The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-10-29
Destruction of
Hamburg
n. W..ysn- Tnvsh

BY Walter Taub

Will (OAtct W eeAAy%
Four hundred refugees from Ham,
burg are now in Sweden, eyewit-
nesses Of the greatest havoc that
ever smote any human settlement.
The first attack on Hamburg was
delivered on the night Of July "a.
The attack was concentrated against
anti-aircraft batteries, with excellent
results. Most of the batteries were
silenced in few minutes.
Then, say these eyewitnesses,
came an absolute novelty in the his
tory Of bombing-bearing witness to
the scientific care devoted to PLAN
ming the attack. Special reconnais-
sance planes appeared over the city,
picking out certain industrially inn
portant sections with green flares
dropped by parachutes.
These flares lowered like punches
Of grapes in the air and aided the
bombers coming in afterward to
drop their explosives in a square
around the section thus marked, so
that buildings for whole blocks col
lapsed and all roads and commune
cations between that section and the
remainder of the city were choked
off.
This was not done to prevent the
inhabitants from getting out, but to
hinder the transfer of firemen and
fire-fighting apparatus from other
sections in the effort to save war
important buildings and their con-
tents.
When communications were thus
closed, there began a rain Of incen-
diaries that spread fires over such
a large area that practically the
whole section was drowned in
flames. The work of air defense on
this and the following nights was
enormously hampered by this SIM
pie but effective means which, as
far as I know, was applied here for
the first time.
Dazzling Paper Dropped.
Mrs. Anna Johansson, a refugee
In Malmoe, refers also to stsheets Of
paper, black on one side and daz-
zling silver on the other, dropped
by thousands from the bombers."
Twenty-Five other Hamburg Swedes
attest to the correctness Of her state
ment. Air-defense searchlight beams
were reflected all ways from these
sheets, thus being prevented from
reaching the raiding aircraft with
full intensity and making the job Of
locating them much more difficult.
The first assault was directed at
the inner town. The free port, COW
ering an area Of more than $500
acres, naturally was not spared dur
ing this Commute attack, but not
until the next raid on Sunday, day
raid, was the most devastating blow
directed at this pride Of Hamburg.
That Sunday, Hamburg displayed
an unusual appearance. Even in the
forenoon, giant clouds of smoke and
dust enveloped the whole town,
darkening the sky.
Then the sirens screamed, and q
big formation Of American bombers
reduced to ashes the continents big
gest stipyards.
These were the plants of Blohm
and Voss, Vulkanwerft and Howalds-
werft-where the biggest steamers
are built, repaired and locked.
Monday night, during the fresh
British attack, the big gas plant in
the harbor section received a direct
hit. That terrible explosion deprived
the city of gas.
Raj Keeps Promise.
That evening, none among Ham,
burg's 1,7O0, 900 inhabitants was will
ing to retire to bed, for the Raj
had dropped leaflets promising a
repetition of Sundays raid on Tues
day. Hamburgers, from whom Hit
Ter was once compelled to admit he
had received the most mo" votes,
always listen to the British radio
and they know, therefore. that s'the
British keep their promises.
On Tuesday morning at 1880, the
few remaining sirens screamed. The
attack began at 1880. The raid last
ed only half an hour, but it sufiiced
to convert Hamburg into . veritabIe
HGN WI AAkOs uvAtA4 tAAO OVAASA - HALLE
destroyed, hundreds Of thousands Of
those leaving the shelters would
have given Q fortune for glass Of
water. The heat was unbearable,
In q wind storm like q typhOon.
Tho giant bonfire resulted In . rapid
consumption Of oxygen. Terrible IRE
storms resulted In areas where .
few minutes earlier complete calm
had prevailed.
Wednesday morning, the city like
. mass Of fire lay in ruins and ashes.
Sections housing 800, 900 people were
RACED to the ground.
The main railroad station. Saint
Georg, was terrible sight ON We'd
nesday, with charred railroad cars
on sidings and unrecognizably
smashed automobiles.
A Swedish girl saw people blazing
from phosphorus cast themselves
into water-but the phosphorus
burned there equally well. Lime was
strewn on the corpses scattered
about the streets, and the odor Of
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