A request picking some of brains. I am currently living in a German town called Darmstadt. This features in Hanna Reitschs book “The sky my kingdom” as the centre for glider research. On the night of Sept 12/13 1944 the town was bombed in what was by many seen as the practice run for Dresden. Does anyone have any information or references to details or eyewitness accounts from both sides. I know one of the twelve Lancs lost was found in the woods near here a few years ago.
Politics aside, it is a strange, sobering experience walking in the centre of town where the temperature was reputedly at 3,000 deg C on that night.
By: Shorty01 - 19th January 2004 at 00:35
Cheers Flood. Local estimates are 12,000 lost, kind of puts in perspective what we worry about these days.
By: Flood - 19th January 2004 at 00:28
The Bomber Command War Diaries (Midland Publishing) has the Darmstadt raid as taking place on the night of 11/12th September 1944. 226 Lancs and 14 Mosquitoes from 5 Group took part – the losses representing 5.3% of the Lancaster force.
8,433 people were reported dead to the police, but up to 5,000 more may have gone unreported due to the homeless immediately evacuating the city until after the war.
The following night Frankfurt was hit, and much destruction was caused in the industrial western section due to many of the citys firemen and rescue workers still being on duty in Darmstadt.
Flood.
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January 18, 2004 at 8:19 pm