Contemporary witness of the bombing of Würzburg in 1945 reports

March 16, 2021 will mark the anniversary of the air raid on Würzburg in 1945. On this day, all bells in Würzburg will ring for 20 minutes at 9:20 pm. Almost 90 percent of the city center was destroyed or damaged in the bombing. Around 5000 people were killed. Anton Brimer from Schwarzach was living in Würzburg at the time and reports in his book “We have experienced it. 1936-1949, Würzburg” about his experiences. He did not experience the attack first hand, as he and his family were evacuated, but a little later he had to stand on the ruins of his house.

Born in Bad Neustadt (district of Rhön-Grabfeld) in 1931, Brimer lived through the entire Second World War. In 1936 he moved with his parents to Würzburg and spent his childhood and youth there. Despite the decisive experiences during the reign of the Nazi government, Brimer’s vita is extensive: He is the father of a large family, as the former director of the Gemündener district court (Lkr.Main-Spessart), he worked in a leading position in the Bavarian judiciary and was involved in various committees. As the town councilor of Gemünden, he also assumed political responsibility at the local level.

What prompts a person to write down his youthful memories after decades? Brimer did not intend to compete with the greats of literature. Originally, Brimer’s lines were only intended for the immediate family. It took some approval to convince the author to publish it. On 112 pages he tells about his life and gives a comprehensive impression of the period between 1936 and 1945. Today the author lives with his son and daughter-in-law in Schwarzach. There he also wrote the book published by Röll Verlag.

“We experienced it. 1936-1949, Würzburg” is available under ISBN number 978-3-89754-592-2.

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