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The City Director of Haltern on the Housing of Displaced Persons (December 16, 1946)

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3.) The formerly well cared-for houses and streets are now completely filthy, the gardens and squares resemble the overgrown grounds of old ruins. Even wardrobes are being used in the gardens as toilets. Nothing official is known about the condition of the houses. It is telling, however, that extensive repairs had to be done to the floors, windows, doors, and above all the roofs, of the 15 houses along the right side of Reich Road in Haltern-Wesel that were recently returned to evacuated local residents. The furnishings of these houses are missing.

4.) Many of these evacuated residents, such as miners, railway workers, and other workers are forced to watch as the floors, doorframes, and window frames they acquired through hard work are torn from their property and burned, and as their small houses are completely given over to decay. Most recently, camp inmates have begun to remove the roofs of the houses and to burn the roof beams and roof laths. This has rendered the empty houses and nearly all the barns completely unusable. The furnishings have been mostly sold at black-market prices or have been taken by Poles who were moved to other camps. Only a few pieces could be returned to their owners with the help of the police.

5.) Because of the destruction caused by earlier camp inmates and the congregation of many people in individual houses, living space in the prohibited area is not being fully used. As a result, additional structures are falling victim to the destructive rage of certain elements.

6.) Whereas a general survey conducted at the outset provided a picture of the untenable situation in Haltern, these statements should now be corroborated with facts:

The following, more serious crimes have been committed in the city and the district of Haltern since the camp for foreigners began operations:

  1945
1946
1946
1946
1946   
 1.1.46- 3.31.46
 4.1.46 - 6.30.46
7.1.46-
9.30.46
10.1.46- 12.16.46
Murder and manslaughter   12
1
-
1
-
Robberies on farms about 420
33
5
7
13
Other robberies and break-ins about 550
65
38
22
12
Large animals stolen about 720
32
5
26
-
Small animals stolen   more
85
28
27
5
Bicycles stolen about
27
37
42
18
Clothes about
660
36
14
54
Watches about
10
2
8
8

The countless smaller thefts are not included in these statistics.

The long held hope of the final dissolution of the DP camp (to which end several offices have taken hitherto unsuccessful steps) is the only thing that is helping the population of Haltern to endure the chaotic conditions that exist at the moment.



Source: BArch, Z 40/468, copy; reprinted in Udo Wengst and Hans Günther Hockerts, Geschichte der Sozialpolitik in Deutschland, Bd. 2/2: 1945-1949: Die Zeit der Besatzungszonen. Sozialpolitik zwischen Kriegsende und der Gründung zweier deutscher Staaten. Dokumente [The History of Social Policy in Germany, Vol. 2/2: 1945-1949. The Era of the Occupation Zones. Social Policy between the End of the War and the Founding of Two German States. Documents]. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2001, pp. 229-31.

Translation: Thomas Dunlap

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