Hello,
I'm quite impressed by your discussion on this subject.
I'm still living in Oldenburg and was born in 1935. As far as I know
-except for the town of Friesoythe, there was no major military ground -
combat in the duchy of Oldenburg
-british and US planes dropped a lot of bombs on Wilhelmshaven - one of the
major sea-ports of the 'Reich'.
-some bombs were dropped on Delmenhorst and Oldenburg.
As mentioned by others already, there was a small jewish population, which
suffered enormously. But it is not true, that the only remaining jewish
graveyard of Germany is to be found in Wittmund . There are other ones, one of them
being in Wildeshausen.
It might not be obvious to Americans, that the population of Oldenburg (town
and duchy) grew by approx. 50 % within one year after world war II, because
of all the people either fleeing or being expulsed from the eastern provinces
of Germany. This also caused a significant mixup in religion. Up to the end
of 1945, southern Oldenburg was almost 98 percent catholic, the northern
Oldenburg 98 percent lutheran. The 'Fluechtlinge' as we called them, reduced this
predominance of one religion in either part significantly.
After the end of WW II, some canadian troops occupied part of our house.
The chief of the group had emigrated to Canada in the 1930th. His brother was
fighting with the german army.
By the way, my father died in Berlin, May 3, 1945.
Gerold Diers