{"id":5517,"date":"2018-06-10T06:57:22","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T06:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/?page_id=5517"},"modified":"2019-03-28T10:59:49","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T10:59:49","slug":"22-november-1943","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/geschichte\/22-november-1943\/","title":{"rendered":"November 22nd, 1943"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>The southern Hansaviertel before and after its destruction<\/h3>\n<div id=\"hv-before-destruction\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1674 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942-1024x781.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942-1024x781.png 1024w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942-800x610.png 800w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942-768x586.png 768w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1942.png 1807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"hv-after-destruction\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1674\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hansaviertel_1945-1024x781.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"781\" \/><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"hv-toggle\">After the destruction<\/button><\/p>\n<h4>When time stood still \u2013 The bombardments of Berlin and the Hansaviertel<\/h4>\n<p>Life in the Hansaviertel was largely extinguished during the Second World War. When the Allied Air Force flew several waves of attacks on Berlin in March and November 1943, about two thirds of the residential buildings in the Hansaviertel were destroyed, along with many other districts of the city. The bombardments and the subsequent firestorm cost many people their lives. Those who were able to protect themselves in the bunkers lost their belongings and their homes.<\/p>\n<p>As the imperial capital, industrial center and seat of Adolf Hitler\u2019s government, as well as the official seat of all the important command authorities, Berlin was particularly targeted by the Allied attacks. They hoped that the \u201cBattle of Berlin\u201d would bring about a decisive change in the course of the war. There had already been several air attacks on Berlin since 1940, but the initial focus was on war-related targets such as armament facilities, industrial plants and infrastructure. In 1942, the Allies changed their strategy. As a reaction to the German bombing of London and the destruction of Rotterdam by the German Air Force, the British also set their sights on non-military targets \u2013 especially residential areas \u2013 with the Area Bombing Directive of February 1942. Through the so-called \u201cmoral bombing\u201d <span class=\"tooltips \" style=\"\" title=\"J\u00f6rg Friedrich: Der Brand. Deutschland im Bombenkrieg 1940-1945, p. 81\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/literaturverzeichnis\/#fn_november-1943_01\">(1)<\/a><\/span> they hoped to demoralize the German civilian population, who would then overthrow the Hitler regime. This strategy was to be supported by the dropping of leaflets over Berlin with the message: \u201cYou can overthrow the Nazis and make peace\u201d <span class=\"tooltips \" style=\"\" title=\"Joachim Kuropka: Gewalt und Krieg, Extremismus und Terror. Beitr\u00e4ge zu immerw\u00e4hrenden Problemen menschlichen Zusammenlebens, Berlin 2011, p. 146\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/literaturverzeichnis\/#fn_november-1943_02\">(2)<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>The Americans were also preparing for more effective air strikes against German cities. In May 1943, the German Village was built on the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, which consisted of replicas of typical tenement buildings. <span class=\"tooltips \" style=\"\" title=\"Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, http:\/\/www.themilitarystandard.com\/army_base\/ut\/dpg.php, accessed on 24.08.2018\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/literaturverzeichnis\/#fn_november-1943_03\">(3)<\/a><\/span> Here the armed forces tested various warfare agents, and also the fire behavior of the residential buildings. The Royal Air Force and the United States Air Forces then used this knowledge during their attacks on German cities from 1943 onwards. In Berlin, large parts of the inner city were destroyed: the districts Wedding, Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Sch\u00f6neberg, Steglitz, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, as well as the center between Alexanderplatz and the Brandenburger Tor, were largely destroyed by the area bombardments <span class=\"tooltips \" style=\"\" title=\"Laurenz Demps (ed.): Luftangriffe auf Berlin. Die Berichte der Hauptluftschutzstelle 1940-1945, Schriftenreihe des Landesarchivs Berlin, Volume 16, Berlin 2012, p. 38.\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/literaturverzeichnis\/#fn_november-1943_04\">(4)<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 343 residential buildings in the Hansaviertel, only 70 largely survived the destruction. Most of the trees in the Tiergarten also burned to the ground. Some of the remaining trees were chopped down by the needy population in the ice-cold winters after the end of the war to be used as fuel, while in spring they used the areas that were now freed-up to grow vegetables. Planting and reforestation did not begin again until 1949, when the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Reuter, symbolically planted the first linden tree on 17 March. <span class=\"tooltips \" style=\"\" title=\"See Landesdenkmalamt Berlin (Hg.): Denkmaltopographie Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Denkmale in Berlin. Bezirk Mitte, Ortsteile Moabit, Hansaviertel und Tiergarten, Petersberg 2005, p. 77\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/literaturverzeichnis\/#fn_november-1943_05\">(5)<\/a><\/span> The Hansaviertel was not to be rebuilt until 1953 as part of the Interbau International Building Exhibition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2505\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2505\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2505 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski-800x500.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020a__altes_hansav_14_IMG_\u00a9Janiczewski-320x199.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2505\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The war-damaged Hansaviertel and the burnt down vegetation of the Tiergarten, after 1945 <span class=\"engdesc\"> Senatsverwaltung f\u00fcr Bau- und Wohnungswesen Berlin Luftbildstelle<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2731\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2731\" style=\"width: 2720px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2731 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2720\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG.jpg 2720w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG-800x235.jpg 800w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG-768x226.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020c__altes_hansav_Truemmerblick_Archiv_KFG-1024x301.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2720px) 100vw, 2720px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2731\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hansaviertel, a wasteland: view from the Kaiser-Friedrich-Ged\u00e4chtniskirche towards the former residential area, partly cleared of rubble. <span class=\"engdesc\"> \u00a9 Archiv der KFG<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"hv-picture-row\">\n<div class=\"one-half first\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_1929\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1929\" style=\"width: 401px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/0000_Altes_HV_123.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1929 size-hv24h\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/0000_Altes_HV_123-401x260.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"260\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The house Altonaer Stra\u00dfe 12 after the bombardments in the night of 16 to 17 January 1943 <span class=\"engdesc\"> Landesarchiv Berlin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"one-half\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2734\" style=\"width: 401px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020__altes_hansav_zerstoerung_\u00a9LAB.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2734 size-hv24h\" src=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/020__altes_hansav_zerstoerung_\u00a9LAB-401x260.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"260\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Piles of rubble on the corner of Lessingstra\u00dfe\/ H\u00e4ndelallee<span class=\"engdesc\">\u00a0Landesarchiv Berlin, Foto: Erich O. Krueger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"hv-schmucklinie small-margin\" \/>\n<p>Dr. Sandra Wagner-Conzelmann<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/geschichte\/jahre-1945-1953\/\">&gt;\u00a0 The years 1945\u20131953<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h6>Destruction in World War II<\/h6>\n<p>Several air raids in January and March 1943 and, above all, a major attack in the night from 22 to 23 November 1943 almost completely destroyed the Hansaviertel of the Kaiser era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7871,"parent":5433,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-5517","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5517"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8515,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5517\/revisions\/8515"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hansaviertel.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}