Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

Discussions on every day life in the Weimar Republic, pre-anschluss Austria, Third Reich and the occupied territories. Hosted by Vikki.
CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#1

Post by CRAIG CARR » 13 Dec 2014, 01:48

Wie geht's my kind AHF friends.My mother just had her 90th birthday 4 weeks ago, and grew up at Großbeerenstraße 39 in the Kreuzberg Park area of Berlin.The birthday present album I made of her life growing up under the Third Reich during WW2 using our late family's surviving fotos and memorabilia and captioning each page with their oral histories of what they saw and barely survived daily has just broken 154,000.. it was a nice birthday surprise for her. She performed in the 1936 Olympic's opening ceremony, survived food rations of bread made with Sägemehl( sawdust), and lost her sight and speech for one year from a phosphorous bomb exploding in her face. My Grandfather Kurt carried her across the street to the Schade Apotheke who were "silent heroes" to the Kreuzberg making a triage out of their sidewalk and dispensed aid to any resident injured as Hitler banned ANY fire trucks, ambulances or doctors from attending the injured from air raids. The Point Blank Policy of 1943, classified all civilians as combatants,and targeted apartments, hospitals, schools and churches,funerals and children walking to and from school. They were guardian angels,and I would like to locate the descendants and add a picture to the album of them and publicly thank them for saving my mother's life and express gratitude for what they did so selflessly for others in the darkest days of mankind. The pharmacy was sold to a bookstore called "Antiquariat-Herald on the corner of Hagelbergerstrasse 15,three doors from where my mother's home once stood...hers was firebombed to rubble on January 30th, 1943 at 7 pm. Does anyone know where I could look to locate them? I have hit a brick wall. In April of 1945, my mother was sentenced to death by hanging and rescued in transit, a remarkable survivor. The Geburstagalbum album link is: http://picasaweb.google.com/anne.loftin/SiegHell#
Thanks for any suggestion so I can complete her album. kindest regards, CRAIG

history1
Banned
Posts: 4095
Joined: 31 Oct 2005, 10:12
Location: Austria

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagalbum

#2

Post by history1 » 13 Dec 2014, 12:10

CRAIG CARR wrote:[...] The pharmacy was sold to a bookstore called "Antiquariat-Herald on the corner of Hagelbergerstrasse 15,[...] Does anyone know where I could look to locate them? I have hit a brick wall.[...]
Hi Craig,
I´m not sure I understood your request correctly?
https://tinyurl.com/mjlyskn
Regards,
history1

PS.: I don´t understand what " Oma Mchen" in the image and text should mean? Grandma Mchen? The only name who came in my mind is "Emma" what very close relatives and friends could make into "Emmchen (little Emma): https://tinyurl.com/l7lkbvn


User avatar
Geo K
Member
Posts: 15
Joined: 10 Jun 2010, 17:28

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagalbum

#3

Post by Geo K » 13 Dec 2014, 12:40

Hi Craig,

why and by whom your mother was sentenced to death? Was there a jury trial and where did it take place?

Regards
Geo K

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagalbum

#4

Post by CRAIG CARR » 14 Dec 2014, 22:34

Wie gehts History 1 -- Oma M'chen was a nickname for her,as she was a diminutive woman whose kind nurturing personality " mothered" all the 3 generations of family who lived at GB39 on different floors.A term of endearment for "mutti chen" or "M'chen".An exceptional couture seamstress who made the dresses, hats and coats for school shown in the 1931 album foto taken across the street in the Kreuzberg Park.My mother Ruth, holds a schule tutte,Anneliese her sister holds the ball, and in the carriage is their kid sister Sigrid, who just turned 85.She also made my mother's Olympic jumper for the '36 games opening ceremonies. She could cut out and sew without a pattern for anyone, a great talent whose skill fed her family.

