[109ACS]

Thanks for the post. I was stationed in Berlin 1973-75. It’s amazing that this was filmed two months after the end of the war and already the streets were clear of rubble and demolition and reconstruction had started.

By contrast, I lived in Verdun, France in the mid 1960’s and our house we rented had a 3 story bombed out building in the back yard with a tree growing out the 3ed floor. Driving across the border from Germany to France, you could see a stark contrast between the industrious Germans and the French.

[jmacusa]

I remember a scene from “Band Of Brothers’’ where some the men of Easy Company were watching some Germans in a small town salvaging items from the ruins and trying to get on with life. One of the guys said, "I'll say one thing for the Krauts. They sure clean up good''.

[BBell]

Have you ever seen the pictures of Japan one year after the tsunami in contrast with New Orleans one year after the hurricane?

[Oatka]

It’s amazing that this was filmed two months after the end of the war and already the streets were clear of rubble and demolition and reconstruction had started.

Stephen Ambrose wrote some great books on our GIs in Europe from D-Day on. Hairy stuff. At the end of one book he had a segment where he asked the veterans, after what you went through, which people do you like/respect the most?

Surprisingly, despite all the grief laid on them, they replied "the Germans" because of just such a trait you mentioned. One guy said that they would enter a bombed out town, shoot it up some more, and by time they got to the far side, people were out in the street behind them clearing the rubble.

By contrast, I lived in Verdun, France in the mid 1960’s and our house we rented had a 3 story bombed out building in the back yard with a tree growing out the 3ed floor.

Least liked were the French, who expected the Americans to pay for and rebuild all the damage done, and whined about everything else, while the Italians stole everything that wasn't nailed down.