Traumatized souls: the forgotten mass suicide from Demmin 1945

Traumatized souls: the forgotten mass suicide from Demmin 1945

A dark chapter in German history marks itself: The mass suicide in Demmin, which occurred between April 30 and May 4, 1945, has not yet left anyone cold. It is estimated that between several hundred and over 1000 civilians in the small town of Pomerania, after the Red Army took the city shortly before the end of the Second World War. Professor Stamm-Kuhlmann from MDR reports of systematic arson attacks that searched for the region and is reminiscent of the devastating fates, especially women during this time. The horror was omnipresent and the memories of it remain alive to this day.

Hertha Liebow, an eyewitness, describes the traumatic experiences of her family. The rape of her sister has not only changed the girl's life, but also torn the entire family into the abyss. She reports of the desperate attempt to communicate with her sister, who stopped after the attack. When the family fled outdoors, she discovered a stabbed woman whose sight of Liebow could not forget until her death. These terrible memories are symptomatic of the fate that many had to suffer during this time.

The events in Demmin

The mass suicide in Demmin began in the middle of a murderous hysteria. On the morning of April 30, 1945, the Wehrmacht blew up the bridges over the Peene and the Tollense. As a result, the Soviet soldiers who moved up at a rapid speed encounter wealth of looting and rape. The reports of the gantry agents who shot the Soviet soldiers and the massive attacks on women were recorded by contemporary witnesses reports .

During this time, the social structure of the city was heavily shaken. While the Wehrmacht retired, the residents remained with their fear and despair. As city archivist Krüger reports, a list of Marga Behnke over 400 suicides between May 6 and July 15, 1945 documented, while the exact number of suicide remains unclear today. Historians estimate that there could have been up to 1000 suicides. The shame and fear of the revenge of the Soviet soldiers may have been a decisive reason for the mass dying writes wikipedia .

the memory and the displacement

Although numerous contemporary witnesses like Heinz-Gerhard Quadt have reported their painful experiences, this trauma remained hidden for a long time. Quadt describes how he could keep his mother from an attempted suicide, which ultimately ensured his family's survival. His lifelong research of the events in Demmin shows that the topic in the GDR has not been processed for a long time. The disgusting violent acts of the Red Army were often concealed. The processing of the mass death was only slow, which Guido Fröschke, who only learned about the events after 1989, critically noted.

The stories of the survivors who had to suffer remain relevant in a tragic way. As Florian Huber in his book “Child, I promise that you shoot yourself”, this suicides are not only individual tragedies, but also represent the collective trauma of an entire generation. The lack of support and the stigmatization of suicidal thoughts is still a problem that should be met with sensitivity.

The mass suicide of Demmin is presumably the greatest in German history, and the memory of it is not only a sign of memory, but also a warn that such atrocities must never happen again. People with suicidal thoughts are advised to contact familiar persons or telephone counseling, as well as in the dark chapters of history, where the help often came too late.