The Outbreak of War and Its Impact on Germany

This section explains the outbreak of World War Two and Its impact on Germany. World War Two began on 3 September 1939, when Britain and France declared war on Germany following Hitler’s invasion of Poland two days earlier. The German government presented the attack on Poland as an act of self-defence, claiming Poland had provoked hostilities. Many Germans believed the war was about reclaiming lost territory, particularly the free city of Danzig, which had been separated from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles (1919).

Within five weeks, Poland was defeated and occupied, having been invaded from the west by Germany and from the east by the Soviet Union under the terms of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. In October 1939, Hitler made a public offer of peace to Britain and France while secretly preparing to invade France. However, having already been deceived by Hitler over Czechoslovakia, the Allies refused to negotiate, and the war continued.

Unlike the enthusiastic celebrations that greeted the outbreak of World War One in 1914, the German public responded to war in 1939 with resignation. Many Germans still remembered the hunger, suffering, and eventual defeat of 1918, as well as the humiliating peace settlement at Versailles. However, there was little open opposition to the war, and most Germans reluctantly supported the war effort, believing they had no alternative but to contribute.

The Growing Impact of War on German Society

As the war progressed, the daily lives of German civilians became increasingly difficult. Food shortages, bombing raids, and mass conscription placed an enormous strain on the population.

Rationing and Shortages

🛒 Food rationing was introduced on 27 August 1939, even before the war officially began.
👕Clothing rationing followed in October 1939, with people receiving ration points to purchase essentials.
🥔 German diets became more basic and monotonous, relying heavily on bread, potatoes, and preserved foods.
🥩Meat shortages occurred due to the loss of imports from the USA and increased demand from the military.
🔥 The harsh winter of 1939-40 led to severe coal shortages, leaving many Germans without heating.

Food allowances were based on an individual’s importance to the war effort:

• ‘Normal consumers’ received a basic ration.
• ‘Heavy workers’ and ‘very heavy workers’ were given extra calories to maintain their strength.
• Pregnant women and children received additional rations.
• Jewish citizens were placed on lower food allowances than non-Jewish Germans as part of the Nazi policy of discrimination and exclusion.

The Effects of Allied Bombing

By 1942, Germany’s cities were increasingly targeted by Allied bombing raids.

✈️ Initially, British bombers aimed at industrial and military targets, but in 1942, RAF Bomber Command adopted a new strategy:
🔥‘Area bombing’: targeting entire cities rather than specific sites, using incendiary bombs to create firestorms.
💥On 30 May 1942, the first ‘thousand-bomber raid’ devastated Cologne, marking the start of widespread destruction.
🏙️ Over the next three years:

• 61 cities were bombed, affecting 25 million civilians.
• 3.6 million homes were destroyed.
• 7.5 million people were left homeless.
• Between 300,000 and 400,000 Germans were killed in bombing raids.
• Around 800,000 people were wounded.

Despite the destruction, German industrial production continued to increase until mid-1944, partly due to forced labour from occupied territories.

The impact of the bombings on morale was mixed:
📢Nazi propaganda downplayed casualties and destruction to maintain public confidence.
💪 Some Germans remained defiant, determined to endure the hardship.
😞 Others became increasingly disillusioned, particularly after devastating firebombing raids on Hamburg (1943) and Dresden (1945).

The Refugee Crisis

🏠 Early war refugees: At the outbreak of war, many Germans in border regions like the Saar fled eastwards, fearing an attack from France. However, when no major fighting occurred on the western front, most returned home.

🔥 Refugees from bombing: From May 1942 onwards, as British and American bombing campaigns intensified, millions of Germans were displaced, particularly from industrial cities like the Ruhr, Hamburg, and Dresden.

🚶 Fleeing the Soviet advance: From 1944 to 1945, as the Red Army advanced into Poland and eastern Germany, millions of civilians fled westwards to escape Soviet troops, fearing revenge attacks, executions, and mass rapes.

By the end of the war, Germany faced a massive refugee crisis:

• 8 million forced labourers and prisoners from occupied Europe were stranded in Germany.
• 11 million ethnic Germans were either refugees or forcibly expelled from eastern Europe.

Employment and the Labour Shortage

By 1942, the demand for soldiers meant that millions of men had been conscripted, leaving a huge labour shortage in Germany.

👷 German men conscripted: A total of 13.7 million Germans served in the army during the war.
👩‍🏭Women entered the workforce in large numbers, particularly in:

• Armaments factories (producing weapons, ammunition, and aircraft).
• Agriculture (as many male farmers had been conscripted).
• Medical services (working as nurses and medics).

👮 Forced Labour: To fill the labour shortage, the Nazis forcibly transported millions of civilians and prisoners of war to work in Germany.

• Eastern Europeans, including Poles, Russians, and Ukrainians, were used as slave labour in factories and farms.
• Conditions were brutal, with malnutrition, beatings, and executions being common.

🏚 End of the War: By May 1945, Germany was in ruins, with millions of displaced people:

• 8 million foreign forced labourers and prisoners needed to be repatriated.
• 11 million ethnic Germans had been expelled from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other eastern European countries.
• Millions of Germans were homeless, living in bombed-out cities with little food or resources.

Conclusion

The Second World War placed enormous strain on the German people, affecting every aspect of life. While early victories in Poland and France gave many Germans hope for a quick war, by 1942, shortages, bombing raids, and mass conscription had made everyday life increasingly difficult. By 1945, Germany lay devastated, with its cities in ruins and millions of people displaced.

Despite Nazi propaganda insisting on Germany’s inevitable victory, the war ended in complete military defeat, bringing an end to Hitler’s regime and leaving the country divided and occupied by the Allies.