WIEDERAUFBAU NACH 1945 | Gebrüder Theisen

RECONSTRUCTION 

AFTER 1945

1946 - 1951

1949

From September 1st to 18th the first

GERMAN BUILDING EXHIBITION

instead of.

This German building exhibition is intended to contribute to realizing the demand "we must build". The exhibition will be carried out in accordance with the harsh reality of our time, without any form of representation.

Our company is represented with construction machines, construction equipment and workshop equipment on the outdoor area blocks 1, 2 and 4.

October 

Elimination of the iron quota

After the iron quota has been resolved, I will be transferred to tool purchasing. After most of our purchasing documents were lost as a result of the war, and many of our pre-war suppliers are also in the eastern zone, my first job was to create a new supply source index and a technical registry. An interesting job from which I was able to learn a lot. Sometimes I'm also busy with calculation work.

Korean War 

The impact of the Korean War is noticeable in the form of enormous price increases. Prices increase twice a year by 5% and 8%. As a result, we constantly have to issue new price lists to our customers.

Training course for salespeople in the field from

January 14th to April 8th

1946

From September 1945 to February 1946, I did my accounting and cash register training.

Department head is our general manager Otto Richter.

The company acquires a property in Nuremberg-Schweinau, Hermannstrasse 25. A warehouse for construction machinery and equipment, a repair workshop and offices are built here.

March to August

For further training, I will come to our tool shop for 6 months.

September

My training will now take place in the last months of my apprenticeship in Mr. Rohr's tool department.

As a result of my good performance, I was accepted as an employee at the end of January 1947.

At the end of the year, the net profit was 131,428.38 RM. That's not much, but considering the very short deliveries of goods from our suppliers, it's still encouraging.

1947

The mood in the four occupation zones is depressed in view of the emergency situation. A cold wave hits the population, who are at the mercy of the winter without sufficient fuel.

And then we are hit by a heat wave that lasts from Whitsun until October. Temperatures of up to 35 degrees are measured. The old farmers cannot remember anything comparable. The time of drought begins and it almost never wants to end. Blowing up the garden is prohibited until further notice. The farmland is parched, the meadows burned, the cattle are starving. The harvest yield is only around 25 percent of a normal harvest. Forest fires break out all around Nuremberg

The supply is catastrophic. we have to get by on just under 1000 calories a day. The League of Nations had set 2400 to 3000 calories a day as the norm for human life.

In April I passed my commercial assistant exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Middle Franconia with a grade of 2.

Iron quotas are introduced. Goods are only available in exchange for iron tokens or iron cheques.

In May   I start my commercial activity with the independent management of the iron contingent accounting, which was still necessary at the time and which is subject to very strict controls by the iron management office

When I receive a customer order, I first have to calculate how many iron tokens (kilos) are required. The order is released for delivery only after receipt of the iron tokens.

The industry is far from meeting the demand. Delivery times of 24 months and longer are not uncommon.

Since I already showed great interest in everything technical during my apprenticeship, I was allowed to work from 30.6. until 25.7. in the company

mammoth works

machine tool factory

Pölmann & Nentwig, Nuremberg

practice and later again in the

Ohm Polytechnic, Nuremberg.

I quickly realized that not only a thorough knowledge of the goods but also the knowledge of the purpose and the type of application are the prerequisite for a successful job in the tool trade. That's why I always strive to expand and deepen my knowledge by studying specialist literature.

1948

June 20 

Currency reform, a historic day

On this June 20th   the Reichsmark disappears quickly and painlessly, the Deutsche Mark becomes our only means of payment. Our initial capital is 40.00 Deutsche Mark. The hard currency era begins. With her also our West German "Tischlein-deck-dich". The new Deutsche Mark instead of the worthless Reichsmark causes the range of goods in the shops to swell from one day to the next, as if there had never been a shortage.

We are also releasing our "Paul Mirmachen warehouse" for sale.

For us, the end of the ration cards means the beginning of a new life. It's true that paradise isn't dawning right away, because money is more than tight, but we feel it's good that we can honestly make a living again.

After the currency reform, things are looking up again in the Federal Republic. There is a spirit of optimism in all areas. The money is worth something again. After the difficult years, life begins to normalize. However, the financial resources are still modest. The Christmas gifts correspond to this modesty. First and foremost, you give away what is needed. It was not until the 1950s that the first "luxury items" such as cameras, record players, radios, etc. were bought.

May 1948 shortly before the currency reform

The company makes its first company outing to Cadolzburg. For food, our works council and head of steel sales, Mr. Leinberger, exchanged a mutton for goods, which was slaughtered illegally there. Somehow the police got wind of it and want to check, but our landlord was warned and just let the mutton disappear. So we were happy too early to be able to eat our fill, we only get dumplings with gravy. We get the meat later, packed in portions to take home.

Nevertheless, the day is a complete success. We play theater and sketches and in the evening there is dancing and there is a raffle.