“Strasbourg lives in an atmosphere of siege… To do what is necessary, the future must be assured. It is clear that they are not. » These words were spoken by General de Gaulle, while he was in the Alsatian capital on the evening of December 24, 1944. The head of the provisional government spoke as much about the military situation – the French troops were at the end of their strength – as about the morale of the civilian population which lacks everything. “The army is strong, but tired. Alsace is loyal, but worried. »
At the end of November, French public opinion welcomed with joy the announcement of the liberation of Strasbourg. The tricolor flag at the top of the cathedral marks for many the end of the war on national territory. However, the fighting still continues in the north of Alsace and around Colmar. Strasbourg is still on the front line and will remain so until April 1945; the winter is particularly harsh, Alsace lacks supplies and the German army threatens to return. For the people of Strasbourg, Christmas 1944 took place in the heart of the war.
The fighting continues
In December 1944, the fighting moved away from Strasbourg. In the north, the American army advances and pushes the Wehrmacht back to the border. In central Alsace, the Germans resisted around Colmar, and Mulhouse was still cut in two by the front line. In Strasbourg too, the war persists. Withdrawn on the other side of the Rhine, German artillery bombarded the Alsatian capital from Offenburg and Oberkirch. These shots sow panic and lead to further destruction in a city already marked by the American bombings of the summer. In all, 600 buildings were completely destroyed and 2,700 damaged; part of the population has therefore taken refuge in their own city and rents are soaring.
The Christmas period is also ripe for rumors. While the German army counterattacks in the Belgian Ardennes, rumors circulate about its return to Alsace. After all, in a leaflet found in November at the prefecture hotel, the Nazis promised the Alsatians: “We will come back!” » The anxiety of the population is such that the authorities published a press release on Christmas Eve ordering people to denounce the « bobardiers » Who “throw minds into confusion”.
However, the fears of the Alsatians were far from unfounded. On New Year's Eve, the Germans attacked in northern Alsace and threatened to retake Strasbourg, the Americans preferring to withdraw and abandon the city to the enemy. It will take all the insistence of General De Gaulle to convince them to defend Alsace.
Shortage and black market
After the Liberation, the American command had promised “the restoration of normal life. » However, at the end of December, the daily life of Strasbourg residents was anything but ordinary. The curfew from 7 p.m. and the absence of public lighting plunge the city into a gloomy atmosphere. Power supply has only been ensured for a few hours per day since the bombing of the Port du Rhin power station at the beginning of December. Town gas is completely cut off, residents lack firewood and coal while the winter is particularly harsh. The economy is slowing down and part of the population is forced into unemployment.
For Christmas, the people of Strasbourg can still count on the stock of food left behind by the Germans during their flight, but it is running out. Due to the proximity of the front and travel restrictions, goods have difficulty reaching the city. In January, the French rationing system replaced that of the Germans, kept temporarily in place, but the disorganization of the administration caused a long-term shortage. Logical consequence, the black market develops and prices explode. A kilo of coffee sells for 1,600 Francs (F) on the parallel market while its official price is only 89 F.
Political vacuum and purge
Although liberated by General Leclerc's troops, Strasbourg found itself under American military administration in December. Travel outside the commune requires a pass and the population lives under curfew between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The army indiscriminately requisitions administrative buildings and factories, adding to the chaos of the situation. Above all, the Americans were little aware of the particular situation of the Alsatians, with some soldiers imagining themselves to be in Germany. The situation is so critical that posters are put up on the walls to remind the GI's that even if the inhabitants speak a Germanic language, they are French.
In December, Alsace also went through a real political vacuum. The French authorities are struggling to reinstall an administration that has been absent for four years. If Charles Frey, the mayor of Strasbourg in 1940, arrives on November 27, his municipal council will not be officially installed until April. In the vagueness that followed the liberation, it was the French Forces of the Interior of Alsace (FFIA) which took the place of administration until the political situation became clearer from 1945. From the end of November, the FFIA tackles the question of purification, collaborators are interned on simple presumption and without legal basis. At the end of December, the commissioner of the republic set up a commission to judge the merits of these arrests and limit abuses. In Bas-Rhin, 5,000 to 6,000 people were interned and 18 simply executed.
A slow return to normal
If the Liberation was welcomed with joy by the people of Strasbourg, for many families, finding themselves on this side of the front line also meant a loss of contact with their loved ones forcibly enlisted in the German armies. For the latter, these were months of anxiety until June, when the “Despite Us” et “In spite of themselves” began to return. Of the 130,000 Alsatians and Mosellans enrolled, 40,000 will not return.
It was not until mid-March 1945 that Alsace was completely liberated and the end of April for the artillery fire from Baden to cease. When Germany capitulated on May 8, 1945, Alsace barely emerged from the war. Supply difficulties are still present, milk will be lacking in Strasbourg until 1946. The return of refugees and deportees aggravates the housing crisis already present in Strasbourg, some finding their accommodation occupied by other families or destroyed. In the Alsatian capital, no less than 15,000 people receive an allowance because they are victims or refugees. It was not until 1949 that life in Strasbourg returned to normal.
