Imagine shaking awake at 4AM to a symphony of sirens and screams. That’s what happened this day, 80 years ago, in Schwarzenfeld.
In a post ten days ago, I mentioned that Herta Hedy Arata, a secretary working for the scientists occupying Fr. Viktor’s monastery, had traveled to Berlin just in time to rescue her mother Rosa from the Russian invasion. Just hours after arriving in Schwarzenfeld, they looked up to behold a familiar sight that struck them with terror. The Schwarzenfelders, Hedy recalled, were completely mystified by the swirling sparks in the night sky. The refugees, however, knew to bolt for shelter the instant they saw a Christmas tree.
Fortunately for the Schwarzenfelders, the target was not their obscure farm village. It was a neighboring town just down the road. In his 1946 letter, Fr. Viktor recalls what happened next:
“The worst we witnessed was when Schwandorf about six miles away was leveled to the ground by a carpet bombing, 4:00 in the morning. It was just awful to listen to it. Then papers were dropped by the bombers saying that we would hear from them again… In Schwandorf there were killed anywhere from two to four thousand, in a town of about eleven thousand people.”
—Fr. Viktor Koch, SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Rome (September 26, 1946).
Why did the Allies target Schwandorf? This town had a large train station that served as a vital railway hub throughout the Bavarian Oberpfalz. By decimating this critical infrastructure, Allied forces severely crippled Germany’s ability to move troops and supplies to the eastern front. However, the attack devastated more than the train station. Strong winds gusted from the skies on that fateful morning, sending a portion of the bombs hurtling off-course toward the city’s residential area—and houses packed wall to wall with refugees.
Fr. Viktor’s estimate of the death toll wasn’t far off. A Wikipedia article testifies to the ferocity of the attack. A total of 167 bombers dropped a payload of 633 bombs, killing 1,250 people—including refugees and residents of Schwandorf. A total of 514 houses were damaged and 674 completely destroyed.
How is this incident related to Schwarzenfeld, and Fr. Viktor’s story? Remember the train that left Flossenbürg just a day earlier, carrying Mark Stern and fellow Jewish prisoners toward Dachau. Schwandorf lies between their current location and their destination. When they reach Schwarzenfeld, they will learn that they are effectively stranded, incapable of traveling further south.
The Allies own the skies. They are ready to fire upon any convoy they spot traveling along the countryside.
Events are aligning. Tragedy is imminent.
Useful reminders
This post is part of a month-long series celebrating historical events that contributed to my debut historical fiction novel, The Sower of Black Field. Visit the “Latest News” area on my website for a recap »
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