tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post5499441116482833821..comments2023-03-29T23:36:52.482+02:00Comments on The war diaries of Dieter Finzen in both world wars: 26. Dezember 1918Dieter Finzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06564917834898528473noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-5199423204955772152012-01-04T10:52:09.040+01:002012-01-04T10:52:09.040+01:00I find it very surprising that Dieter tells so muc...I find it very surprising that Dieter tells so much about having too much to eat.<br />Actually, since 1916, the nutritial situation of the people in Germany started to become really serious. Starvation was driven by the efforts being made to keep on fighting. There are numerous personal accounts how food was collected for the army or being used as industrial input, e.g. fat being used for lubricating machines and engines instead of giving calories to people.<br />As a result, almost 1 million people died from starvation in Germany during the war.<br /><br />Why then does Dieter seem to live in the land of milk and honey? Here are my thoughts on it:<br /><br />Idea 1. The war caused app. two million dead young men and the double number of wounded. People's happiness about the end of the war and the returning unscathed young men was so great, that they spent all their resources on making them feel good. It coudl imagine this for the Ludwig's who live with their nephew and might be happy that he is still alive, seeing Dieter as some kind of a "son".<br /><br />Idea 2. With a total population back then of app. 50 million people, the war had caused a brutal decrease in the number of young men between 18 and 25. It was hard for a girl to find a healthy young man, so the post office girls might be especially glad about those educated and gently three guys. Hance, they try their best to be kind.<br /><br />Any thoughts on that?Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768259291370607121.post-57930796942864388572012-01-03T18:05:44.257+01:002012-01-03T18:05:44.257+01:00The post office girls gave a great christmas surpr...The post office girls gave a great christmas surprise to us. While we are placed into the telegraph room, they shove around some tables, put a decorated chritmas tree with candles onto one table and arrange some presents for each one of us three. <br />Finally, we are let in. We all gather around the tree and sing christmas carols. Afterwards, we admire the gifts intended for us and heartily thank all the post girls. Each one of us received cake, nuts, apples, cigars, cigarettes, a souvenir of Münden and other small things. Joy is great amongst us! Now we put up the coffee table. Cake is available in large quantities. Unfortunately I can not eat a lot of all the fine things, since I have already been coddled a lot by my hosts with all those delicacies. The post girls could not have been more gracious and appreciative.Thomasnoreply@blogger.com