Encounters in the Rubble: American Interactions with German Children and Youth in Postwar Germany

The US occupation of Germany after World War II was a time in which encounters between American soldiers and young German civilians were especially ubiquitous. Overall, German children and youth played a fundamental role in the US occupation, impacting both personal and political relations. Using a blend of sources ranging from German children’s diaries to official US military records, this work provides a wide-reaching examination of the youngest civilians under occupation in the postwar aftermath of the Nazi regime. It centers on the personal experiences of both German children and American military personnel during the occupation, and also examines the ways that young Germans impacted transatlantic policies, especially in the context of the emerging Cold War, including during the Berlin Airlift. This work thus considers the youngest members of the occupied German population as important historical actors during a time of major transition from war to peace, marked by encounters made in the rubble.