ABSTRACT
The 1939-45 war brought the entire education system in Germany into complete and utter chaos: by the end of the war all schooling was virtually at a standstill, with large numbers of buildings either completely or partially destroyed. When schooling was finally taken up again, necessity forced it to be run on a shift basis. The tremendous task of rebuilding was undertaken after the currency reform of 1948, but, despite the enormous output of new buildings, it was not until well on in the 1950s that sufficient progress had been made for a recognizable pattern of vocational school education to emerge. But lack of buildings and facilities were not the only difficulties which faced the re-establishment of the educational system. In addition to these deficiencies, there was an acute shortage of teachers, many of whom had either fallen in the war or had been dismissed from their posts immediately after the war in the systematic denazification of the schools which had been undertaken by the allies.
