[VideoView]

Christine Forestier

Bombs over Innsbruck
video length:
02:09
interviewer:
Ruth Deutschmann
photography:
Benjamin Epp
copyright location:
Innsbruck
date of recording:
2008-08-20
English translation by:
Nicole D´Incecco
event
[1943-08-01] First air raids By the end of the war on Austria dropped about 70,000 tons of bombs, it found 26,000 people to death and about 40,000 are injured. To 76 000 homes are thereby completely destroyed about 100,000 partially. Just over a third of the damages attributable to Vienna.
place of recording
Innsbruck
???iuimd_video_v_zeit_zuordnung_en???:
1943
transcription:
How were you received in Innsbruck as a South Tyrolean? I was received very well by the authorities there. Everything was arranged for us. Initially we lived on the top floor of the Hotel Europa. We were permitted to cook our own food and do our washing, everything that was necessary. It really was very good. I was able to start working at the Sparkasse right away. The director said he would like me to join the party. I told him: "No, if possible, please don't make me. I am really not interested in politics at all and don't want to commit to anything." He respected that. When the war was over he jumped off a bridge near Stubai. He couldn't take it. He was a decent director and never forced us to work for the Nazis. But he - he was an idealist. I really can say that everybody was very kind and helpful. When we had to go down to the shelter the bank director was always the first to run down. He was terribly frightened. At the beginning we stayed upstairs and were not afraid. Alarms were frequent and nothing happened. Until the first bomb really hit. My bike was also broken and all the windows of the Sparkasse. After that we had to work in our snowsuits and boots because it was freezing cold in winter. But we got through that too.