France, Then and Now Photographs

Thus far, I have found the modern settings, in Google Earth Street View,
of four U.S. Army Signal Corps' photos from France.

The first set is from Colleville sur-Mer in Normandy.




And the modern view:



That is indeed a large print of the above Signal Corps' photo, SC 190867,
in front of the church.

A M-4 of the 756th Tank Battalion in Vagney, SC 212495, 8 October 1944. The tank commander was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.







"2nd Lt. James 'Red' Harris of 'A' Company. Harris and most of his crew were killed while defending the 3rd Battalion/7th Infantry Regiment HQ from a German attack. Harris was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for this action."

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MOH Citation:

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 756th Tank Battalion. Place and date: At Vagney, France, 7 October 1944. Entered service at: Hillsboro, Tex. Birth: Hillsboro, Tex. G.O. No.: 32, 23 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 October 1944, in Vagney, France. At 9 p.m. an enemy raiding party, comprising a tank and 2 platoons of infantry, infiltrated through the lines under cover of mist and darkness and attacked an infantry battalion command post with hand grenades, retiring a short distance to an ambush position on hearing the approach of the M-4 tank commanded by 2d Lt. Harris. Realizing the need for bold aggressive action, 2d Lt. Harris ordered his tank to halt while he proceeded on foot, fully 10 yards ahead of his 6-man patrol and armed only with a service pistol, to probe the darkness for the enemy. Although struck down and mortally wounded by machinegun bullets which penetrated his solar plexus, he crawled back to his tank, leaving a trail of blood behind him, and, too weak to climb inside it, issued fire orders while lying on the road between the 2 contending armored vehicles. Although the tank which he commanded was destroyed in the course of the fire fight, he stood the enemy off until friendly tanks, preparing to come to his aid, caused the enemy to withdraw and thereby lose an opportunity to kill or capture the entire battalion command personnel. Suffering a second wound, which severed his leg at the hip, in the course of this tank duel, 2d Lt. Harris refused aid until after a wounded member of his crew had been carried to safety. He died before he could be given medical attention.

Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II (G-L)

A tank destroyer in Rohrwiller, SC 200031, 4 February 1945.




The scene today:




A tank destroyer of the 645th Tank Destroyer Battalion in
Lembach, SC 197915, 14 December 1944.




The modern location was slightly difficult to pin down:




The photos and captions are here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 212495, 200031, 197915, 190867, credit NARA.


Dave

 

You are getting good at this Kerr, keep them coming

 

Wonderful stuff, Dave! I love it.

 

Indeed ,a real good work.!!

 

Great! I try to do the same thing myself.

 

I have found matches in Google Earth Street View of four additional Signal Corps' photos to the locations today.

A light tank of the 12th Armored Division in Rouffach, SC 200083, 5 February 1945.




The scene today. The GE van did not drive into the city square. This
was as close as it came.




Company D, 83rd Chemical Bn, in Zellenberg, targeting Germans in nearby Mittelwihr with its 4.2 inch mortar, SC 197578, 9 December 1944.





The scene today:



Shermans in Brouvelieures, SC 195876, 29 October 1944.




The location today:




A Tank Destroyer (probably the 645th) entering Bourg with infantrymen of the 45th Infantry Division, SC 421410, 4 September 1944.




The Boulevard de Brou today. The 16th Century Monastere royal de Brou a Bourg-en-Bresse is out of the image, on the right.

Monastère royal de Brou à Bourg-en-Bresse - Centre des monuments nationaux



The photos and captions are here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 421410, 195876, 197578, and 200083, credit NARA.



Dave

 

I have found two more matches in Google Earth Street View
of Signal Corps' photos.

A squad of the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division,
entering Wingen, 15 December 1944, SC 271426.




The scene today:



A bridge in Chalons destroyed by the retreating Germans, 29 August 1944,
SC 193446.



A radically changed Chalons today:



The photos and captions are here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 193446 and 271426, credit NARA.


Dave

 

Finding this location has been the most difficult thus far of any in France.

SC 192423 - A gallant soldier of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division,
in Villedieu, 2 August 1944.




The fille's house is 52 Rue Carnot, next to the Kingdom of the Clock.



Le Royaume de l’Horloge, vente de coucou, vente et réparation d’horloges, vente de carillons, pendules murales, pendules à poser, à Villedieu-les-Poêles, dans la Manche, en Normandie.

The complete set for France can be found here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 192423, credit NARA.


Dave

 

An amazing work,not easy cause you're using Street view,and a lot of part of french cities havn't been photographied.I'm quite sure the lil' girl on the pic is still alive and tracable...If i have time,will try..

 

Amazing, you must be spending hours to do this

 

I've just send a mail to the owner of the Kingdom of the clock...Wait and see!

 

A quite fast reply!

"

BONJOUR , MALHEUREUSEMENT je ne connais pas ces personne car je suis né en 1965 et je travaille à villedieu mais j'habite percy à 9 km , je vais demander à des personnes agées sur villedieu et si j'ai des nouvelles positives , je vous contacterai à nouveau."

The owner says that he sadly doesn't know this person due to his birth date,but will ask Senior peoples.He will contact me in case of positive reply.

​

 

Merci. I had sent him an email also.


Dave

 

It could also be worth a try contacing the farm owner at Wing. It is still the same building so the farmer could be relatives of the 2 men you see on the picture.

 

This was a relatively easy match of old to new.

SC 197339 - An unidentified tank battalion in Scherwiller, Alsace,
2 December 1944. The boy in the photo is wearing wooden shoes,
as was not uncommon then.



The scene today:



All of the photos can be found here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 197339, credit NARA.



Dave

 

I have found the locations today in Bourg of two additional Signal Corps'
photos:

SC 194990 - Troops of the 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry
Division, enter the city on 4 September 1944.



The building with the white awning in the Signal Corps photos is
today the home of the MCA Agence de Bourg en Bresse, 9 Boulevard
de Brou.



SC 194988 - Crowds in Bourg cheer the men of the 45th Infantry Division,
4 September 1944. The Sherman most likely belonged to the 191st Tank
Battalion, whose C Company entered the city with the 180th Infantry Regiment.



The scene today:




All of the photos can be found here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 194990 and 194988, credit NARA.


Dave

 

SC 197256 - In Alsace, the 157th Infantry Regiment liberated the town of
Niederbronn les-Bains on 9 December 1944, supported by tank destroyers
of A Company, 645th Tank Destroyer Bn:





From the After Action Report of the 157th:

"Having cut the Niederbronn-Phillippsbourg road and having seized the high ground commanding the northeast approach to Niederbronn, the 157th Infantry at 0630 hours launched an attack upon the town proper. Company B moved in from the west while Company A and Company C advanced upon it from the north. Enemy snipers impeded the advance but in house to house fighting the battalion cleared Niederbronn of resistance by 1530 hours. The Germans continued to shell the town at intervals."

The scene today:

The photos are here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 197256, credit NARA.


Dave​

 

Wonderful kerrd5! Note the Germanized shop names in annexed Lorraine (the cigarette shop and the barbershop ).

On the modern pic, the yellow bike is the postman's.

 

Merci, Skipper!


Dave

 

SC 195721 - A photo from Epinal in the Vosges. "Gendarmes of
Epinal sneak up on German sniper. Although Nazis hold part of the town,
liberation flags are displayed," 24 September 1944.



I had help finding this location in Epinal. In February 2010, a month
after I scanned the photo at the NARA, I asked the municipal officials
if they could identify the scene. They did. It is 15 Rue Aristide-Briand.



The photos are here:

France - a set on Flickr

III-SC 195721, credit NARA.


Dave