Famine And Revolution

Towards the end of the Great War, Germany's suffering intensified both in the field and at home. Families in the homeland were experiencing previously unknown famine and were unable to subsist on the ration cards. The only way to survive was to become self-supporting, or to hoard food, which was prohibited. Some stole from farmers' fields at night, only to be caught by police who were lying in wait to catch such thieves.

At the Front, it had become a situation of "every man for himself". Many were no longer obeying commands and the war had turned into a battle for individual survival.

The lone watch in the trench - photo sent by
Tor Kiefer from the Front to his family

Upon returning home at the end of the war, the soldiers found a revolution. The Kaiser had fled to Holland and the country was in the hands of workers' and military councils; the epaulettes and cockades of the returning men were torn off in the streets. Many soldiers who had not been fortunate enough to secure a job in the homeland stood before closed doors. Under the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, the Allied and Associated powers occupied Germany and many Germans were unable to find a place to live, being forced to move in with relatives or friends.



Tor Kiefer, who at age 29 had become the deputy senior physician of his regiment, wrote the poem "Die Heimat" describing this situation.

Tor also wrote the following report of the famine in the homeland and the battle for survival at the Front:
"The officers had their own supplies of food, and didn't suffer any shortages. They were able to buy everything they wanted from the canteen. Towards the end, things became scarcer and more sparse. The more the hope of a favorable end dwindled, and the longer the war lasted, the more each individual was only interested in his own survival.

Tor's report

Service at the Front was no longer an honorable one. In the back area, they were told "If you don't toe the line, you'll be sent to the Front!" Nobody came from the front or the rear. Each individual person acted only in their own private interests, without any regard for others, with just one aim - to get out safely.

To put themselves in a good light, the Generals organized a partial offensive on the occasion of the Crown Prince's birthday. Hundreds fell - but they delivered a report of success. The men in the trenches received sad letters from the homeland. Famine, until now unknown in Germany, plagued the families. They were not able to survive from the ration cards and what they received with them, and had to hoard food. Farmers demanded extraordinary prices for their products".

Prisoners on April 28, 1916 at the Eastern Front
Photo by Tor Kiefer

"But not everyone had Persian carpets, pianos, gold and silver", Tor continues. "The poor were simply fighting for their lives. They went out at night and dug out potatoes from farmers' fields, only to be caught by policemen who confiscated everything. You can only imagine their bitter anger, after all their trouble, to then return home empty-handed to a starving family. How does the village butcher manage? He's not called up, is round and fat and satisfied. It's rumored that he's got connections with the district command and supplies them with food and is thus absolutely indispensable. Who will monitor this? Who will hang the bell around the cat's neck?"






"This is the situation that confronted those who fought at the Front when they marched back into the homeland after the armistice", Tor concludes. "They found workers' and military councils who tore off the epaulettes and medals of the officers, who dissolved military order and who decided on how things were to continue. Nobody organized any kind of integration into civilian life. Those who had been smart and clever enough to obtain a position in the homeland in good time were able to rent one of the few free apartments and could establish themselves. The soldier from the Front stood before closed doors. Nobody cared for him, he had to try to help himself".