RichardQ Loc: Colorado

This is only a tiny cross-section of the 1.6-plus million American GIs in the early days of the Allied occupation of ex-Nazi Germany. I want to advise folks who have been following this WW II series that the UHH Admin is transferring my posts to the General Chit-Chat topics, which already has my post on "Was Munich conquered or liberated on April 30, 1945?" I'll continue to post there after this post. The GIs who collected cameras usually picked them up on the black market because the Post Exchange (PX, an Army term for the post's little supermarket) had so few cameras to sell, a lottery system rationed them. The Army tried to squelch the black market by requiring that "all German cameras taken to the States must be accompanied by an officer's voucher stating that the camera was legally acquired." I never heard of any being confiscated.

Some occupation GIs discussed Democracy with civilians - 1946


Some occupation GIs collected cameras - 1946


Some occupation GIs were bored stiff - 1946


Some homesick occupation GIs hung on Armed Forces Radio programs - 1946


Some occupation GIs became friends with German co-workers - 1946


Some occupation GIs enjoyed camaraderie in the Enlisted Men's Club - 1946

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Munich,Frankfurt, Two main rear posts. Fulda, Wildfleckin, Main line of defence

RichardQ Loc: Colorado

Thanks for mentioning the military setups that were outside my activity area, Warrior. I can only depict the Army Air Force bases in which I served: Fürstenfeldbruck and Erding. In 1947/48, I moved to the Adjutant General's Office in Frankfurt for a year before returning to the "Zone of the Interior" (Army speak for the USA). I knew very little about any "line of defence" strategy (against an incursion by the Russians?). If Russia really had wanted to take the rest of Europe, we could not have hoped to stop them unless we used the A-bomb. They reportedly outnumbered us 10 to 1 after we demobilized.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

:thumbup:

carlysue Loc: Columbus

Just so others who may not be aware of the Buddy List (second line following UHH heading), you can follow the posts of anyone you are interested in by putting their avatar name in, their posts will appear in your Buddy List regardless of where Admin feels the need to place it.

Interesting info, as I anticipated. Like the photos,and there is a continuity of generations in that GIs are GIs and acting pretty much the same in every decade of war. (smiley face)

RichardQ Loc: Colorado

Thanks for the info on the Buddy List, Carlysue. I wondered what that was. The cross-section of GIs pretty much represented the American public because the draft was still in force. Of course, the racial segregation of troops was more emphatic than in many stateside civilian areas and puzzled a lot of Germans.