Epilog

Today we all know, that on the first days of March of the year 1945 were the provisionally last days in the 700 year old German history of Pomerania, or at least of East Pomerania. At that time, in the middle of the events, this end of a historical section was not so conscious to us. Nobody was himself clear at that time over it, where finally all that should lead and which intended God in the future or in the distant future will have with us. But so it was probably at all times. People, who experience historical happening as present, only rarely the holyshower, like later generations in feel the memory of the same, and detects its meaning only afterwards.

On that memorable Sunday, the 4 March 1945, the front was already into direct proximity moved, left most of the inhabitant with boats over the sea Rügenwaldermünde. Only some elder people, who wanted to stay, and a few men, who had to stay because "the people's storm" (Volkssturm), remained. Many of them could however still escape, briefly before the Russian troops on 7 March Rügenwaldermünde filled, with naval- and other vehicles over sea. Escape routes over country were already blocked for well eight days totally.

One half of the boats, namely those, which already left the port in the morning, drove immediately, in order not to fall the Russians into the hands, far enough to the West. We want to call these the "first fleet". This first fleet landed most in Heiligenhafen, in Eastern Holstein, where the bulk of the homeless becomes concentrate later. Those boats, usually smaller vehicles, which delayed their departure until midnight, arrived after some one-day stopovers finally in Freest, near Wolgast, at the Greifswalder Bodden, where they about eight weeks were. As the front moved, they left in an already almost summer afternoon at the beginning of May this "second fleet" the Freester port toward the island of Rügen. But instead of at least now so far and as fast as possible towards the West to strive, where the first fleet already was for weeks, they went round leisurely the island. They knew not quite, what they wanted, because after ten weeks absence they had become large homesickness now, and the voices, which back-pushed, increases. So came it, that they, more or less intended, let finally closes the trap. That was around 10 May. Most boats of the second fleet were just to Witte, on the island of Hiddensee.
From now on was the slogan, "if already among Russians, then at least at home!". And it really succeeded to the speaker of the second fleet, Albert Rades, who since his imprisonment in the First World War spoke somewhat Russian, and Ernst Gaedtke to induce the military to a return trip permission. In the middle of May left the fleet Vitte with east course accompanied by a Russian boat. On this travel, as they remembered later again and again regretful, they could have still escaped several times, at night and in a heavy thunderstorm before Swinemünde, but none made also only the attempt. A two-day downtime gave it in Swinemünde, where they already got a taste of it, which expected they furthermore. Here it was also, where buyer Walter Otto of Rügenwaldermünde and the last mayor of Rügenwalde, Schiffmann, was arrested down from the boats. Never humans still ever heard thereafter of them. The second and last stop on the way back into the homeland, just before the gates the same, was the almost completely destroyed Kolberg. On these about three weeks lasting time will remember all, which saw them, only with horror. Somehow they created it finally at the beginning of June, with half tolerance of the Russian troops, in the long-longed Rügenwaldermünde to return, almost exactly one quarter after leaving the same.

Since they were familiar with changed conditions meanwhile, they made themself now no more illusions over the near future.

This arranged itself as follows: No house was destroyed on Rügenwaldermünde since no war actions had taken place here. Otherwise however it looked wildly. Many windows were smashed, furniture were situated on the road, beds were slit, so that the feathers flew around, out of untwisted taps flowed water incessantly over stairs and corridors, over yards and ways. Besides everywhere high weeds rampantly grew after our three-month absence. In many houses spoiled leftovers, from a lot of flies surrounded, rotten in the high-summer heat.

But like the German is, despite all these depressing circumstances, despite complete outlawry to refer despite constantly maraud soldiers of a completely incalculable crew power began one, the houses again as well as yards and roads to clean. But around everything reasonably to re-create and the used life again to take up be able, was too short the time, they let which grant the people. About four weeks later the order was already issued that the west side had to be vacated by the Germans.

Some shipped one to the city, other to Schnurrbüdelshof where the Russians were even about to establish a fish collective combine with the returned german fisherman. The first three boats of Karl Makowski, Walter Chinnow and Albert Schulz followed after resumption of the fishery soon the remaining second fleet, who had to transport at first for a while war material. Were this William Vollbrecht, Erich Tramborg, Albert Rades, Emil Pagel, Ernst Gädtke and the "swallow", the owner Hugo Tramborg and August and Franz Mollau. Werner Pagels boat, with which we had returned from Kolberg, was lost later. Karl Richert and Eduard Delleske both drove then also botha boat, that were however not their own.

In addition, the Rügenwaldermünder lived meanwhile all at the eastern side, had to move here often-, which means to move from a house in the other one. I want still to remember now, so well I can and report which families in that time in which houses lived, whereby I put again the house numbers of the "new list" as the base.

The fishery among the Russians lasted up to the autumn 1948. Later (1945/46) still two Kolberger and some boats were added from Leba. In the autumn 1948 the Russians draw off and left the Germans Poland. Few these kept on Rügenwaldermünde, other came on the country and some of them later to a lake in the Stolp area.

This time nevertheless lasted about ten years. Only between 1956 and 1958 finally all Germans were allowed to move into the West. Most Rügenwaldermünder moved, like the members of the first fleet twelve years ago to the Holstein east coast and became there resident members, so that today the most of the Rügenwaldermünder at Heiligenhafen lives. Some live in Neustadt and few in the Kiel area. The remainder is scattered in the country.

Here I would like to return again to it, what briefly I had already addressed in the preface. Me it is clear that I simplified in the epilog, which sketches the way of the Rügenwaldermünder in the time "thereafter" highly. I did that completely intentionally. Naturally I could not after-draw each single fate. That is not also sense and function of this work. Which in this the chronicle epilog is told, is the way of the majority and the fate of the Rügenwaldermünder are in its whole.