Posts Tagged ‘Trinitatiskirsche’

Nora Lang

Saturday, February 12th, 2022

“My father said, “The war will have an awful end. If we are separated from each other, you have to leave the town! Because there will be a battle for the town.”
-Nora Lang


On February 13th, 1945 the baroque city of Dresden, Germany was firebombed into cinder by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force. The attack was divided into three bombing raids dropping over 4,500 tons of high explosives, including incendiary bombs, onto the city known as “Florence on the Elbe.” Nora Lang still lives close to where her original home was destroyed. From her living room window you can see the location of her old house. She is photographed next to a ruined church, Trinitatiskirche, one street from her home.

Nora was 13 1/2 when Dresden was destroyed. Her family lived in Dresden-Johannstadt. They survived the first attack by taking shelter in their cellar. After the first attack they had to leave their burning home and experience hell as they were chased by the firestorm through burning streets. They tried to find shelter several times during the deadly second and third attack waves which lasted the entire night and didn’t succumb until the next morning.

A selection of From Above portraits taken in Dresden and also including portraits of firebombing survivors from Coventry, Rotterdam, Tokyo and atomic bomb survivors is now being exhibited in Dresden at the outdoor display case in front of the Gewandhausgasse from February 12th-March 26th. Eight portraits will be displayed along with short testimonies. The photographs will change every two weeks.

This portrait is a part of my From Above project which featured portraits of atomic bomb and firebombing survivors from WWII. My limited edition book is available at https://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=I1040&i=&i2=

Anita John

Friday, February 12th, 2021

“It’s hard to put into words, it left a mark on our lives”

-Anita John, Dresden firebombing survivor

Anita John was twelve years old at the time of fire bombings. She lived with her family in Dresden-Johannstadt. Her family took shelter in a cellar with the other residents in the building. They did not evacuate the area and were caught unaware by the second attack. Fire was raging outside the steel cellar door. It was producing extremely high temperatures inside the cellar. Oxygen was quickly becoming scarce.

Anita and her family lay down on the floor together with the others. She covered her mouth with a damp bathrobe that helped her to breathe whilst smoke filled the cellar. At first they all survived the attacks, until the immense heat from the raging firestorm consumed all the oxygen inside the cellar. All, but one, died of smoke inhalation.

Sixteen hours later, a soldier looking through the ruins for his wife broke a small window accessible from the street. Oxygen came into the bunker. Only Anita woke up amongst the dead. Her parent’s bodies lay silent, close by on the floor. The soldier saw Anita’s body move and took her to the aid station. The water in the damp bathrobe had allowed just enough oxygen to keep Anita breathing.

The last memory Anita has of her parents is telling her father “I want to lie here”. Her mother responded, “Then let’s stay”. Anita grew up with her uncle.

Mrs. John was one of the few survivors I met who continued to live close to where she lived at the time of the bombings. I believed in some way it was a way for her to still be close to her parents. She is photographed in front of the destroyed Trinitatiskirche, where her parents were married and she was baptized.

On February 13th, 1945 the baroque city of Dresden, Germany was firebombed into cinder by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force. The attack was divided into three bombing raids dropping over 4,500 tons of high explosives, including incendiary bombs, onto the city known as “Florence on the Elbe.”

This portrait is a part of my From Above project which featured portraits of atomic bomb and firebombing survivors from WWII. My limited edition book is available at https://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=I1040&i=&i2=

Nora Lang

Tuesday, February 11th, 2020

“My father said, “The war will have an awful end. If we are separated from each other, you have to leave the town! Because there will be a battle for the town.”

Nora Lang

On February 13th, 1945 the baroque city of Dresden, Germany was firebombed into cinder by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force. The attack was divided into three bombing raids dropping over 4,500 tons of high explosives, including incendiary bombs, onto the city known as “Florence on the Elbe.”

Nora Lang still lives close to where her original home was destroyed.  From her living room window you can see the location of her old house.   She is photographed next to a ruined church, Trinitatiskirche, one street from her home. Nora was 13 1/2 when Dresden was destroyed.  Her family lived in Dresden-Johannstadt.  They survived the first attack by taking shelter in their cellar.  After the first attack they had to leave their burning home and experience hell as they were chased by the firestorm through burning streets.  They tried to find shelter several times during the deadly second and third attack waves which lasted the entire night and didn’t succumb until the next morning.  

This portrait is a part of my From Above project which featured portraits of atomic bomb and firebombing survivors from WWII. My limited edition book is available at https://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=I1040&i=&i2=

A selection of From Above portraits taken in Dresden and also including portraits of firebombing survivors from Coventry and Rotterdam, will be exhibited in the Dresden Neustadt during May.  More information will be released closer to the opening.    

Nora Lang

Thursday, February 8th, 2018

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Nora Lang and Anita John

Sunday, August 21st, 2016

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“It’s hard to put into words; it left a mark on our lives.”
-Anita John

Nora Lang (left) and Anita John (right) were close friends growing up. They lived down the street from each other in Dresden-Johannstadt. Nora was 13 1/2 and Anita was 12 years old when Dresden was destroyed during the infamous WWII air raid.

Nora was separated from her family during the chaos but luckily everyone survived. Anita’s family and neighbors took shelter in a cellar. Soldiers clearing debris on top of the collapsed cellar found Anita passed out sixteen hours after the raid. She lost her parents and was the only survivor in the cellar.

Mrs. Lang and Mrs. John are photographed in front of the damaged church, Trinitatiskirche. It is located a few streets from where they experienced the bombings. Mrs. Lang and Mrs. John were one of the few survivors I met who continued to live near to where they had lived at the time of the bombings. For Mrs. John, I believe in some respect it is a way for her to still be close to her parents.

Fragile

Monday, February 3rd, 2014

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Fragile

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

The Ruins of Trinitatiskirsche in Dresden and Coventry Cathedral in Coventry

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

..February 2012.. ..Dresden..

The top photo in each series are the ruins of Trinitatiskirsche and bottom photo are the ruins Coventry Cathedral.

Trinitatiskirsche was destroyed on February 13th, 1945 when Dresden endured 3 continuous waves of Allied bombing that lasted until the next day. Only the crater lined outer walls still stand today.

The Coventry Cathedral was destroyed during the Coventry Blitz on November 14,1940 by the German Luftwaffe. Only the tower, spire, outer wall and bronze effigy of its first bishop, Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs, survived.

Both destroyed structures serve as reminders of the indiscriminate scars of war. Coventry and Dresden shared similar fates during WWII. The cities were pulverized with bombs leaving only memories of what the famous cities once were.

The structure of the Trinitatiskirsche was used as a community center during the GDR. The ruins of the Coventry Cathedral is now used as memorial while it neighbors the new cathedral.

For those who experienced the bombings, these surviving structures are not only reminders of what once stood respectively in Dresden and Coventry but also lost memories of their childhoods and experiences with their families that were taken away by war.

Trinitatiskirsche

Monday, February 6th, 2012