Do the old fears return? : An investigation into the experience of the corona crisis among survivors of the Hamburg Firestorm (1943)

The generation of war children of the Second World War is currently in old age experiencing the lock-down caused by the coronavirus crisis. How are the restrictions of the lock-down experienced against the background of the war experience? A total of 120 witnesses of the Hamburg Firestorm (1943) were asked about their experiences of the corona pandemic by means of a questionnaire in May 2020 and December 2020. Findings from telephone conversations with several witnesses, who regularly participate in a discussion group, have also been taken into consideration for this study. Of the interviewees contacted in May 2020 and December 2020, 98 (82%) and 77 (64%), respectively, sent back the questionnaire, 58 (45) female and 40 (32) male, the mean age was 86.5 years (87.1 years). According to the questionnaire most of them feel relatively stable and confident about their general situation in the pandemic and are mostly concerned with the contact restrictions rather than with their own health. The majority fear negative economic consequences for Germany. About 13% fully agree that the current crisis reminds them of their experiences in the Hamburg Firestorm. As telephone conversations have shown the memories and experiences of the war and the post-war period in general, seem to act as the leading frame of reference for dealing with the current crisis. The findings point to typical psychological processing patterns in a war-burdened generation, when they now relate their experiences in the war to the experiences in the corona crisis.