Heidelberg Painting
This oil on canvas painting was painted by the German artist Bender in 1948.
PFC Richard F. Cohrs was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany at the end of WWII. Conditions for the citizens of Heidelberg were harsh, with shortages of food, building supplies, etc. The American Army had sufficient provisions for all the soldiers. Private Cohrs met and befriended a local man named Bender, giving him food, provisions, etc.
Mr. Bender was very grateful for all of the help Private Cohrs provided and wanted to express his thanks in a tangible way.
Mr. Bender asked Private Cohrs for his US address, something frowned upon by the military. If a German citizen had an American’s address, that citizen could apply for emigration status as a friend. Thus the Army discouraged providing US addresses.
In spite of this, Private Cohrs gave Mr. Bender his home address.
Private Cohrs returned to the US after the war and settled in Melrose Park, Illinois, never hearing from Mr. Bender.
In 1948 Mr. Cohrs received a package from Germany – it was an oil painting of Heidelberg painted by Mr. Bender.
Mr. Bender apologized for the delay in sending the thank you, explaining how he had to search for a suitable canvas for the painting. (If you look closely you can see repairs made on the canvas – Mr. Bender explained that after the war there was a shortage of canvas for artwork, in that the available canvas was used for reconstruction. He found this piece and repaired it as best he could for his work.)
PFC Richard F. Cohrs was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany at the end of WWII. Conditions for the citizens of Heidelberg were harsh, with shortages of food, building supplies, etc. The American Army had sufficient provisions for all the soldiers. Private Cohrs met and befriended a local man named Bender, giving him food, provisions, etc.
Mr. Bender was very grateful for all of the help Private Cohrs provided and wanted to express his thanks in a tangible way.
Mr. Bender asked Private Cohrs for his US address, something frowned upon by the military. If a German citizen had an American’s address, that citizen could apply for emigration status as a friend. Thus the Army discouraged providing US addresses.
In spite of this, Private Cohrs gave Mr. Bender his home address.
Private Cohrs returned to the US after the war and settled in Melrose Park, Illinois, never hearing from Mr. Bender.
In 1948 Mr. Cohrs received a package from Germany – it was an oil painting of Heidelberg painted by Mr. Bender.
Mr. Bender apologized for the delay in sending the thank you, explaining how he had to search for a suitable canvas for the painting. (If you look closely you can see repairs made on the canvas – Mr. Bender explained that after the war there was a shortage of canvas for artwork, in that the available canvas was used for reconstruction. He found this piece and repaired it as best he could for his work.)
Subject Matter
Robert and Abby Cohrs Visited Heidelberg
In 2023 Robert and his daughter Abby took a tour of Europe. As part of the tour, they spent time in Heidelberg, Germany, where his grandfather was stationed in WWII. He took pictures to remember the occassion and the painting from John Bender.
Bender Painting
Rich received the following email:
Good morning,
I stumbled across your website description of your painting of Heidelberg while searching to see if Mr. Bender made any other paintings. I have a similar painting of Heidelberg, also by Bender (1947). My grandfather, C.R. Slack, was stationed in Heidelberg with the U.S. Army after WWII, and met Mr. Bender on the bridge and traded some cigarettes for the painting. I have included a photo of it below. My grandfather then nailed a board over the front of the painting and mailed it back to his mother’s house in the U.S. About 20 years ago, I also traveled to Heidelberg to and stood near the same spot where Mr. Bender made the painting. My photograph is stuck in the corner of the frame below. Thank you for your description on your website. Please forward this email to Robert. Small world!! Best wishes, -Tom Hunt
Good morning,
I stumbled across your website description of your painting of Heidelberg while searching to see if Mr. Bender made any other paintings. I have a similar painting of Heidelberg, also by Bender (1947). My grandfather, C.R. Slack, was stationed in Heidelberg with the U.S. Army after WWII, and met Mr. Bender on the bridge and traded some cigarettes for the painting. I have included a photo of it below. My grandfather then nailed a board over the front of the painting and mailed it back to his mother’s house in the U.S. About 20 years ago, I also traveled to Heidelberg to and stood near the same spot where Mr. Bender made the painting. My photograph is stuck in the corner of the frame below. Thank you for your description on your website. Please forward this email to Robert. Small world!! Best wishes, -Tom Hunt
Email received October, 2023
Thu, Oct 26, 2023, 9:57 AMto meMy husband's great grandfather is the artist who painted this! His name was Friedrich Bender and we have a few of his paintings in the family. I am absolutely blown away by this story and stumbled upon it while doing family research. What an incredible impact PFC Cohr's had on our German family! I am assuming you are PFC Cohr's son? I would love to know if you still have the painting in the famiyl
Hey there! You don't know me, but my name is Molly DeWald and by some miracle I stumbled upon the Cohrs Family website. My connection is not directly to your family, but by this link (the Heidelberg painting)
Hey there! You don't know me, but my name is Molly DeWald and by some miracle I stumbled upon the Cohrs Family website. My connection is not directly to your family, but by this link (the Heidelberg painting)