Chemnitz contemporary witnesses: Manfred Schumann
On my 9th birthday, 6 February 1945, I had to witness a bombing raid for the first time. The family was sitting at the birthday table with a cake when the sirens sounded. The family took refuge in the cellar. They were lucky and the house was damaged but not destroyed. The family went back into the flat and my mum took a small broom and swept the brick dust off the birthday cake and it was then quickly eaten completely before the sirens sounded again. It would have been impossible to bake a replacement during this time because there were only a few ingredients.
For me, 5 March is also a special day in memory of a dear family member, my aunt Rosa. My mother's younger sister. She had just turned 21 in 1945. She had no children of her own and no husband. She lived just a few houses away. But she was there every day to look after me and my sister. She was a much-loved member of the family. She played with me and joked with me despite the difficult times. She didn't stay with us on 5 March 1945. She didn't survive the terrible bombing. Her house was hit. I never saw her again.
When my daughter was pregnant in 1999 and gave birth to a little girl in February, she named her Rosa. That was a special gift for me.
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