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This book examines the U. S. Army's presence in Germany after the Nazi regime's capitulation in May 1945. This presence required the pursuit of two stated missions: to secure German borders, and to establish an occupation government within the assigned U.S. zone and sector of Berlin. Both missions required logistics support, a critical aspect often understated in existing scholarship. The security mission, covered by the combat troops, declined between 1945 and 1948, but grew again with the Berlin Blockade/Airlift in 1948, and then again with the Korean crisis in 1950. The logistics mission grew exponentially to support this security mission, as the U.S. Army was the only U.S. Government agency possessing the ability and resources to initially support the occupation mission in Germany. The build-up of 'Little Americas' during the occupation years stood forward-deployed U.S. military forces in Europe in good stead over the ensuing decades.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. Run-up to the Military Occupation of Germany, 1945-1949.- 3. Supporting the Military Force and the Birth of 'Little Americas'.- 4. Supporting the U.S. Military Families: 'Little Americas' Begin to Crawl.- 5. Supporting Local Populations: Germans, Displaced Persons, Expellees and Refugees.- 6. Logistics, the Bridge to Cultural Exchange: Bratwurst versus Burger.- 7. Conclusion: 'We are in country for the long haul'.
About the author
Lee Kruger returned to academia after retiring from the US Army following over thirty years of military service, with almost twenty of those years in Europe (primarily Germany), having served as a Foreign Area Officer and logistician.
Summary
This book examines the U. S. Army’s presence in Germany after the Nazi regime’s capitulation in May 1945. This presence required the pursuit of two stated missions: to secure German borders, and to establish an occupation government within the assigned U.S. zone and sector of Berlin. Both missions required logistics support, a critical aspect often understated in existing scholarship. The security mission, covered by the combat troops, declined between 1945 and 1948, but grew again with the Berlin Blockade/Airlift in 1948, and then again with the Korean crisis in 1950. The logistics mission grew exponentially to support this security mission, as the U.S. Army was the only U.S. Government agency possessing the ability and resources to initially support the occupation mission in Germany. The build-up of ‘Little Americas’ during the occupation years stood forward-deployed U.S. military forces in Europe in good stead over the ensuing decades.
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“Kruger has written a very welcome study on a topic that was of enormous importance in early post-war German and European history. ... Kruger’s book is a welcome addition to the still growing body of literature on the Allied occupation of Germany; as such it is essential reading to those studying this fascinating period in European history.” (Martijn Lak, European History Quarterly, Vol. 48 (1), 2018)
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"Kruger has written a very welcome study on a topic that was of enormous importance in early post-war German and European history. ... Kruger's book is a welcome addition to the still growing body of literature on the Allied occupation of Germany; as such it is essential reading to those studying this fascinating period in European history." (Martijn Lak, European History Quarterly, Vol. 48 (1), 2018)
