The Second World War in Duesseldorf The majority of Duesseldorf’s citizens only perceived the catastrophe of the outbreak of war in the form of various unrelated events, e.g. reports of soldiers having been killed in action. The blitzkriegs against Poland and France initially went well and alleviated the fears of people who could still remember the First World War. Although there were shortages of everyday requisites, the coupon system functioned well and the shortages did not have any decisive impact on everyday life. The initial victories generated a great deal of enthusiasm and attracted blind hangers on.
One day before war broke out, the Rheinbahn’s Director Bieber received his call up papers and only returned sporadically to visit the Rheinbahn. He was temporarily replaced by Director Diercks. On 3rd July 1941, Bieber's plane was shot down by the British over France and Bieber lost his life in the plane crash.
Since the Rheinbahn was essential for the war effort, its employees were initially spared the fate of receiving their call up papers. Only 405 of the 3,350 Rheinbahn employees were drafted for military service. Their work was reallocated or performed by women. The National Socialist employees at the Rheinbahn became euphoric after the blitzkrieg victories. They lost all sense of perspective and claimed privileges in the company. This caused unrest and prompted Announcement 4 in 1940. All employees were threatened with being sent to a concentration camp if they neglected their duties. In other words, an instrument of total repression had been created. The few incidents that occurred were swept under the carpet in this way.
A few bombs had already fallen on Duesseldorf, and some of the Rheinbahn’s vehicles had been destroyed.
The catastrophic effects of the war became increasingly evident. The first reports of soldiers killed in action were published in the company magazine. In 1940, the first trams were destroyed by bombs. The blacking out of tram and bus lights caused numerous accidents and, from 1942 onwards, Duesseldorf was bombed in systematic air raids that aimed to reduce the city to rubble by 1945.
More and more employees lost their "indispensable status" and were drafted into military service. The Rheinbahn experienced its first staff shortages. Like many other industrial enterprises in Duesseldorf, the management started to employ foreign workers in 1942. Some came voluntarily, some were displaced persons and some were prisoners of war who were forced to sign contracts of employment. Until 1945, the Rheinbahn employed a total of 603 foreign workers as drivers, workshop technicians and casual labourers. 275 of these were French, 183 Dutch, 66 Italian, 51 Belgian, 16 Russian, 3 Polish, 2 Ukrainian, 1 Flemish, 1 Croatian, 1 Luxembourg, 1 eastern European, 1 Spanish, 1 Czech and 1 stateless.
The rapid succession of air raids destroyed workshops, tracks and trams, which made it increasingly difficult to maintain operations. Troops were regularly assigned to repairing the destroyed overhead power lines, laying tracks or towing away damaged vehicles. The citizens of Duesseldorf were amazed at how hard the Rheinbahn employees worked and how services continued to operate, despite the widespread destruction.
A 1944 newsreel reported on the destruction in Duesseldorf and showed employees of the overhead power line department at work. A rubber-tyred utility vehicle pulls a two-axle tram across a section of track without power so that it can continue its journey when the overhead power line is repaired.
While the colleagues in Duesseldorf battled to survive the Allied Forces’ air raids, the Rheinbahn employees on the front were cut off from all news in their homeland. Company newsletters were dispatched to them as a means of keeping them updated. The social welfare department, which was by now run by the National Socialists, sent out packages via the forces’ postal service and collected gifts for the colleagues on the front.