France

The Battle of Castle Itter is one of those “hidden gem” stories from World War Two. Quite remarkable, but not very well known. It is the only known battle from WWII in which Germans and Americans fought on the same side. In the image we can see damage to the …

US soldiers enter the ruined French town of Saint-Lo in July 1944, six weeks after D-Day. 95% of the city was destroyed by American bombardments as the Allies retook it from Germany on July 18th 1944. Due to the colossal damage it suffered, Saint-Lo was subsequently nicknamed “The Capital of …

The famous photograph took by Juan Guzmán shows a 17 year old Marina Ginesta, a French born reporter, translator and communist militant, at the top of Hotel Colon in Barcelona. The image is dated July 21st, 1936, right at the start of the Spanish Civil War. Ginesta is carrying a …

1) Sweethearts embracing and kissing at the Conneticut train station in 1945, as an older couple smiles in the background. 2) French girl holding an American G.I., maybe her boyfriend, on a date sometime during the 1940s. Image might be taken somewhere around Cote d’azur (note the palm trees). 3) …

German policemen (Ordnungspolizei) sharing a smoke with a French colonial prisoner. Vichy, 1940. The Ordnungspolizei were the uniformed police force of Germany between 1936 and 1945. Book suggestion⤵️ 📖 The Volksdeutschen in the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Ordnungspolizei in World War II (Rolf Michaelis, 2012)

Sandbags are cleared off the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as Germany occupied the city unopposed on June 14th 1940. The sandbags were used by Parisians to protect Notre Dame against bombardments. Paris and its invaluable cultural and architectural heritage was saved twice from destruction during World War …

Drancy internment camp in the suburbs of Paris, France, in August 1941. In the image we see the inner courtyard and the horse shoe shape of the housing blocks. The camp was under the command of Adolf Eichmann’s assistant, Alois Brunner. Drancy was operational between 20 August 1941 and 17 …

German Wehrmacht soldier sitting on top of a disabled Char B1 bis tank in Northern France, 1940. The Char B1 was a French medium tank which was used as a break-through vehicle and as a battle tank. The B1 entered service in 1936. In 1937, a newer version, the Char …

1944 vs. modern day. Fourth moat of the Belfort Citadel, France, the spot where Georges Blind, a member of the French resistance, smiled as he faced a German firing squad. However, Blind was not shot. The photograph was taken during a mock execution, set up to force Blind to give …

Georges Blind, a member of the French resistance, smiling as he faces a German firing squad in 1944. However, Blind was not executed. The photograph was taken during a mock execution, set up to force Blind to give up information (which by all accounts he did not). Blind entered the …