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagalbum

#5

Post by CRAIG CARR » 14 Dec 2014, 22:49

I am a computerless/illiterate, and tried emailing and snail mailing the two Apothekes that the Schade family owned with no success for six months.I wondered if anyone knew of a Berlin agency I could contact on the property sale to contact them.? I was w/o any internet service for 14 months, what I have now is very limited. My thanks to someone correcting my imperfect German topic title attempt. Meine Entschuldigungs fur nicht interlage zu sein rihtig deutsch zu sprechen, Ich wuchs auf in einem nur englischen hausholt.Ich bein eine dumkopf. You can imagine the challenge of hand cutting and pasting together separate letters in fraktur type on fotos of several pages in the birthday album.Imperfect, but atleast I try. : )

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagalbum

#6

Post by CRAIG CARR » 15 Dec 2014, 01:14

Hello George, these two virtually unknown military laws were passed overnight in the Spring of 1945 and used to execute over 30K German boys in the last 10 weeks of WW2, and used against my mother and four other girls as she would be taken to the People's Court in Hamburg as a show trial, then taken back to Lübeck to be hanged as a public warning to others. "In the name of the Führer, ANY soldier who illegally obtains"leave papers", or who travels with false documents will be punished by death" . GFM Keitel, 2.12.45. Gen. Blaskowitz, authored the following on 3.5.45: "All soldiers encountered away from their units, stating they were stragglers looking for their units, were to be summarily tried, and shot". When the base was evacuated of the 1000 girls back to Lübeck in advance of the Soviets push to Berlin, the transport left 5 girls behind in the bathroom at the last stop, and they were labelled "deserters"as they arrived in Lübeck on the next train. Her captors escorted her to Hamburg, knocked out the driver,and blew up the truck. Gave her a forged discharge paper and rail pass to Berlin, while in transit to Hamburg. She was one of the few lucky ones to escape the fate of these orders, thanks to two unexpected guardian angels. Blessings upon the kindness of these two strangers. Truth is stranger than fiction.

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagsalbum

#7

Post by CRAIG CARR » 28 Jan 2015, 23:24

Is there a Berliner able to take a picture of Grossbeerenstrasse 39 as it looks today and add it to this link to my mother's birthday album? I only have one faded picture of her 4 story home taken 75 years ago.Vielen Dank in advance if possible.: )

User avatar
Geo K
Member
Posts: 15
Joined: 10 Jun 2010, 17:28

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburstagsalbum

#8

Post by Geo K » 29 Jan 2015, 10:16

Hi Craig,

I tried to find Großbeerenstrasse 39 in " Google earth Street view ". But this view is gray covered. Is there a secret behind this address ?!

Regards
Geo K

history1
Banned
Posts: 4095
Joined: 31 Oct 2005, 10:12
Location: Austria

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#9

Post by history1 » 29 Jan 2015, 11:08

Geo K wrote:Hi Craig,
[...] Is there a secret behind this address ?!
Regards
Geo K
Hi Geo,

there is no other secret then many people in Germany wish to protect their personal rights and don´t allow to show their homes.

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#10

Post by CRAIG CARR » 29 Jan 2015, 20:03

Hello George & History 1... a friend of mine who had a computer showed me last year the google overhead map of Grossbeerenstrassse and Hagelbergerstrasse corner that clearly shows a vacant lot where my mother's home once stood...it was bombed to rubble in a fire storm air raid over the Kreuzberg Park area at 7 pm on the night of January 30th, 1943... and remains a vacant lot of dirt now 72 years later.I was shown a picture of the rental apartments next door to the vacant lot at GB 37.. and is kind of interesting to look at the picture I have from 75 years ago in the album and see that same building with 'built outs" over the front windows that had a lot more charm and character then, than it does now. AS my mother and her sister are the last surviving legal descendents of the family's owners.. I cannot see why anyone would object to a picture taken at ground level of the vacant lot between the existing buildings. Certainly there is no privacy issue of photographing a vacant lot of dirt and grass between GB 47 and GB41...where a 5 story home once stood 72 years ago. Verkolen sie mich?
.

