Welcome to the forum, ctcarlisle.

You must be very proud of your father, it appears that he was in the thick of the action in the Gap. I hope you can share his recollections of his time in Normandy.

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

I was rather pleased to get this shot in Normandy last week.

Taken on a warm, hazy Spring afternoon, this is the central 'corridor of death', the lane leading from Saint Lambert-sur-Dives( off-shot, top left ) to Coudehard ( off shot, bottom right ). I took the photo from Coudehard Chapel and is exactly the view that the defending Poles would have had of the thousands of German troops and vehicles heading in their direction. This was the absolute epicentre of the 'hell of Falaise' and the contrast with today - absolute peace and quiet, with not even the sound of cars or aeroplanes to break the spell - is complete.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Great shot Martin, almost ewactly as it was. too bad modern agriculture has banned most of the boccage hedges. In some villages they are putting these back. They realized that the hedges were harbouring fauna and flora and protected the fields from floods and erosion.

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Fortunately, the area in the photo wasn't really 'bocage country' and not too many of the hedges have been completely removed, although apple trees have now mainly given way to arable farming.

The roadside hedges are mostly still there, and if you look very hard as you walk along, you can still find things.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

all right! I can imagine what you would find with a metal detector.
I forgot the legendary apple trees which make the famous normandy bitter (brut) or sweet (doux) cider and the Calvados. The soldiers who tasted these for the first time would fall over. There is a local Normandy drink called "trou Normand" which is made with Calvados, you should try it, it's the best way to become friends with the locals. During the war, farmers used to put Calvados in their ersatz coffee to improve the taste, it was so good that some keep doing it!

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I don't have any pictures but, if one can have a favorite Battlefield, mine would have to be both Stalingrad and Kursk.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

mein Gott Martin ! that is a wonderful foto looking across the landscape, not to make a much about the Cassino overview but in this case the Poles had it down with an expansive area to clobbered the Germans from right or left with no cover

E ~

A great location for observation but with the whole German Army in Normandy retreating through this valley the Poles on the hill got hammered and only just held on , the tranquil picture now belies the total carnage that occured here in 1944.

This valley was covered in a black cloud for weeks after the Battle , flies !!!

regards

Paul

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Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Easy, my favorite is the water, Pacific, Atlantic wherever the big guns of the navy made their presence known

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"When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." -General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
"The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed."-Karl von Clausewitz

How about the Navy guns firing off the coast of Normandy , a veteran SS Man who is a good friend of mine says the worst bombardment he was ever under was ships guns firing on Hill 112 in Normandy on 27/28 June 1944.

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Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.