Berlin in Ruins

In the novel, Maggie Joyce goes to work in Frankfurt in 1946 for the Army Exchange Service. This part of her story was based on my father's sister, Mim, who went to work for the State Department in Berlin shortly after the war ended. Because of the ferocity of the fight by the Russians in taking the German capital, much of the city was left in ruins. Many of the buildings left standing were comandeered by the Army of Occupation to house their employees. The hardships suffered by the Germans after the war are unimaginable, especially since the winter of 1945-46 was brutally cold. However, the Germans immediately started to rebuild their city and their lives. Streets were cleared of rubble; trolley lines were repaired; buildings were rebuilt using material from bombed buildings. Although there was a non-fraternization order between Americans and Germans, it didn't last long, and many soldiers returned to the U.S. with a German war bride. Photos from my aunt's time in Berlin can be seen at http://www.pemberleyremembered.com/ on the "Story Background" page. There is a slide show at the bottom of the page.