1. Although there had been rationing since the start of the war, by 1942 food supply decreased and so rations were reduced. People were encouraged to use more exotic foods from conquered countries such as aubergines... Parks and gardens in cities were dug up and used as vegetable patches.
It was not only food that was rationed. Items such as cigarettes, soap, clothing and shoes were also restricted. By 1941 women were only allowed one and a half cigarettes a day and old shoes had to be given up when new ones were bought. The shortages encouraged illegal trading and the black market.
An extract from a history textbook.
Children trying on shoes at an exchange centre.
ITEM
1939 (grams/month)
1942
(grams/month)
Bread
10,600
8000
Sugar
900
130
Other foods
2000
600
Meat
N/A
1200
RESOURCES

2. ALLIED BOMBING Dresden city centre, 1945
From 1942 the Allies – Britain and the USA – began bombing raids on German cities. These raids were designed to disrupt German war production and destroy the morale of German citizens.
By the end of the war more than 3.5 million civilians had been killed.
.Bombing made millions of people homeless. Many of these became refugees, leaving their towns to look elsewhere to live.
The centres of German cities such as Berlin and Hamburg became ruins.
An extract from a History textbook.
Dresden city centre, 1945
The English have made a shattering raid on Berlin, the like of which has never been seen. A hundred and sixty thousand are said to have been made homeless. The city and all the western suburbs are on fire. The air is smokey, sulphur yellow. Terrified people are stumbling through the streets with bundles, bags, household goods, tripping over fragments and ruins.
Ruth Andreas-Friedrich, an anti-Nazi, describes the destruction of Berlin.
The hospitals were crammed. All preparations counted for nothing. You could travel without a ticket on the train. There were no windows in the trains, no schools, no doctors, no post, no telephones. You felt completely cut off from the world. To meet my friend who survived was a wonderful experience.
Jason Shultz, an eye witness describing the aftermath of an air raid on the town of Darmstadt.

3. A new marriage law planned in 1943, but which never came into effect.
As the war intensified there was even more demand for women workers, but as the casualties mounted there was even more pressure to increase the birth rate.
Rationing, bombing and absent husbands made life very difficult for mothers.
When the war began to go badly in 1943 the Nazis tried to mobilise all women except those with young children. Three million women aged were called to work, yet only about one million took jobs. Many tried to escape the call up – some pretended to be ill, others deliberately got pregnant.
An extract from a History textbook.
A German propaganda poster of 1943 with the words: ‘One Battle, One Will, One Goal: Victory at any price. It features a female worker.
All single and married women up to the age of 35 who do not already have four children should produce four racially pure German men. Whether these men are married is of no significance. Every family that already has four children must set the husband free for this action.
A new marriage law planned in 1943, but which never came into effect.
WOMEN

4. By 1944 Germany’s armed forces were heavily stretched and in September Hitler gave orders for the creation of the Volkssturm. This was a type of Home Guard, intended to defend Germany’s cities from Allied invasion. It was made up of men and boys.
An extract from a History textbook.
VOLKSSTURM
AlI was never a soldier so I hadn’t a clue about anything. After three hours of instruction from a holder of the Iron Cross, we were ‘ready for action’ to use a bazooka. Our platoon had twenty three members and for these twenty three we got given twelve weapons. I didn’t get one and didn’t make any effort to. I didn’t understand how they worked.
An elderly member of the Volkssturm recalls his involvement.
A German propaganda poster of 1944.

5. Source A could be seen as useful because it shows us that...
15th May 1943: Air raids are becoming more common again. But the number of planes we shoot down is huge.
29th June 1943: During the night over 800 English bombers raided Hamburg. A city of a million has been destroyed. It has given us problems that are impossible to deal with. Food must be found for the population of a million. Shelter must be found. There are 800,000 homeless people wandering up and down the streets, not knowing what to do.
Source A, from the diary of Goebbels.
15th May 1943: Air raids are becoming more common again. But the number of planes we shoot down is huge.
29th June 1943: During the night over 800 English bombers raided Hamburg. A city of a million has been destroyed. It has given us problems that are impossible to deal with. Food must be found for the population of a million. Shelter must be found. There are 800,000 homeless people wandering up and down the streets, not knowing what to do.
Source A, from the diary of Goebbels.
Task B
How useful is Source A to a historian studying the effects of Allied air raids on Germany? (6 MARKS)
Task B
How useful is Source A to a historian studying the effects of Allied air raids on Germany? (6 MARKS)
Writing frame
Source A could be seen as useful because it shows us that...
However, it fails to show us...
The source could be seen as reliable because...
However, the reliability is limited by...
In my opinion the source is/n’t very useful/reliable because...
What does it tell us about the impact of air raids?
What doesn’t it tell us?
Why could the source be seen to be reliable?
What could limit the reliability of the source?
Make a judgement!

6. Task D. To what extent do you agree with the statement above?
‘World War Two had a very negative impact on the lives of all Germans.’
Task D. To what extent do you agree with the statement above?
Consider, early and late years of war.
‘World War Two had a very negative impact on the lives of all Germans.’
Task D. To what extent do you agree with the statement above?
Consider, early and late years of war.
‘World War Two had a very negative impact on the lives of all Germans.’
Task D. To what extent do you agree with the statement above?
Consider, early and late years of war.
‘World War Two had a very negative impact on the lives of all Germans.’
Task D. To what extent do you agree with the statement above?
Consider, early and late years of war.

7. What problems did Albert Speer face as Reich minister for Armaments and Production?
How did he tackle these problems?
How successful was Speer in increasing the production of armaments?