Chemnitz contemporary witnesses: Gertraude Reinsdorf
The cellar corridor was lit only by candles. There were 11 people sitting there, shooed into the cellar by the siren, old people and my mother and I (aged 9). Nobody dared to speak, all we could hear was the muffled sound of bombs going off every second. Every time I thought: hopefully not our house!
After a long time there was some peace, we carefully went upstairs and saw a blood-red sky. I still remember today that there was a lot of snow... and time bombs were going off everywhere. Suddenly the sound of aeroplanes again and the cellar was our shelter again! Then the cellar door opened and two young soldiers covered in dirt appeared and asked us for a drink. They could hardly speak, but they told us about a rescue mission on Palmstraße, where they were able to save women and children from a completely bombed-out house by breaking through a cellar. After drinking, they continued on their way to the Ebersdorf barracks.
At some point we were also able to return to the flat. Mum and I spent the rest of the night wrapped up in blankets on the sofa and watched through the strip of glass (that was still left between the cardboard) as people transported their belongings in handcarts towards Ebersdorf. Often frail people and children were also on the carts. These images have stayed with me and I can still visualise these atrocities today. I still get goose bumps today when I hear the sirens.
The next afternoon, my grandad came home covered in soot and told us that his flat in Glösa had also been razed to the ground by explosive bombs.
When we went to salvage the last remnants of my grandad's household, I, aged 9, had to cope with seeing my playmate of the same age lying dead next to the other dead at the edge of the rubble. It was terrible!
This terrible time must not be repeated under any circumstances, which is why it is important to use all our strength for peace.
Contemporary witness brochures
The eternal March
Memories of a childhood during the war
The last witnesses
When the old Chemnitz died in a hail of bombs