Fear No One

The bombing on March 21st was unlike anything Jake had experienced before. The camp was being pounded. The earth was shaking and there were explosions everywhere. Even from below Jake could tell the Allied planes hadn’t come to just drop a few bombs. They were definitely there to destroy the factory once and for all. Jake says that the sight of over 1000 planes in the air is difficult to describe. When they flew over there were so many of them that the sky would darken. Their engines gave off so much condensation that they appeared to be flying in a fog. The sound of the engines and propellers was only drowned out by the sound of bombs exploding on the ground and in the factory. As Jake was now in Böhlen and there was a bomb shelter, he decided that this particular attack was so severe that it would be wise to seek refuge. He ran across camp and asked the guards to let him into the bomb shelter. They drove him off at gun point, saying that the shelter was for Germans only; no Dutch people were allowed. So Jake went to look for shelter elsewhere. Eventually he decided to hide out in the mine. This option was not really that safe as if a bomb fell anywhere near a mine shaft entrance, the entrance would collapse and the people in the mine would be trapped. But to Jake it still seemed to be a better option than staying out in the open. He hid in the cold, dark, wet mine shaft waiting for bombing to end. It was one of the most frightening experiences of his life. He couldn’t see what was happening but he could hear all the loud explosions and he could feel the ground shake beneath him. He was petrified that, at any moment, one of those bombs would fall in the opening to his mine shaft and would bury him forever. That bombing lasted for an incredible eight hours, during which time many of the factory buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. When Jake came out of the mine, he was shocked to see that the bomb bunker had been destroyed. This bunker had been built to survive many attacks and had the reputation among the Germans of being indestructible. If all the bombs had fallen on the outside of the bunker, the Germans would have probably been right. But in this case, a bomb fell through the air intake of the bomb shelter and exploded inside. The contained space and thick walls ensured that most of the force of the blast was contained within bunker, killing everyone instantly. By driving Jake away the Germans had in fact saved his life. If they had let him in he would have perished with the rest of them.