We Were Berliners: From Weimar to the Wall

By Helmut Jacobitz, Charlotte Jacobitz and Douglas Niles

Helmut and Charlotte Jacobitz were born in Berlin during the mid-1920s. They experienced depression and inflation, and witnessed violence as fascists and communists vied for control of Germany. When the Nazis prevailed, they survived the 12 years of the Third Reich. Drafted in 1943, Helmut was wounded fighting in Normandy. Charlotte, meanwhile, worked at the Reichsbank and took shelter against frequent bombing raids. After the Russians surrounded Berlin in April 1945, she witnessed firsthand the brutal battle for the city. The two young Germans met each other after the war, Charlotte joining Helmut to smuggle food into Berlin through the Russian blockade. The family finally immigrated to America, barely escaping before the Berlin Wall sliced the city in half. We Were Berliners combines the personal reminiscences of the Jacobitzs with a lively, detailed overview of historical events as they related to the family, to Germany, and to Europe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9780752477640

Reviews for We Were Berliners

[jeanniebb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Through the separate, unique stories of a girl and boy, which join upon their wartime meeting, we learn about the tumultuous history of a great city and the unfolding of a changing Europe. What's more, the editor skillfully recreates the backdrop of the times and locale in which they lived.