A bit of history

Life in Germany was hellish immediately after the war, improving to merely miserable in the following few years.

A friend of my dad's asked for some help with some old German documents she had from her own parents. One of the documents was an old postcard sent to her father in Boston from post-war Germany. With the aid of my mother-in-law, who had to learn the now-archaic script in school, I present the translation. Thought you might be interested.

The postcard comes from the Rheinish-Prussian British Zone, and is stamped as having gone through the military censor for civilian mail.

Honored Herr Cöhnen!
I received your card some time ago, must unfortunately share, that Father didn't survive the war's end, he died already in June 1940, and Mother in March 1945. A brother the youngest fell, my sister-in-law is living in (her) parents' house. 2 brothers-in-law are still in Russian prisions. I myself was released in August as malnourished. I can tell you, Herr Cönen, that was a war. Is good that Vater didn't experience all that, what there is today, such has Germany never experienced. You must see our city and the misery/squalor. When you want to know more about our hometown village I am happily ready with information. In closing once again greetings to your wife and children from beautiful Wanlo.


The original German... is full of misspellings, reproduced here (I didn't include them in the English). Or maybe it was dialect at the time, but he does spell Coenen several different way. He must have been a neighbor; the families obviously knew each other well, but not well enough to use first names (i.e. not intimate friends)

Wehrter Herr Cöhnen!
Habe vor einige Zeit ihre Karte erhalten, muß ihnen leider mitteilen, das Vater das Kriegsende nicht erlebt hat, er is schon im Juni 1940 gestorben, und Mutter im März 1945. Ein Bruder der jüngsten ist gefallen, meine Schwegerin wohnt im Elterlichen Haus. 2 Schwäger sind noch in russicher Gefangschaft. Ich selbst bin im August als Unteränert entlassen worden. Ich kann Ihnen sagen, Herr Cönen das war ein Kreig. Ist gut daß Vater das nicht alles miterlebt hat, und was ist heute, so was hat Deutschland noch nicht mitgemacht. Ihr müßt nur unsere Städt mal sehen und das Elend. Wenn Sie noch mal näheres über Ihr Heimat Dörfchen erfahren wollen, bin ich gerne für Auskunft bereit. Zum Schluß nochmals herzliche Grüße an Ihre Frau und Kinder aus dem schönen Wanlo.
Grüß,
Herr Göbels
(Aus Wieksrath - Niers)