Mannheim
Member
Posts: 841
Joined: 12 Dec 2010, 23:10
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#11

Post by Mannheim » 29 Jan 2015, 23:55

Craig:
I was in Berlin in 2012 and attempted to walk from my apartment opposite the old Goebbels Propaganda Ministry down Wilhelmstrasse to Tempelhof airport. Unfortunately, having arrived in Kreuzberg I discovered the Church of Jerusalem und Neue Kirche and spent the rest of the day taking photos in the cemetery. Had I continued another block or so, I would've gone very close to the corner of Grossbeerenstrasse and Hagelbergerstrasse. Point of this anecdote? I may very well be back in Berlin this year and if so, I will photograph the address for you. It's become a pretty seedy area and I was approached by a number of locals begging for money which surprised me as I look more homeless than most, even on a good day. I'll keep you posted if nobody supplies a photo in the meantime.
Kein Irrtum ist so groß, der nicht seinen Zuhörer hat.

history1
Banned
Posts: 4095
Joined: 31 Oct 2005, 10:12
Location: Austria

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#12

Post by history1 » 30 Jan 2015, 20:21

CRAIG CARR wrote:[...] Verkohlen sie mich?
Hi Craig,

not at all.
Try to get the street view here, it´s a link to my hometown. More specific to the benedek-barracks (but you may try any road you want!):
https://tinyurl.com/qg4vv64
And then compare it with link from Poland, the city´s name is Wejherowo and I have relatives there. Link shows a former castle and nowadays museum for Kasubian literature. Don´t forget to use the "street view"-feature:
https://tinyurl.com/of39znq

Did you note a difference?

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#13

Post by CRAIG CARR » 02 Feb 2015, 02:24

Wie Gehts HIstory 1! Thank you for these links........I noticed the Wejherowo site shows much more of the surrounding areas of the Kreuzberg Park area. Should I say: Jak cie maez? : ) I wish I wasn;t quite so techno oignorant ( Ich bin eine dumkopf).I am able to pull up the colored dost for GB 39 and Hagelberger 15 htat are two doors frlm mh moter;s former house... but no ground image comes up to show me what I am searching for visually, as I am afraid ich wuchs auf in einem nur engloschen hausholt.. and am not deciphering the German commands correctly as to how to make the maps work properly. It is kind of fun tnhoujgh to see the distances between m y mother;s home, and the places I grew up hearing about. .THe best Weinacht;smarkt was on Bellallianz strsse that they walked to each year down Hagelbergerstrasse. Meine Gross tante Frieda's theatre company was on the same street, and coudl walk home between matinees to backe pflaumenkuchen for the cast to bring to the night performance. My Grandafther maintained a "klien garten" in the Tiergarten area that the family walked to tend trees of epaches and apricots and plums, and pick summer strawberries and blueberries, carrots, and kartofffels.There is a picture of them in their garten in the album there.They went to KaDeWE department store before the war to buy special svhool outfits for the three sisters and my grandmother's favorite :perfume: 4711.When public school resumed after the war.. my aunt Sigrid was sent to Steglitz Oberlyceum. Thanks to your kindness.. I can now see the distances and paths they walked over 70 years ago. danke! I hope someday to walk on those very same streets. Ich wunsche sie einen guten tag! and a better new week!



. .

history1
Banned
Posts: 4095
Joined: 31 Oct 2005, 10:12
Location: Austria

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#14

Post by history1 » 02 Feb 2015, 12:01

Hi Craig,

it´s my pleasure! It´s fun to read your anglicised German, much appreciated!
Polish isn´t my mother tongue, I just learned it as autodiktat. But no probs to read and speak it fluently.
Have a nice week!

Roman

CRAIG CARR
Member
Posts: 113
Joined: 07 Oct 2009, 22:07

Re: Meiner Mutti's Geburtstagsalbum

#15

Post by CRAIG CARR » 08 Feb 2015, 05:36

Jak cie maez Roman. I applaud your linguistic skills! I grew up with Russian, Polish and Czech friends acquiring a small verbal comprehension, that helped as I started my showbiz career escorting showgirls nightly and trying to avoid being hit in the mouth with feathers..been there / done that more than once.. including being knocked off of a staircase. Half of the castmembers were eastern Europeans, so I found my less than fluent childhood Russian of great help when I had to conduct rehearsals.." Zdractvutie! dobre utro.. ja ochin rad svami peznokomitsa!." I envy Europeans and their multiple language skills as speaking German at home for me was considered verboten. Thanks for you patience with my meager and easily incorrect attempts.
mit freundlischen Grussen! Craig

Post Reply

Return to “Life in the Third Reich & Weimar Republic”