In the spring of 1947, the food supply for the people of Hamburg reached a low point. After a harsh winter in the post-war period, there are hardly any supplies left. 150,000 people protest against the shortage on May 9th.
by Janine Kuehl
During the winter months, the food rations in post-war Hamburg continued to shrink:the "normal consumer" was only entitled to 800 calories a day at the beginning of May 1947. In view of this precarious supply situation, the trade union federation of the Hanseatic city mobilized for a protest strike. On May 9, 1947, 150,000 citizens of Hamburg responded to this call - some sources even speak of 200,000 people. It is the largest demonstration in Germany since World War II. Workers, but also employees, housewives and students join the protest marches and the subsequent rally on the square in front of the Besenbinderhof.
Depleted after war and a particularly cold winter
The people of Hamburg have to share the scarce living space in the bombed-out city with tens of thousands of refugees.The citizens of the Hanseatic city have had a long winter full of hardship. It is one of the coldest winters of the 20th century - and it hits a population completely exhausted from the hardships of the Second World War. The military government assumes that 1.37 million residents will have to be cared for in the devastated city of Hamburg. Among them are more than 70,000 refugees, mainly from the eastern regions. The housing shortage is great:Many live in makeshift homes such as the Nissen huts, find shelter in ruins, bunkers or cellars.
The Bizone economic area is created
As early as December 1946, the supply situation in Hamburg was catastrophic. Henry Vaughan Berry, British civil governor in Hamburg from 1946 to 1949, speaks of conditions like "in Napoleonic times". At the end of the year, the Allied occupiers' daily calorie allocation was 1,550 calories per "normal consumer"; it dropped to below 1,000 calories in the coming weeks. On January 1st, the "Bizone" emerges from the British and US occupation zones. The combination of the "United Economic Area" raises hopes for positive economic development and an associated improvement in living conditions.
The British and Americans are handing off piecemeal responsibilities to the new bizonal administrations of business, food and agriculture, transport, finance, and post and communications. These authorities are made up of German MPs, from whom the Allies hope to have specialist knowledge and knowledge of regional conditions and thus an effective improvement in the situation, for example in the distribution of food.
Massive cold snap in 1947 takes shortage to the extreme
But there is no improvement in sight. On the contrary:at the beginning of January 1947, a massive cold snap made the situation more difficult. With temperatures around minus 20 degrees Celsius, the energy and food supply deteriorates even further. The stockpiles for food and fuel are as good as empty. In addition, there is the vulnerable transport infrastructure:Because of the energy gap and blocked transport routes, trains, buses and trains only run irregularly.
Shutdown of plants due to lack of coal
The lack of raw materials has far-reaching consequences:In some parts of the city, the electricity is repeatedly switched off unannounced between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. because the coal-fired power plants of the "Hamburgische Electricitätswerke" cannot run at full power. Since December 21, 1946, 640 businesses have been closed for lack of coal for heating. In many places, shops are only open four to five hours a day. In mid-February, the number of companies that are no longer working due to the energy crisis rises to 900. Around 31,000 employees are no longer working - and therefore do not receive ration cards. Anyone who still gets some often has to queue for hours in the freezing cold.
"Swedish feeding" and heating halls are intended to alleviate the need
In March 1946, in bombed-out Hamburg, people were queuing to get groceries.Charity organizations offer hot meals for starving Hamburgers - the so-called "Sweden Feeding", financed by Swedish donations. Due to the lack of heating facilities, the Christmas holidays will be extended until January 15th. But even after that, there are often no lessons in the schools. Theaters and cinemas will also remain closed. In mid-January, the social administration sets up warming halls in which the freezing citizens can warm up a bit. The university is extending the semester break until April 15.
Kohlenklau:Number of thieves multiplies
The only way to get coal is usually by looting coal trains. The number of imprisoned coal thieves rose rapidly:from 1,000 in December 1946 to 6,000 in January 1947 and 17,000 in February. On February 15, Hamburg's First Mayor Max Brauer (SPD) appealed to the responsible British General Brian H. Robertson to decree an aid campaign for Hamburg. But the British themselves are having problems with the cold and with supply bottlenecks. Snowdrifts partially block the trains. The coal supply in the Hanseatic city does not improve until the end of February. By then, around 73 people in the Hanseatic city had frozen to death since the beginning of the year, many of whom had to go to the hospital with severe frostbite.
