ABSTRACT
At midnight, 8 May 1945, Germany as a sovereign nation ceased to exist. During this time people changed, landscapes were transformed, and family legacies were destroyed. While war was still raging, allied leaders had met, on 4–11 February 1945, in Yalta in Crimea. Major points of contention at this meeting were the ultimate fate of Poland, and the final boundaries of a defeated Germany—as well as zones of future occupation. Many of those who followed directives and reported to assembly areas, were packed into freight rail cars and transported to detention centres— often former concentration camps. By this time, everyone was weary and exhausted. The infrastructure that had facilitated Hitler's grand quest to conquer all of Europe—bridges, rail lines, etc—was now destroyed. Large cities were littered with smouldering carcasses of former buildings and homes. Debris, sometimes scattered, other times piled high from where buildings once stood, filled streets and made them unidentifiable. Dust and smell of cinder permeated the air.
