Uwe Timm Recalls the End of World War II: "Then the GIs stormed in"
"Following that, American soldiers approached and tapped on the entrance"
Uwe Timm, a renowned German author known for exploring post-World War II Germany in his works, shares his memories of the war's end. Eighty-five years old, Timm vividly remembers the destructive bombings in his hometown of Hamburg and the subsequent liberation.
In a candid interview with ntv.de, Timm describes the haunting images of fires throughout the Osterstraße when he was three, and the chilling sensation of fear that gripped him as he was tossed around in his pram amid the chaos. His family's apartment was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943, leaving them with nothing but a table, some porcelain figures, and memories of the horrors of war.
As the war came to an end, Timm recounts his experience in Coburg, where he and his family had been evacuated. Initially, German soldiers were still present, fearfully digging trenches by the river. When the American soldiers arrived, they quickly pushed aside the circus wagon full of stones that had been set as barricades on the bridge. gunfire erupted, and suddenly, the Black Panthers were among them.
Timm had never seen black people before and admits that initially, he was fearful due to the misinformation he had been given. However, the GIs behaved correctly, and Timm soon found himself sitting in his apartment with the Americans thundering at the door. They searched the house, and when they found military uniforms belonging to deserters, they were furious and demanded to know if there were still German soldiers hiding.
Timm's family fled the city in the aftermath of the war, and later, he watched as his fellow citizens buried Hitler portraits in their gardens. With the end of the war, authority suddenly meant nothing as his entire generation experienced the power shift. After a few months, the men returned from captivity, but their Authority was significantly weakened.
As Germany becomes more combat-ready, Timm expresses his concern, stating that the goal has always been to become more peaceful. He questions the amount of money being poured into defense and the idea of a fair society defending itself. He continues to write about the post-war era, using food, politics, and personal stories to explore the transformation of Germany during that critical time.
World War IIHistory80 years after the end of the warPost-war GermanyNational SocialismRebuilding
- Uwe Timm, reminiscing about the end of World War II, recalls the arrival of the German Parliament (The European Parliament) and foreign authorities (the Council, the Commission) in the devastated cities, as they worked towards denazification and the rebuilding of post-war Germany.
- In his writings about the historical period of 1945, Timm conveys the complex relationships between Germans and the occupying forces, sharing memories of imagining enemies in every stranger, such as black American soldiers (currywurst), unlike anyone he had ever seen before, who quickly proved to behave correctly despite initial fears.
- Amidst the political turmoil and power shifts following the war, Timm recounts the unexpected absence of authority figures, such as military deserters hidden in homes, that revealed the weakened position of leaders and the profound transformation in relationships within German society.
- As the European Parliament, Council, and Commission oversee the continuing development of modern Germany, Uwe Timm questions the focus on defense and the balance between fairness, personal stories, and international engagements while exploring the history 80 years after the end of the war in his works.
