Air Raid

While working in the camp, an air raid warning sounded. I was busy in the so-called student barrack, examining chronically ill prisoners who might be sent home. I didn’t give the alarm much thought, which meant that both I and some female delegates in other parts of the camp remained inside the barracks. As the overflight began, I, together with a few Nordic colleagues, took positions at the open windows.

The windows were always opened to prevent the glass from shattering. In the clear weather, we could easily follow the planes flying at high altitude, perhaps numbering around a hundred. Suddenly, they released their bomb load toward the ground. The effect was terrifying, as the explosions occurred around the gunpowder factory located five to six kilometers from Neuengamme. The barracks shook, and at the windows one could feel the blast as a shockwave. After the attack, a towering column of smoke rose into the sky, spreading into a massive gray cloud.