret” (sorry for lack of accents) gives a fairly damning picture of the French occupation of Germany immediately following the end of the war.

  14. Well written and very interesting, Tocino.

    I have read all three.

    I’m sad to hear your flying days are over, but Sheona is right, you could return by train if you really want to.

  18. JM,

    If ever you get the time, I would be really interested in hearing what your sister has to say.

    Christopher,

    I would be very interested to hear what your mother thinks of these posts and of course to read about her experiences likewise those of your father. Please do post.

  19. I’d like to read those posts too, Christopher.

    OZ, I have no idea why France was given such ‘privileges’ at the end of the war. As you point out, Nations such as Norway, Denmark, Holland, even Poland, did not co-operate like the Vichy French in assisting in the deportation of their Jewish nationals…

  20. Sorry for the delay, I’ve been a bit busy. I plan on writing a post for you this weekend, it’s a bank holiday in the US and I’ll be able to get a few quiet days out in the country.

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