Another great puzzle and photo from Ian!. So, they had their own 9/11.

I, too, was not aware that they had a September 11, 57 years earlier.

Great photo Ian, and a good puzzle too.

Sometimes I wonder why?

This made for a wonderfully puzzling puzzle. Thank you for yet another great puzzle Ian.

"Night of the fire," I think it means. Yes, I just googled it:

"During the Brandnacht (burning night) of September 11, 1944, the Royal Air Force turns Darmstadt into a "desert of debris". 12.300 people were left dead, 66.000 homeless." War is so terrible....

And senseless, Kay.

I was stunned at the date, which was the first part of the puzzle I put together. I was born on September 10, 1944. Since 911 (in US), I've been thankful I wasn't born on the 11th. I think one of saddest things about war is that the people who fight and/or die are seldom the ones who start, declare, or stand to gain from the fighting and destruction.

AMEN.

Well said, Gramma Linda.

I could start a long discussion on this subject - but I won't.
As many of you know, I am a retired military officer and I'm supposed to understand the causes of War - but I don't.
This memorial stands alone in the town square and has photos on all four sides. It serves as a reminder of the horrors of war and a tribute to those who rebuilt the city so successfully.

Ian -- My Dad was an Army Air Corps pilot during WWII, and he had the same sentiments as you. He did not fly bombers, though. He remained in the US throughout the war, flying transport planes and training glider pilots.

Gramma Linda -- You said it in a nutshell. It's mostly the women, children, and elderly who die in wars, most of them just trying to get through another day. Like Ian, I could get into a long conversation on this subject. I've just deleted another paragraph or so.

My father was in WW2 as an engineer in Asia. That was all I could ever get out of him. It was a subject that he avoided, and I wish he had shared some of it with me.

I just realized that we're commenting on this topic on the day before our Memorial Day in the US. Let us remember those who fought, and are fighting, in the name of government, all over the world.

My uncle was a POW in Germany. For the rest of his life a car backfiring could send him into a full nervous breakdown. He wouldn't talk about it, either.

Thanks for the picture Ian and showing us that the world over doesn't agree with war. My father also served in WWII and was bombed in Darwin, he too never spoke of it.

Thanks,Ian.

My husband had dozens of stories about the people who help him after he escaped from prison on the Check border. The people were so nice to him.

Chech = check

Czech?

Senseless, I can say no more.

Well I'll join in to say Dad was front line for a year and I also had an Uncle who was POW. Right, they didn't talk about it. Must have been things they all would just as soon forget. You're right Kay, lets remember those who fought and pray for those who are fighting for us right now.

It seems that my little photo has sparked quite some discussion. My Dad fought in Syria and then in the jungles of New Guinea. I flew over those jungles years later and how people could live in that jungle, let alone fight a war in it is beyond me. He didn't talk about it much, but over the More...