Normandy Pictures during WW2 and now

[Mark71]

Here is a very cool collection of pics showing Normandy during WW2 and how it looks now.......

http://izismile.com/2009/09/03/normandy_during_ww2_and_now_204_pics.html

[ZDL]

*******

[Honu]

love then and now photos and love WWII memories even more so the two together are awesome

thanks for the link

[Buck]

:cool:

[dirksterg30]

Thanks for posting. It's amazing to see those building still standing and inhabited 65 years later.

[nichud09]

wow, really cool. thanks for sharing. makes me think of my grandfather, strolling through france on his sherman with pattons 3rd.

[Safetyhit]

I think this is one of the best threads ever. What spectacular photos.

Sad to see that almost no building went unscathed, yet amazing to see how they were flawlessly restored. Fascinating.

[CarlosDJackal]

Very nice. I wonder how many of those Soldiers who are in those pictures survived the war?

It's sobering to think that we are loosing a thousand of those young men pictured a day. :(

Makes you wonder just how many of these guys are still alive:

http://izismile.com/img/img2/20090903/normandy_117.jpg

http://izismile.com/img/img2/20090903/normandy_41.jpg

[vel525]

thanks for sharing. my wife and i did a recent trip to japan and visited a lot of the WW2 sites including okinawa, hiroshima, and nagasaki. our plan is to visit normandy and other sites in europe in a year or two. these pics are great.

[RyanS]

Very nice. I wonder how many of those Soldiers who are in those pictures survived the war?

It's sobering to think that we are loosing a thousand of those young men pictured a day. :(

Makes you wonder just how many of these guys are still alive:



For me, it also brings home just how many were invloved in the war. It's like trying to wrap my mind around the deficit. I can work in numbers that big.

[TY44934]

Personal thing for me too - though I wasn't born until the late '60s. My closest uncle served and survived after fighting in France, Germany (helped lead the liberation of Dachau camp).

And he fought in Italy, even though he was Italian-American (Galinoto).

Conversely, my wife is German. But like my uncle, some of her relatives fought on our side - especially her grandfather who was a Polish partisan fighter who linked up with the U.S. army and fought along side our soldiers in southern Germany (where he met my wife's grandmother). While we are all glad about the outcome, there is no escaping the sadness from all those who were lost.

[FlyAndFight]

Excellent website!

Thanks for sharing.

It's amazing how many buildings and streets have remained virtually unchanged.

[Honu]

one thing always goes through my head with WWII is that war can happen in your neighborhood !!!

we all say never here !! for how long some of these buildings stood I bet many of the Europeans thought it will never happen in my backyard !!!


it always makes me remember to think it can happen anywhere !

[IMSHAKN]

I thought that was really cool posting those pictures up. As horrible as it really it, part of me wishes I was there to witness and participate in such a huge event in history. Imagine being there as all of this stuff is going on, it'd be almost overwhelming I think. Definitely a good concept and it's amazing how little of these locations have remained virtually unchanged minus the rebuilding that was necessary. :)

[TY44934]

one thing always goes through my head with WWII is that war can happen in your neighborhood !!!

we all say never here !! for how long some of these buildings stood I bet many of the Europeans thought it will never happen in my backyard !!!


it always makes me remember to think it can happen anywhere !

Isn't that surprising? Prior to the war, Germany was arguably the most technologically and financially advanced country in Europe, and Japan the most advanced Asian nation.

Both descended into the chaos of war.

Fast-forward to the former country of Yugoslavia - it was NEVER part of the Warsaw pact, although it was a communist dictatorship nation aligned with Moscow. AND - like Japan and Germany, it was the most advanced & developed nation in the communist sphere, with Sarejevo as its most prized city where the world even saw fit to host the Olympic games.

After the brief 1991 war between Croatia & Serbia/Yugoslavia, the whole region of Bosnia/Herzgovina descended into chaos and was destroyed.

Those who believe "never in America" should study world history & realize that no nation's future is guaranteed into perpetuity. My plan is to try to vote in reasonable leaders & hope for the best for the future of the country I love.