The History Hour

Bonus: Defeated


Listen Later

8th May 1945 was a day of rejoicing in Britain, the US and many other countries: Germany had surrendered, and World War II was over, at least in Europe.

Yet it was not a day of celebration for everyone: for the vanquished Germans, it marked the end of bombings and of Nazi rule. But it was also a time of deprivation and chaos, fear and soul-searching. Millions of ethnic Germans had fled their homes to escape the approaching Red Army.

In this documentary, Lore Wolfson Windemuth, whose own father grew up under Nazi rule, unfolds the stories of six ordinary Germans who lived through that extraordinary time, through their memoirs and diaries. Amongst others, we hear from:

Siegbert Stümpke, a 12-year-old schoolboy who was used as a runner by the German Wehrmacht in the final days of the war;

Lore Ehrich, a young mother from East Prussia (now Poland) who had to flee with two small children across a frozen lagoon;

Hans Rosenthal, who was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust hidden in a Berlin allotment colony before very nearly getting shot by the Soviet liberators;

Melita Maschmann, who got hooked on Nazi ideology aged 15, became a youth leader and took years to acknowledge her share of the responsibility for the crimes committed by the National Socialists.

Narrator: Lore Wolfson Windemuth

Producer / Editor: Kristine Pommert
Research: Katie Harris

A CTVC production for the BBC World Service.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The History HourBy BBC World Service

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

550 ratings


More shows like The History Hour

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,421 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

370 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,812 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,665 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,174 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

481 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,739 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,075 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

971 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

274 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

585 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

963 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,065 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,045 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,866 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

368 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

838 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

758 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,636 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,169 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

708 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,972 Listeners

The Explanation by BBC World Service

The Explanation

25 Listeners