Normandy Then and Now

Found these online and thought it worth a separate post, mostly US and Canadian images but still very interesting


BERNIERES SUR MER

Typical Norman house located along the beach at Juno Beach

Canadian troops going ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944











Infantrymen of Le Régiment de la Chaudière moving through the village, 6 June 1944.








A member of the Canadian Provost Corps (C.P.C.) guarding the first German prisoners to be captured by Canadian soldiers in the Normandy beachhead, France, 6 June 1944.






German personnel captured on D-Day embarking for England.







CAEN

Sherman tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers advancing into Caen. 10 July 1944







Place Foch, World War I memorial and rubble of the German kommandantur







11 July 1944 - A Sherman tank of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment advancing into Caen.







Bridge over the canal from caen to ouistreham. we are in the center of the town near the ‘Bassin St Pierre’







10 July 1944 - Residents looking after a Canadian bulldozer clearing rubble in the streets.








FRESNEY LE PUCEUX

Privates Albert Thibault and Fernand Lachance, both of 2nd Canadian Infantry Division Headquarters, en route to Falaise - 12 August 1944

















LONGUES SUR MER

One of the blockhouses with one of the four 150mm guns of the M.K.B. Longues.










SAINTE MERE EGLISE

Street scene in the village after its liberation by U.S. Troops. Looking East - June 1944
















MARIGNY

Inside the church after the fighting.










LA MADELEINE

A group of GI’s leaving the chapel after a mass.









RAVENOVILLE

Paratroopers of HQ Co / 508th PIR under the command of Captain Johnson and Abraham stop for a moment in the village before going south to find their unit.










CARENTAN

The entrance in Carentan by the street Holgate, coming from Periers road








A M-7 Priest of the 14th Armored Field Battalion / 2nd Armored Division at the crossroad of the street Holgate and the railroad Paris-Cherbourg










American paratroopers in a german Kübelwagen at the crossroads of the street Holgate and RN 13 (actually street of the 101st airborne)










GI’s at the crossroads of the street Holgate and RN 13 (actually street of the 101st airborne)








A jeep with medics of the 101st Airborne in the street Holgate towards the crossroads with the RN 13


















HERMANVILLE SUR MER

A bren carrier of the 33th Field Artillery Regiment crossing the place Courbet







SAINT LAURENT SUR MER

Exit E1 - Wn65 - Vallee du Ruquet. German pillbox on Omaha Beach serving as a U.S. Army command post, during the early days of the invasion







SAINT AUBIN SUR MER

Juno Beach, Nan Red sector. A P-47 crash landed on the beach near the strong point WN27







TURQUEVILLE

Many 101st troopers were dropped far from their initial DZ’s. Like Wilbur W. Shanklin facing, here, a German prisoner. They are on the road between Ste-Mere-Eglise and Audouville-la-Huber








BASLY

27 June 1944 - Members of the 23d Field Ambulance, R.C.A.M.C. laying flowers on graves. From left to right : Private W. Young, H. Roach, M.G. Newberry. The left grave, Private A.J. Barnes is still in the cemetery.

 

Cracking find Meridian. A few years ago I came across a great site with loads of these then and now pictures from all over Europe. I never bookmarked it like an idiot and have never found it again.

 

Top post! This kind of thing is fascinating.

 

Invalueable info for planning battlefield tours!

 

Cracking stuff, interesting to note that even with all the damage done, the places were rebuilt retaining their original character. Something which unfortunately British post war architects and planners never managed to achieve in many places in the UK.
The magazine 'After the battle' does a series of then and now.

 

Bitte:

http://thirdreichruins.com/

 

Excellent topic for a post - all such places would look so different to any who'd been there though.

An auld relative of mine went back to france many years ago and was asked had it changed much??

"Aye, we had to fkn buy what we wanted this time, not just lift it".

Great sense of humour

God Bless them.

 

Top stuff Meridian. Really fascinating to see the comparisons. They are tributes to the human spirit.

As Sparky said "God bless 'em all"

Thanks.

 

Great stuff been to a few of the places am now able to see how they actually looked

 

Love those comparison pics they are a great find.

I actually do D Day battlefield tours for motorcyclist in Normandy (where I live) and can vouch for the fact that my clients really like to be able to see the old 1944 pics of where they are actually stood on their present day tours.

 

I have some hires versions of some of the photos above if anyone wants them, let me know

 

Hi Meridian

I run a modol making/architectural modeling company. Some of the photos would be very useful as reference material for me. Could you please PM me?

Thanks

Rodney2q

BTW - smashing photos!

 

PM sent

Does anyone fancy a historic images thread or two, I have loads of such images and I am sure lots more on here do as well. Could be a good sticky

What categories would anyone suggest, like WWI, WWII, aviation, armour etc etc , or just a single thread for everything

Suggestions....

 

cracking pics!! really interesting, nice to see that some of the houses have been re-built to look the same!

 

Is that in a kind of "I have a large trainset in my attic, little boy, and would you like to come up and play with my trains?" way??



I agree with the photographs; good to see them!

Litotes