A family and love story that spans across decades and european borders. When bridges over the peene river were destroyed, residents had nowhere to run. Matricula online is a site with church registers from various european countries, including germany, austria, poland, and serbia. Drawing on war diaries, published memoirs, letters, and cemetery records, huber first relates the events of april 30 to may 3, 1945 in demmin, where advancing soviet troopsstalled by the german.
Memorials across germany commemorate liberation by the allied forces. Jun 29, 2019 the irony was that until april 30, 1945, demmin had been untouched by war. Indiana had the highest population of demmin families in 1840. The suicides occurred during a mass panic stirred by atrocities committed by soldiers of the soviet red army, who had sacked the town a day before. How thousands of germans committed mass suicide as allies approached in the final days of wwii up to 2,000 killed themselves in german town in. The suicide phenomenon was particularly pronounced in demmin. A provincial capital, the population enthusiastically embraced nazism, although due to its lack of strategic importance. Feb 16, 2015 in april and may 1945 a wave of suicides hit germany, preceding and following the invasion into germany by american, britisch and russian troops. We first learn of the city of demmin where between 700 and over citizens killed. German troops destroyed the bridges over the peene while retreating from demmin during world war ii.
Jul 29, 2019 what took place in germany between 1933 and 1945 is not a subject that lacks historical study. The book zooms in on the small northeastern german town of demmin, where up to 1,000 germans, out of a population of roughly 15,000, killed themselves including. In 1840 there was 1 demmin family living in indiana. Between april 30, 1945, the day hitler committed suicide, and may 3, 1945. In berlin alone more than 7,000 suicides were reported in 1945. It combines norways gruesome history around the tyskerjentene with the dark days of the mass suicide in demmin around may 1945. On may 1st, 1945 up to 1,000 women and children in demmin, germany committed mass suicide in order to escape being raped and murdered by the red army. Hubers book, originally published in germany in 2015, that conducts a. Jun 29, 2019 more than 20 years ago i visited demmin and filmed an interview with an eyewitness to the suicides for nazis. You can see how demmin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The untold story of how the collapse of the nazis sparked a suicide epidemic. The most demmin families were found in the usa in 1920. A bestselling german study of mass suicides as the red army advanced in 1945. And thats why florian hubers book about mass suicides in the last year of.
German city of demmin in the days between april 30th and may 2nd, 1945. On may 1, 1945, when the red army arrived, kittel took a gun that was on the body of a neighbor who had committed suicide and used it to shoot his wife and two children, who were and 14. Original records are located in the landesarchiv greifswald, germany. The catastrophic events that were to overtake the civilian population are described in florian hubers compelling book promise me youll shoot yourself. Trude teige granny danced in the rain demmin roman. And perhaps there is no example of this more stark than what happened in the german city of demmin in the days between april 30th and may 2nd, 1945. Jun 20, 2019 and one of goeschels chapters, on the suicides of jews in germany between 1933 and 1945, points to an egregious omission from hubers book. It was the capital of the former district of demmin. This was 100% of all the recorded demmins in the usa. Demmin simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retreating german soldiers blew the bridge over the river peene on the western edge of the town, halting the red army but also trapping the townspeople and preventing them from also fleeing towards american lines. Under hitlers rule, germany became a totalitarian state where nearly all aspects of life were controlled by the government. It is the largest mass suicide ever recorded in germany. The defiance and destruction of hitlers germany, 19441945.
On 30th april 1945 soviet forces reached the town of demmin in north east germany. Books about the third reich, hitler, nazism and the holocaust continue to be produced on an. It focuses on the small town of demmin, in pomerania 1945 population. The first part, four days in demmin, is a remarkably moving opener which very effectively draws the reader in and piques their interest. Some shot themselves, others consumed poison and some, in the town of demmin that saw an estimated 1,000 suicides, drowned themselves in the rivers. Oct 07, 2016 and perhaps there is no example of this more stark than what happened in the german city of demmin in the days between april 30th and may 2nd, 1945.
The province was part of the north german plain and was considered the flattest area of germany. Hubers book about the collective suicides in germany following the end of the war. Demmin, a modest town of about 16,000 people in the pomerania region, was far from insulated from the antisemitism and furor that fueled nazism. About a quarter of the book by far its strongest section is dedicated to the suicides at demmin in east germany. German chancellor angela merkel toasts with a glass of beer at the beginning of a political ash wednesday event of the mecklemburgwestern pomerania christian democrats in demmin, germany, 9 march 2011. The list is long, but is an allencompassing source for researching, but may not include links to kreisspecific information.
The book begins with a portrait of demmin, a town of just 15,000, plus refugees, where as. Because here is a german dealing directly with german trauma. A warning from history, a tv series i made for the bbc which was also shown in germany. Up to 2,000 residents killed themselves after the arrival of the soviet army sparked. The collection houses records from kolberg under colberg, koslin, peenemunde, schneidemuhl, stargard and stettin. Florian hubers remarkable book, a bestseller in germany, confronts this terrible. This was 100% of all the recorded demmin s in the usa. The focus of promise me youll shoot yourself is not on those who were the most culpable for the evils of nazi germany. Hotel demminer muhle in demmin provides accommodations with a garden and a terrace. Among the facilities at this property are room service and an atm, along with free wifi throughout the property. In one german town, 1,000 people killed themselves in 72 hours. In 1945, many germans chose to take their own lives rather than face the advance of the soviet army. By april of 1945, both sides knew who was going to lose the second world war. The mass suicide of ordinary germans in 1945 the small town of demmin, located in the northwest corner of germany, found itself in the immediate path of the rapidly advancing russian forces.
