I cried and some women even became hysterical but my children remained calm. We could hardly breath, the air was loaded with dust and smoke. I put a napkin around the moth of each child. We also had gas masks but we had to throw them away, it was to hot. I do not know for how long we were laying on the floor. The airraid warden reported that high-explosive bombs and fire bombs had been thrown on our house and that all people had to leave the cellar.
I told my children to get up. I took the little one out of the crib with the wet cover and he did not realized at all what had been going on, he slept so soundly.
At this time Hanna asked me: “shall I take the suitcase with the clothes or should I save the Children.” Yes Hanna if you want to make a sacrifice, help with the Children, they are more important. She left everything behind what she brought in to the cellar for a emergency and took care of the children. I held the little one in my left arm and two of my Children walked beside me. Hanna took care of the two other Children.
In the middle of the cellar was the laundry with a smal oblong window to air the room when it was used. There was a ladder and all occupants of the house dashed to that window. We lived in a 4-storied house which accommodated 16 families. People crowed around the window as I waited to let others go first. This was certainly due to my inner calmness – I trusted God. I stood aside with my 5 children and Hanna as my oldest daughter said, Mommy we must also get out, please let us climb through the window! While I was looking at my Child I suddenly saw a light blink at my left side beside the little Baby I held in my arms. I turned around to see what kind of light it was. Suddenly the light shone downwards and we stood in front of a big hole ( this whole was to connect our cellar with the cellar of the house next door). The wall we had to cross was very thick, we climbed through the hole and the light preceded us while we walked through numerous cellars until we suddenly reached a big staircase. Then I know where I was and I recognized the house with the shop where I did my shopping. The light disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. I know today that God send me an Angel to help us out of the flames and destruction.
In the middle there was a house which had not yet been burning. Many people rushed in to that house and we could at least recover our breath for a few minutes. I was still holding the Baby in my arms. The little chap was still sleeping, like he was under anesthesia. All this is quite unusual. Today I know God made me strong.
I don’t remember how long we stayed in that house or how long we where allowed to stay, I only know that an air-raid warden shouted that we had to leave it because it was also caught by the fire and all people had to get out. The doors had already been torn down and we saw that our whole residential area had been ablaze. Hanna was afraid to leave the house with the children so I preceded with the Baby in my arm and the two older children at my side.