Hermann Gallhoff (b. Germany, 1932), blinded during the Second World War (WWII). "'Zzzzzzzz', we heard this in our air-raid shelter just before the bombs would explode somewhere. It was this sound that caused fear. The women screamed. My parents didn't scream and I didn't either. Children follow their parents' behaviour. Duisburg was bombed almost every night for one year. That particular night was already the second time we were in the cellar. When the bomb exploded, the walls of the...
more »Hermann Gallhoff (b. Germany, 1932), blinded during the Second World War (WWII). "'Zzzzzzzz', we heard this in our air-raid shelter just before the bombs would explode somewhere. It was this sound that caused fear. The women screamed. My parents didn't scream and I didn't either. Children follow their parents' behaviour. Duisburg was bombed almost every night for one year. That particular night was already the second time we were in the cellar. When the bomb exploded, the walls of the cellar gave in. My mother was dead on the spot. I know that I was lying on top of a bunk bed but I can't remember anything else. I was unconscious and when I came to, I was blind. Later on I spoke with a British ex-pilot. I felt no resentment towards him and didn't hold him responsible for what had happened to me. He personally didn't choose to do this; he had to execute orders. Ethics disappear in a war. These bombings were officially aimed at factories and logistical targets only. But I can imagine civilians to have been a target. Both sides used this method, it weakens the enemy. It is still used today. The pilot I spoke to was an executor of an order, and executors are not responsible for the war. The ones who start a war, governments and leaders, they are the criminals.". CHECK with MRM/FNA
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