Chemnitz contemporary witnesses: Wolfgang Ramm
My mother and I and my two older sisters (my father was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1940 and had to go to Russia) lived in the old people's home in Chemnitz, Feldstraße 15 (now Rembrandtstraße) in a so-called service flat, as my father worked there as a stoker. My mother's mother, our grandmother, also lived there.
I was enrolled at the school on Bernsbach Platz (now a tower block) in 1944 and often had to return quickly when the alarm was raised.
When the alarm went off, all the residents of the old people's home had to go to the air-raid shelter and other people from nearby houses also had to go there. For example, my aunt and uncle, who owned the "Fahrrad Nollau" shop in Reitbahnstraße, were often there.
They were also in the air-raid shelter on the night of the bombing on 5 March, which was particularly fortunate for them, as they often went to the air-raid shelter of the school on Bernsbach Platz and this building was hit by a direct hit that night, causing many deaths and injuries. Only the gymnasium remained standing.
On the night of the bombing itself, I can remember very clearly that incendiary bombs were first dropped, which fell on the roofs of the old people's home and that male emergency services tried to remove them from the roofs. My older sister's boyfriend was there, who told us about his mission and didn't come to any harm.
I can also remember that snow had fallen that day or had already fallen.
After we had certainly spent several hours in the completely overcrowded air-raid shelter, a flatmate in the home informed us that there was a fire in our flat. My mother then walked through the corridors and stairwells of the building to our flat and was then able to tell us that there was no fire, but that the light was coming from the factories burning on Zschopauer Straße and shining through the windows.
There was unbearable heat in the air-raid shelter and many elderly residents had to be constantly cared for.
Suddenly there was a tremendous bang and things flew through the air in the cellar vault and the steel air-raid door was torn out, causing injuries and deaths.
The impact of what must have been a very heavy bomb went right into the church built into the old people's home, which was completely destroyed (it was not rebuilt).
I don't know how long it took for the all-clear to be given, but every resident of the old people's home tried to go home to see what had happened.
I only know and remember one thing, that my mother and other people came with blankets to cover the dead lying outside in the courtyard of the old people's home.
Some of our many relatives in Chemnitz lost their homes and all their belongings, but not their lives.
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