1945 Germany - 'zero hour'

• At the end of the war it is estimated that 1 in 2 Germans were on the move, including 12 million German refugees fleeing from the east (expellees); 10 million 'displaced persons' who had been in forced labour or various Nazi camps; families torn apart by the war looking for each other; over 11 million German soldiers who were prisoners of war
• 20% of housing had been completely destroyed and a further 30% badly damaged. Cities like Berlin and Cologne had been reduced to rubble. Dresden was also very badly damaged, which was a problem as it was a key industrial city
• The economy was very badly dislocated. The state had massive debts, so Germany once again faced the problem of rising inflation leading to a major black market
• Germany still had some continuities from before the war, such as a well established banking system and an efficient civil service
• It is estimated that around 4.3 million German troops were killed during the war. Between 350,000 and 500,000 civilians were killed during the Allied bombings and 20 million people were left homeless.