Sliders hold food back
It was not until the beginning of March that the temperatures in the Hanseatic city slowly rose above ten degrees again. Although there is now more coal and gas, the coal thefts continue. The Senate wants to take action against the flourishing black market and organized gangs, which also prevent the fair distribution of food. Special police squads are investigating food pushers who are holding back the already scarce goods and driving up prices. There are numerous arrests and high penalties.
Unions for socialization of key industries
The situation remains tense, especially when it comes to food supplies, as stocks from last year's harvest are running out. In a list of demands by the Hamburg trade unions dated March 28th, the daily food ration should be increased to 3,000 calories, the basic industries should be socialized and the trade unions should have a say in matters relating to the economy.
800 calories a day:"Bearable limit reached"
Mayor Brauer warned at a Senate session in the spring that the population had reached the limit of tolerability. At the beginning of May 1947, supplies were largely depleted and food became so scarce that rations dropped to 800 calories a day. It is only thanks to "the prudent behavior of the trade unions" that there have not yet been any unrest, according to Brauer. In May, Blohm &Voss workers went on a sit-in. A little later, the pressure from the companies became too strong:the Hamburg trade union federation called for a protest strike on May 9, 1947.
Star marches to the Besenbinderhof
On May 9, 1947, workers at the Blohm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg march to the union building at Besenbinderhof to demonstrate against the catastrophic supply situation.Star marches to the Besenbinderhof this Friday, with many shipyard workers from Blohm &Voss. One of their banners reads:"When Junkers rule, there is poverty. When unions lead, there is bread." Employees of the Bavaria brewery and the Asta of the university also declare their solidarity. Because the problems are the same for everyone:there is a lack of housing, clothing, heating material - and above all food.
Unions demand control
The central demand is:Hamburg should be declared an emergency area. Linked to this would be the claim to be supplied with food preferentially from other regions. In addition, the unions are demanding that hoarded food be distributed to the population, that the unions be used as a control body in the distribution and that traffickers and bootleggers are brought before a quick court.
Adolph Kummernnuss:"Last reminder to the world"
"This rally is the last reminder to the world to increase aid for Germany," was the desperate appeal by Adolph Kummernnuss, chairman of the Hamburg unions, in his speech in front of the union building at Besenbinderhof. "Nobody can work with 800 calories!", says one of the many posters that express the catastrophic situation at the largest post-war demonstration to date.
Hamburg becomes an emergency area
All factions of the citizenry support the union's demands, but they will only be partially implemented in the coming weeks. Although the trade unions are allowed to send representatives to the inspection bodies for the food supply, they are not permitted to carry out independent inspections. On May 24, Hamburg and the Ruhr area are finally declared emergency areas, which means preferential delivery of food. But even after that, adults in the Hanseatic city are only allocated 1,100 calories per day. The food supply is improving only slowly. Additional grain deliveries from the USA and CARE packages provide a little relief.
Bizonal administrative reform
At the end of May, the two military governors Lucius D. Clay and Sir Brian Robertson agree on a reform of the bizone, which will include a new administrative structure and a new "capital" in Frankfurt am Main. From now on, a coordinating authority should improve the cooperation and effectiveness of the various administrations, which will also be given more powers. The Economic Council can now adopt its own budget - subject to the approval of the military authorities. US Secretary of State George C. Marshall is also pushing for the bizone to be organized in such a way that it can take care of itself as soon as possible. Hopes in the new bizonal administration will be dampened in the summer. Drought and heat lead to massive crop failures in autumn - the situation is tense again.
Marshall Plan and currency reform boost economy
With the Marshall Plan aid from 1948, the situation slowly improved - and the pressure for social reforms decreased. In the early summer of 1948, the trade unions agree to the European Recovery Program - the official name of the Marshall Plan. Demands for a socialization of the economy recede into the background in favor of an improvement in the emergency situation. The currency reform in June 1948 also contributed to the fact that new purchasing power was created in the years that followed and that things started to improve again in Hamburg from the 1950s onwards.