Berlin Days, 1946-47

by George Clare

Clare's memoirs of Berlin and its inhabitants in the aftermath of World War II aims to be a kaleidoscopic portrait of the defeated Germans and the British, American and French occupiers.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Germany

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Clare, the author of "Last Waltz in Vienna: Destruction of a Family 1842-1942", arrived in England as a refugee at the age of 17. In this book he recollects in clear, powerful and sometimes ironic prose, his experiences as a British soldier in the denazification process in immediate post-war Berlin. We see Berlin in ruins and in its re-emergence. On my first reading, decades ago, I didn't much enjoy learning about Berlin in its post-war state with its four foreign masters. I did find the subject interesting on the second read.

The author ends his account in Vienna, where he began life, now just "an uncannily familiar foreign city". In the Epilogue, he calls The Federal Republic "the best Germany Germans and the world have ever known" and that is why he has been trying to tell the story of that city and that time. The book was published in 1989 I'd guess just months, perhaps weeks or only days before The Wall came down.

[Jane Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of George Clare's time in Berlin just after the war, working in the 'de-Nazification' programme. This is the follow-up to his book, 'Last Waltz in Vienna' about living with his parents in Vienna in the 1930s, before they became separated as he was sent to England while and his parents hid in France but were eventually found and murdered by the Nazis.
This personal tragedy adds poignancy and layers of meaning and expectation to what he is doing in Berlin and to how he resolves the dilemmas presented to him through his interviewees and superiors.
Berlin Days is a revealing record of the struggles for influence between the 4 powers controlling Berlin and is a very readable account of the personalities Clare worked alongside and interviewed.

[Sarah Bath · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Last Waltz in Vienna then George’s second volume of memoirs will be essential reading. George is now a British soldiers who has put his Viennese past on hold to join the war effort. Post war his language skills are needed and he’s dispatched to Berlin where the Four Powers are tackling de-Nazification with a mixture of Evelyn Waugh-like farce and dark Stalinism! He immerses himself back into European culture and, of course, eventually has to confront his Austrian heritage and the terrible fate of his family.

[Jonathan Palfrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read this in 1989, I commented, “Not as interesting as it might have been, but I finished it anyway.”