While we commemorate the beginning and end of World War II, on 1st and 2nd September respectively, there's an interesting then-and-now exhibition of photographs of Normandy, France. They depict scenes from the invasion, followed by modern photographs of the same scenes today. Here are a couple of examples (I can't give too many due to copyright restrictions, but a few are OK under 'fair use' provisions of the law).
A house on Juno Beach, in 1944:
and now:
The World War 1 Memorial in the Place Foch in the city of Caen, in 1944:
and now:
The town of Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, where US paratroopers suffered heavy casualties before occupying it on D-Day, in 1944:
and now:
There are lots more then-and-now photographs at the link. Recommended viewing.
Peter
I doubt that many modern homes would have withstood half the pouncing these old houses took...and were still worth rebuilding in the end.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as though the Caen WWI memorial was not repaired, which in an excellent way makes it a memorial to two wars.
ReplyDeleteArchie