IMAGE OF GERMAN FIRE POLICE UNIT
During the second World War around 500,000 German civilians were killed in Allied air raids, by October 1943 Berlin had about 400,000 homeless people due to bombing, by March 1945 this had risen to 1.5 million.
Due to restrictions enforced by the treaty of Versailles after WW1, Germany was not allowed to raise a military defence force, but in 1926 regulations were changed which allowed for civil air raid protection, and in 1931 the first official guidelines for the organisation of civil defence were put in place. A year later the first air raid drill took place.
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, all air defence organisations were brought together under the name Reichsluftschutzbund [RLB], its main task was to educate the civilian population, and to train it in civil air defence matters. To enable this 2,800 air defence schools were opened throughout Germany. Initially the Bund membership was voluntary, but in 1935 a large proportion of the population was registered and liable for air defence service this included many females and teenagers, in 1940 the RLB become a governmental agency, subject to public law.
The smallest independent self-defence group was called the Blockgemeinschaft [apartment block community] it was organised by a Blockwart [air raid warden] who was elected by the community from within its own ranks, he was responsible for organising the inhabitants of his building, during an air raid. Under him were the assistant Blockwart, and members of the Hausfeuerwehr [block residents] trained and designated as a fire brigade,also the Laienhelfer responsible for the care of the old, children, and the wounded, in addition the Melder [mostly teenage boys, tasked with delivering damage and casualty reports]
Around 1940 the RAF began targeting industrial complex with the aim of destroying factories, disrupting replacements and supplies to the German military. The task of protecting industrial plants from fire, the training of personnel on how to limit infrastructure damage was undertaken by the WLS the Werkluftschutz.
In every German industrial plant, a factory air defence warden was employed and was in charge of training and organising the factory fire brigade and members of a workshop air defence, such as the messengers and medics. The German government invested large amounts of money into the WLS which was spent on training and development of air defence strategies.
It was considered that even the smallest light source was visible from the air, and would aid Allied bombers, therefore the use of lights was strictly regulated, from sunset to sunrise, room were only to be dimly lit, bright lights of all kinds were forbidden, blackout bulbs which only projected a narrow beam of light towards the floor were used, windows were covered with special blackout blinds, or enclosed with cheaper cardboard or black fabric. People who failed to observe the blackout regulations, could expect severe punishment, including the withdrawal of electricity, steep fines, and even imprisonment. No street lighting was provided, vehicle headlights were shielded with slotted covers, waymarkers were painted on tarmac,trees and walls of houses,using luminous paint.
From 1935 every German house owner had to construct and furnish an air defence room, which had to be equipped with tools to create exits in case of collapse, together with means to fight a fire, other contents were also recommended, a first aid kit,a radio, and ready packed luggage containing personal paperwork, fresh laundry, and valuables, in the event of the need for immediate evacuation.
Air defence cellars [second bunkers] were also constructed, access to them however were very limited. Only citizens who didn't have access to a shelter of their own were allowed to enter, strict controls at the point of entry, made sure that only women children, the disabled and older citizens entered, Jews were forbidden to gain shelter, as were men fit for military service. Hamburg for example had 1,051 public air raid shelters, including 83 massive public bunkers.
The air raid warning service consisted of volunteers and members of the Reichspost [postal service], it was commanded by older members of the Wehrmacht, some being WW1 veterans. Its function was to supply an early public warning service. German airspace was constantly monitored by numerous air raid reporting stations, on land and sea, each of these stations was linked by phone to a District Command post, which would relay information about an incoming raid to larger town and cities within that area, from there word would go out to city districts, where warnings would be given by radio broadcasts, followed when the raid became imminent by sirens.
After an air raid the SHD [Security and Aid Service] took over to support the population to fight fires, assist policing duties, help with first aid, and restoration of essential services. It was also equipped to lay giant smoke screens to obscure major industrial plants within the city, against observation from the air, SHD personnel mainly consisted of younger men unfit for military service.
As the air raids rapidly increased in their intensity, to avoid social unrest and low morale on the home front, the German government, to partly satisfy the needs of the civilian population, who were often spending many hours of their lives sheltering in bunkers and darkness, kept the consumer goods industry fully running until 1942 when total mobilisation came into effect, but even then the government tried hard to offer its workers rising wages, together with new social service benefits.
In May 1944 , the Nazi party was worried about its citizens who heard nothing but sirens wailing, aircraft engines, the noise of the AA guns, and the crashing of bombs, many could not get the sounds out of their minds, this particularly effected women, many becoming hysterical. Radios were on from morning to night in order to receive news of approaching planes. The phrase “ when will this terrible plague finally end” was often used, and many feared “ Will it be our turn tonight?”
People could not work any more, because of their nervous state, “ Bunker fever” drove them into run-down concrete dungeons, in one particular bunker, there were four thousand people, it had been built to accommodate eight hundred, the heat was so intense that people took off their close without shame.
In late March 1945, people in Hamburg were afraid that a further devastating air raid was probable, since many cities were no longer targets due to Allied occupation, it was felt that there was something good about being occupied, it brought an end to bombing raids. In the city pubs there was no heating, no electricity or gas, hope was that the Brits would come and bring this misery to an end. March 11 1945, brought the 197th of 213 raids on Hamburg, ten thousand bombs were dropped, 97 persons killed.
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