Düren - my hometown

The air pictures are stunning. The difference is tremendous. How could someone possibly have survived in this place which much have been a hell of fire, twisted iron, falling concrete and bricks, smoke and the smell of burnt flesh. I suppose there must have been some shelters, but many were probably suffocated.

 

much of the hospital was spared and was completely torn down in the 1970's to make room for a more modern building. i couldn't belive it. i suppose there wasn't anyone that thought the building should have been saved or incorporated into the design of the new hospital. SHAME!!!!

 

Thank you so much for all you have posted about 1944. I had seen some of those pictures, but not all of them. War is a terrible thing for civilians - London 1940; Düren 1944; Aleppo 2016... But do you know that on 20 October 1943, the Americans bombed the industrial areas of Düren?
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/mission/1511

There were some problems with the mission, but bombs were dropped by many of the aircraft. Do you know if any damage was done? I am researching the life of a young German POW. He came from the town and was of course very worried. But his family was okay.