GIs in Germany The Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- 8 Insolent Occupiers, Aggressive Protectors
- 9 Protection from the Protector
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
9 - Protection from the Protector
Court-Martial Cases and the Lawlessness of Occupation in American-Controlled Berlin, 1945–1948
from Part Three - Tensions between Neighbors
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2013
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- 8 Insolent Occupiers, Aggressive Protectors
- 9 Protection from the Protector
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Court-martial case files documenting noncapital infractions by U.S. military personnel unveil the stormy casual relationships and tense chance encounters, providing a unique opportunity to witness the many different faces of GIs and Germans in the first three years of Berlin's occupation. To maintain discipline among the troops stationed in the destroyed city, courts-martial were assembled swiftly so that potential infractions involving U.S. Army personnel could be adjudicated according to the dictates of military law. The cases adjudicated in these trials provide a view into German-American relations that looks beyond the much-discussed issue of fraternization. The court-martial system was designed to discipline and punish armed service personnel for infractions committed during tours of duty. Police records, MP reports, and personal accounts testify that Americans were represented in scuffles with the Berlin civilian population: these less than pleasant forms of fraternization punctuated the daily contact between Germans and their postwar protectors.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- GIs in GermanyThe Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence, pp. 212 - 234Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013