THE BOMBING


 
1944 was the most extreme year of the war in Bergen. Even though english bombers during 1940 caused much damage at Nordnes, the bombings on Laksevåg (oct. 4th.) and the disastrous dropping of bombs at Nøstet Oct. 29. were the accidents that killed most except of the explosion.   
    Both times, british bombers were to attack the submarine dock in construction at Laksevåg. About 2 500 prisoner of war, most of them russians, were forced to build this fortress of reinforced concrete, which still exist in spite of many efforts to destroy it during and even after the war.  

    The bombings at Laksevåg 4th. of October killed  193 civilians, the attack which killed most civilians in Norway during the war. At Nøstet, 43 was killed, the 6th biggest accident on shore on civilians i Norway. The explosion was the second largest, and the three accidents to together leaves 337 killed, more than one fourth of the total number civilians killed on shore in Norway. As a total, about 3 out of ten civilians killed was in Bergen/Laksevåg.   

    The bombing at Nøstet destroyed Banesmuget and Nøstesmuget, and the old theatre. It was caused by a plane that dropped it's cargo to achieve height. I is said it should drop the cargo in the bay Nøstebukten - but instead the plane followed the line on the map, and dropped the bombs at the small wood houses. 48 houses totally damaged by the fire.  

    EXTRA 



    More about the bombs.  
    . Still today, parts of the area is not rebuild, see picture.  
     

     Picture taken the opposite direction off the map. The plane came in the middle of the picture. Some houses nearby the sea were saved. But the Swimming pool is build where it were wood houses until 29.th. of Oct. '44. 

    Lillian lived in Banesmauet 3, that's in the backyard of the house on the left picture. (Picture from Jo Gjerstad: Nøstet - en bydel i Bergen.) 
    The building in the middle on the right in the right picture, is located on what once was Banesmauet. 
    Lillian was six years old in August '44. She lived together with her parents and her little sister at three. Her mother was expecting and had left for the hospital, her father was at work at the harbour. The father in the family in second floor looked was the baby sitter. But Lillian refused to undress.
        

     
    Eg nektet å kle av meg, det vet eg. Og eg lå i klærne då, i rutetet foldeskjørt, og eg husker at eg hadde brune snøresko, og de stod nedenfor sengen, og eg hadde knyttet opp begge lissene skikkelig, akkurat som de stod klar til å trakkes nedi.
    They had to leave the house, Lillian and her sister together with their neighbour family. He carries Evy, her sister. They left on house, because the father didn't think it was save there. They try another house:   
    Og vi gikk no inn i dette huset, og stod inne i inngangen då. Og der var det selvfølgelig  trapper De har vel plassert oss i trapptrinnene, har forberedt oss på å slå oss til ro littegranne der. Men så skjer det et nytt sånn drønn eller sånn skjelv,  og så en dør som smeller sånn opp. Og innenfor den døren ser eg en seng, og den er oppredd, med hvite dynetrekk og puter. Og på nattbordet står det en klokke og den begynner å ringe. Og det er den lyden eg husker. Den klokken ringte. Og så var det akkurat som trappene, de kom ned som et trekkspill som ble slått sammen. Helt sånn merkelig. Og da var det nok helt sikkert ble det  til at her må vi ut derfra. 
     
    Og når vi kommer opp og skal krysse eller over gaten, så ser eg på min søster og så har ikkje hun huen på seg. Og det der må ha vært en sånn merkelig opplevelse. Korfor eg var så opptatt av den huen. Ja, ihvertfall så endte det med at eg løpte tebake igjen til det huset som var begynt å ramle sammen innvending,  for å hente den huen. Og eg vet at onkel Einar stoppet og ropte, og han hørtes sint og rasende. Men huen skulle eg ha med meg. Og dette var blå lue med broderier på, rosebroderier, og flatt bak i bakhodet. Men eg hentet huen,  og skyndtet meg selvfølgelig tilbake. . 
    They got shelter in the air-raid shelter in the basement of Konsertpaleet, the main cinema.  
      
    No dukker den der huen opp igjen. Når han står der oppe, så er det det som han ser klarest, det er den huen til Evy, og da visste han at hun var der hvertfall, og han kalte henne alltid Evy dukken. Men han blødde voldsomt. Han kom bare i mot oss og sikkert grein og ropte og ja, bare tok rundt oss og bare grein og grein. 
    A carmine was all there were left of her house after. But her family was all right, her father not serious injured, and she got a little brother that night.  
     
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