Evening star., 1946-04-21
GI Families Facinq
Some Hardships in
Living in Germany
By Cynthio Lowry
>ssoeioied Pres, Foreign Correspondent

Assoeioted Press Foreign Correspondent
BREMERHAVEN, Germany, Apri
20.-A new era in American pioneer.
ing will open when the first Amer
lean families reach here on theil
way to join their men of the occupa-
ton army.
In numbers the first arrivals will
be few-feWer than the Army antici.
pated. That husbands and fathers
already are in Germany and the
liberated countries is helpful. Sc
is the fact that the War Depart
ment has done every possible thing
to prepare for them.
When the first transport docks al
Bremerhaven-now scheduled fol
April 23-the 1900 women and chill.
dren will walk across the quay tt
new, special railway station where
they will be divided according tC
their destinations in the occupied
zone-and most of them soon vii
be on their way in specially equip
ped trains.
Nurse on Each Train.
Each train leaving here will carry
guards, nurse, a hostess to helr
mothers with children, and a train
commander to see that the paSsen-
gers are fed and perfected.
Hundreds of houses and apart
ments await the families at then
destinations.
Most wives will be pleasantly SUI
prised to find them not too different
from those at home. There are
front yards, small gardens, trees
balconies; telephones and hot water
gas ovens and plenty of electric light
plugs.
In Berlin living quarters have
been chosen for 254 families who
will arrive April %, 208 families are
expected then in Frankfurt, anc
smaller numbers at other occupation
centerS.
Generals families are entitled tt
a living room, dining room, study
kitchen, pantry, maids room, flV'
bedrooms, dressing room and fouI
bathrooms-but only three toilets.
Homes Are Set Sizes.
Majors through colonies are linn
tied to four bedrooms, two bath
and three toilets.
Lieutenants through captains arr
permitted three bedrooms, one bath
room and two toilets.
AS for enlisted men. they will bt
entitled to a living room, dining
room, kitchen, two bedrooms, 8
sto1eroom, one bathroom and one
toilet.
But the rules will be tempered
to fit the situation at hand. Hous-
ing actually will be assigned on the
basis of need, and enlisted mems
quarters will not be very different
from those given low-ranking Off
GERS.
In a Bremerhaven block, for in
stance, one side will be for enlisted
men; the other for officers. Apart.
ments are identical. In the court
the sons of captains will play with
the sons of sergeantS.
In Berlin there will be severa
communities in the neighborhood OF
the various military installations
Frankfurt families will live fol
the most part in small houses ane
apartments within the barbed-Wirt
enclosure near USFET headquarters
L. S. Is Landlord.
The Government will act as land
lord. and prices would make th'
average renter in the United State
go green with envy. The scale i
hard and fast and set by rank rath
er than by the actual accommoda
tions: Sl20 monthly rental for lieu
tenant colonels and above: $105 fo
majors: $50 for captains: S75 TO
first lieutenants; $50 for secone
lieutenants. on-commissioned Off
GERS are charged a fat S27 monthly
Commanders of the various area
are wrestling with the job of lining
up the houses, sometimes over tn,
resistance of present occupants
Germans and American officers. II
one city a hundred German house
wives recently demonstrated agains
the requisitioning of their homes
The furniture question is a sac
one. Each family has been warned
to bring its own. If they don't tn;
Army can supply stark minimums
Cots, mattresses, blankets, pillows
1t hopes, but cannot guarantee. Il
provide kitchen tables, straight bacE
chairs, cupboards and. clothes clos
cts. Sheets, table cloths, curtain
must come from The States.
American families in Berlin viii