Summary of Harald Jähner's Aftermath

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The end of the war in Berlin was on 30 April, but in Aachen, 640 kilometers west of Berlin, the war had already been over for six months. In Duisburg, the war had been over in the districts to the west of the Rhine since 28 March, but in the east it raged for another 16 days.

#2 The idea of Zero Hour was emblematic of the elemental break that Germany had experienced. It was the start of no man’s time; laws had been overruled, yet no one was responsible for anything.

#3 In Berlin, journalist Ruth Andreas-Friedrich, doctor Walter Seitz, actor Fred Denger, and German-Russian musical conductor Leo Borchard found a white ox in the middle of the city. They brought it outside and killed it with two pistol shots. Everyone immediately began fighting over the meat.

#4 The end of the war in Berlin didn’t happen everywhere at the same time. It was 11 days before the Red Army had advanced to the last inner-city districts. In Berlin, life had calmed down to such an extent that Ruth Andreas-Friedrich was able to move back into her severely battered apartment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669352327

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Harald Jähner's Aftermath

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The end of the war in Berlin was on 30 April, but in Aachen, 640 kilometers west of Berlin, the war had already been over for six months. In Duisburg, the war had been over in the districts to the west of the Rhine since 28 March, but in the east it raged for another 16 days.

#2

The idea of Zero Hour was emblematic of the elemental break that Germany had experienced. It was the start of no man’s time; laws had been overruled, yet no one was responsible for anything.

#3

In Berlin, journalist Ruth Andreas-Friedrich, doctor Walter Seitz, actor Fred Denger, and German-Russian musical conductor Leo Borchard found a white ox in the middle of the city. They brought it outside and killed it with two pistol shots. Everyone immediately began fighting over the meat.

#4

The end of the war in Berlin didn’t happen everywhere at the same time. It was 11 days before the Red Army had advanced to the last inner-city districts. In Berlin, life had calmed down to such an extent that Ruth Andreas-Friedrich was able to move back into her severely battered apartment.

#5

The end of the war brought about a frenzy of expectation in Berlin, as well as in the entire country. The next generation of historians was already working to make the extent of the horrors halfway comprehensible.

#6

The poem Inventory by Günter Eich, written late in 1945, became famous in Germany and symbolized the Zero Hour movement. It listed the possessions of a man who was ready to start a new life.

#7

The inventory became the watchword for post-war literature because of its laconic quality. The clear-cutting writers opposed florid prose because they felt betrayed by it. They planned to keep things as simple as possible.

#8

After the arrival of the Red Army, Berlin experienced a wave of sexual violence that lasted for days. Marta Hillers experienced it as a regime of sexual violence that lasted for weeks. She took stock of her situation: she was excellently equipped for life, but she was just standing around waiting for the end.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The war had left about 500 million cubic metres of rubble behind. To help people visualise the amount, they undertook all sorts of calculations. The Nürnberger Nachrichten took the Zeppelin field at the Reich Party rally grounds as its benchmark.

#2

The Germans had had plenty of time to get used to the destruction after the first bombing raids in 1940. They had been forced to clear their cities after repeated attacks, and patch