September 11, 1944 in Darmstadt Brandnacht or "Fire Night"

 

A series of signs in the center of Darmstadt describe Brandnacht translated "Fire Night." On that night thousands died and more than half the city became homeless.

Fifty-seven years before terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, the 11th day of the 8th month was among the worst days in the long history of the city of Darmstadt.  On that night Royal Air Force Bomber Group Five attacked the city with 226, four-engined, Lancaster bombers and 14 twin-engined Mosquito bombers. They hit the medieval city center where houses there were mainly built of wood. 

DeHavilland Mosquito Bomber

Avro Lancaster Bobmber

The raid used a new technique. Instead of bombers flying along a single path across the target, the bombers would bomb along a fan of paths over the city. The intention was to spread the fire bombs for maximum effect. The attack started a fierce fire in the center and in the districts immediately to the south and east. The destruction of dwellings in this area was almost complete.

Of the population of 110,000, more than 60,000 were homeless after the attack and thousands died.  

A week later American bombers would strike the technical university in Darmstadt where research was on-going to develop V-2 rockets used to attack England.  I wrote about that previously when I wrote about my friend Cliff Almes and his family's history with Darmstadt.

Darmstadt was a notoriously pro-Nazi city almost from the moment Hitler rose to power.  It was one of the first cities in Germany to boast of being Judenrein or Jew Free.