On may 1, 1945, hundreds of people killed themselves in the town of demmin, in the province of pomerania now in mecklenburgvorpommern, germany. Searchable databases my pomerania german and polish. Germany, prussia, pomerania church records, 15441945. Part of what made demmin vulnerable was its geography. It became known as the tragedy of demmin between april 30, 1945, the day hitler committed suicide, and may 3, 1945, more than 1,000 people in demmin estimates reach up to 2,500 decided to take their own lives. On may 1, 1945, hundreds of people committed mass suicide in the town of demmin, in the province of pomerania now in mecklenburgvorpommern, germany. Nov 25, 2019 the book reveals that suicides were common in demmin as the red army approached. Wikimedia its impossible to say that the soldiers of the red army knew this history as they descended upon the town at the end of april, 1945. Jul 05, 2019 this story is much broader than the title suggests, although it begins in april 1945 in the small town of demmin normally with 15,000 inhabitants but perhaps doubled at that time with german. The german journalist and historian florian huber wrote the book kind, versprich mir, dass du dich erschie. Since hubers book has been published he has been contacted by people. On 1 may 1945, hundreds of people commited mass suicide in demmin, a town in pomerania, germany. East of the oder rive lay a range of low hills and forests.
A leading authority on 20thcentury germany combines scholarship and readability in this analysis of year zero, the turning point in the history of the german people. Entire families committed suicide disillusioned and scared, hundreds of germans took their own lives on may 8, 1945. The untold story of how the collapse of the nazis sparked a. Poison or gas was used, people hanged themselves and their children, they shot each other. The suicides occurred during a mass panic that was provoked by atrocities committed by soldiers of the soviet red army, who had sacked the town the day before. What took place in germany between 1933 and 1945 is not a subject that lacks historical study. Official white pages phone book for people and businesses in germany. Nazi germany is the common english name for the german state between 1933 and 1945, when adolf hitler and his nazi party nsdap controlled the country, which they transformed into a dictatorship. Nov 30, 2019 the mass suicide of ordinary germans in 1945 the small town of demmin, located in the northwest corner of germany, found itself in the immediate path of the rapidly advancing russian forces. Hitlers germany capitulated unconditionally on may 8, 1945, marking the end of world war ii in europe.
Drawing on war diaries, published memoirs, letters, and cemetery records, huber first relates the events of april 30 to may 3, 1945 in demmin, where advancing soviet troopsstalled by. Optionally enter a place name in the second box wo. Searchable databases my pomerania german and polish genealogy. To her left stits the chairman of the state party group, lorenz caffier. This story is much broader than the title suggests, although it begins in april 1945 in the small town of demmin normally with 15,000 inhabitants but perhaps doubled at that time with german. Of special interest for pomerania are the roman catholic military church books. On may 1st, 1945 up to 1,000 women and children in demmin. The demmin family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. The german version of city names must be entered and the autocomplete assists with this to get the right spelling.
Evangelical lutheran and roman catholic church records and transcripts for a portion of historic pomerania now split between mecklenburgvorpommern, germany and szczecin, poland. May 09, 2015 the date was may 1, 1945, and he was in the german town of demmin in the final days of the third reich. The mass suicide of ordinary germans in 1945 florian huber. This way, the advance of the soviet red army was slowed down when they arrived in demmin on april 30, 1945. Seit dem jahre 1283 war demmin mitglied des hansebundes. Named a best history book of 2019 by the times uk the astounding true story of how thousands of ordinary germans, overcome by shame, guilt, and fear, killed themselves after the fall of the third reich and the end of world war ii. More than 20 years ago i visited demmin and filmed an interview with an eyewitness to the suicides for nazis.
In some small towns, hundreds of people took their own lives and the lives of those they loved, in many cases their small children. Origins books, 2005 pomerania stretched along the ostsee baltic sea bordering on mecklenburg, brandenburg and west prussia. During the final weeks of the third reich and the war in europe, many civilians, government. But mass suicides also took place in many other german cities, towns and villages, mainly in the east as the russians approached. His 2009 book suicide in nazi germany placed the phenomenon, including among the countrys jews, in a historical perspective and provided.
By the end of april 1945 in germany, the third reich had fallen and invasion was underway. This page contains a list of searchable databases, online through both indexes and images of original sources. The carnival meeting is headlined by the motto time for clear words. Although death toll estimates vary, it is acknowledged to be the largest mass. During that night and the following morning, demmin was handed over to the red army largely without fighting, similar to other cities like greifswald. The book zooms in on the small northeastern german town of demmin, where up to 1,000 germans, out of a population of roughly 15,000, killed themselves. On 1 may 1945, hundreds of people committed mass suicide in demmin, a town then in the province of pomerania, now in mecklenburgvorpommern, germany. For example, in may 1945, up to 1,000 people killed themselves before and after the entry of red army into the german town of demmin which resulted in a wave of rapes, pillage and executions committed by red army soldiers. A norwegian book, written by the norwegian author trude teige, called mormor danset i renget granny danced in the rain. Why a wave of suicides washed over germany after the nazi. The untold story of how the collapse of the nazis sparked. Thousands of germans committed mass suicide as allies. Why is there so little sense of guilt in germany for the.
Theres a restaurant serving seafood cuisine, and free private parking is available. Parish register of baptisms, marriages, and deaths for wolkwitz, pommern, germany. Trude teige granny danced in the rain demmin roman oma. He wrote that people who decided to commit suicide alone were few. Rather, it looks at the many ordinary germans who took their lives, or contemplated doing so, during the last days of the third reich.