Freiburg's bomb night: Memories of the horrors of 1944

Freiburg's bomb night: Memories of the horrors of 1944

On November 27, 1944, Freiburg was plunged into a fiery nightmare! On a devastating bombing, the British bombers rained mercilessly over the city and left a trace of destruction. Irene Müller, just 17 years old at the time, was in Staufen and remembered how she heard the bombers about: "I still hear the hum today". The next day she learned about the terrible news: Freiburg had gone down in an infernal fire storm that left the streets empty and disturbed shortly before Christmas.

With an attack, which became known as "Operation Tigerfish", 292 pilots of the Royal Air Force left the city of Niederbomb over 11,500 fire bombs. Around 100,000 people lived in Freiburg, and in just 20 minutes their hope for peace and security was put into ruins. The historic old town center was almost completely destroyed, and the number of deaths is estimated at around 3000. The Freiburg Münster, a symbol of the city, survived this horror like a miracle, while many other landmarks fell victim to the fire.

An unforgettable fate

Johann Müller, the future father-in-law of Irene, was at the airport of Freiburg at that time to take care of the soldier's horses. Just again healthy, November 27th was his first working day after an illness. While he was going to Freiburg by train, the attack fell! "He left the house around 7 p.m., a three -quarters of an hour later he must have been in Freiburg," recalls Irene. But only minutes after his arrival, the bombs were thrown off. His fate remains uncertain to this day; The bereaved never learned whether he survived or where he is buried.

The horrors of this night to today. The city of Freiburg became the ruined city, and a huge escape movement started when 40,000 people tried to escape chaos. There is a small consolation for the survivors: the legend of the warning Erpel, which brought many to safety in good time and thus became a symbol of survival.