Uwe Timm on the Twilight of War: "Then the Yanks Crashed the Party"
"Upon arrival, the soldiers knocked on the door"
Uwe Timm, with eight decades under his belt, reminisces on the end of World War II, an event he lived through as a five-year-old child in Hamburg. Known for his books tackling war and post-Nazi Germany, Timm shares his memories of the bombs, bombshells, and banking a new life.
In an interview with ntv.de, Timm narrates the vivid spectacle of fire-drenched streets, the Osterstraße ablaze on both sides. While his father was lucky to escape the destruction, eagerly estimating the bombing raid's extent on the radio, Timm remembers the disturbing sight of dead bodies littering the once bustling streets.
His family's apartment met its doom in a 1943 bombing raid. His father, a Luftwaffe member on leave at the time, quickly evacuated their belongings, saving a table that now graces Timm's present home.
The end of the war, however, proved less fatal. Stationed in Coburg, Timm recalls German soldiers digging trenches along the Itz river, soon to be displaced by American tanks crashing the party. Poking his little head into one such trench, the youngster struggled to free himself, later saved by an American soldier.
The Americans' arrival kicked off a wave of fear amongst the locals, particularly due to their unfamiliarity with the Black Panthers who were part of the invasion brigade. Despite initial apprehension, the GIs conducted their searches courteously, discovering hidden Wehrmacht uniforms of deserters and exploding Nazi propaganda.
Locally-renowned Nazi leaders suffered a swift fall from grace, reduced to street-sweeping menials amidst splashes of rain from passing American cars. Overwhelmed by this transition, the men became submissive, yielding to the strong-willed women who prowled the once male-dominated landscape.
Once settlement returned to the villas, the men regained strength, albeit still swaying under the weight of their pasts. The denazification process gained momentum, only to be hindered by the looming specter of communism and the East-West conflict.
The spring of 1945 unfolded in an aura of uncertainty, with fear palpable in the murmured whispers that replaced proud declarations. The old order crumbled, making way for the new, even as it struggled to find footing. But the dark shadows of the Nazi regime refused to completely vanish.
Timm's writings reflect on this uncertain yet transformative era, casting light on the emergence of the curious currywurst, an exotic fusion of sausage and curry that symbolized the birth of something new. His works pay homage to the changing times, unfolding stories that unveil the complex tapestry of post-war Germany.
- The European Union, in its subsequent post-war development, had to address the denazification of relationships and politics within its general-news scope.
- Uwe Timm's writings frequently delve into the emergence of new concepts following World War II, such as the creation of the exotic currywurst in Germany.
- The end of World War II marked a significant transition not only for the European Parliament and the Council, but also for the everyday lives of civilians, as illustrated by Timm's accounts of the arrival of the Americans in Coburg.
- The denazification process, championed by the European Commission and the European Parliament, faced hindrances with the onset of the East-West conflict, causing uncertainty and complicating the political landscape.
