Normandy 1944. Then and Now (204 pics)

[Jason]

I found a link to this, and just had to share Normandy 1944. Then and Now (204 pics) AcidCow.com - videos, pictures, celebs, flash games

It's a collection of original WWII photos, then a modern photo taken recently of the same scene to show how things have changed.

While shocking to see just how much destruction there was, its also quite uplifting to see how everything is rebuilt today.

I guess there is an extra level of interest for us gamers too, how many times have you found yourself navigating around a war-torn Normandy? Recognise anything?

 

[Jason]

You might find Third Reich in Ruins interesting as well

 

[Immortal_Joker]

wow its just gives you an eerie feeling seeing those pics. One minute those places were ruined by the constant aerial bombardment and artillery shelling.

Then you have the pics where you see Allied troops walking through deserted destroyed towns an now they are fully fixed but you know the scars of war are still there.

I want to visit Normandy alot, I want to see the beach where the greatest amphibious landing in history took place but you will know you get that uneasy feeling that those who lost their lives whether they are German or Allied soldiers still roam those areas.

 

[Jason]

I visited back in 2004 a month or two before the 60th anniversary, and i really remember that strange feeling. Having watched Saving Private Ryan, and playing Battlefield 1942 and Allied Assault and knowing the horrors that occurred there, it was really something.

I remember i was standing on a large piece of concrete, part of a Pillbox or something that had been washed down near the waters edge. I was using it as a vantage point, looking around when i noticed the tide was coming in. Looking back it makes me laugh how my greatest fear on that beach was that i might have gotten my feet wet.

The most hard-hitting aspect for me was not the beach though, as besides a few concrete remains it really is just a beach, any trace of the past has gone, but the cemeteries. Normandy American Cemetery and La Cambe German war cemetery really do have an impact on you, their scale is just amazing, and terrifying.

 

[Immortal_Joker]

the cemeteries will definitely break you thats for sure. Seeing all those graves.

Seeing those pics from Berlin straight to Nurnberg are very haunting thats for sure.

What was once the home of the most evil force in the world is now a peaceful paradise.