Photos WW2 French Forces

[JimHPTN]

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[BravoZulu]

Char B1 Bis captured in Guise, France 1940

 

[BravoZulu]

Survivors from destroyer Bourrasque try to climb to safety, aboard destroyer Branlebas, 1940.

Bourrasque was sunk on 30 May 1940 during Operation Dynamo, with the loss of some 500 of the 1,100–1,200 troops and crew aboard

 

[BravoZulu]

French Potez 63.11 (serial 375) of GAO (Groupes Aèriens d'Observation) 503. Near Braine-le-Comte, Belgium 16 May 1940.

Quote from Peter D. Cornwell's book 'The Battle of France - Then and Now':

"Hit by flak and starboard engine set alight during reconnaissance sortie over enemy armoured columns. Crashed and burned out near a goods station, between Soignies and Braine-le-Comte at 3.20 p.m., May 16, 1940.
Sous-lieutenant A. Mann dropped from the aircraft at low level and was seriously injured. Was taken to a clinic in Halle where he died the next day.
Adjt Nourry baled out over Hennuyères but was shot at by Allied troops and badly wounded, admitted to hospital in Binche. The 3rd crew member, Adjt-chef Gourdon baled out and landed unhurt. Aircraft a write off."

 

[BravoZulu]

French soldiers with a captured German Gebirgsjäger flag in Norway,1940

 

[BravoZulu]

Char B1... Belgium, May 1940.

 

[JimHPTN]

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[BravoZulu]

A French Sherman from 5e Division Blindée crosses a bridge near Belfort, France, November 20th, 1944.

 

[SamWell]

Colonial trooper in captivity

 

[SamWell]

Colonial trooper in captivity
View attachment 479364

 

[JimHPTN]

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[colin traveller]

30 April 1940: While anchored at the Tail o' the Bank off Greenock, the French Vauquelin-class destroyer Maillé Brézé experienced an explosion due to the inadvertent discharge of one of its torpedo tubes. The incident resulted in the deaths of 37 sailors, with 31 of them being trapped below deck as the ship sank. Some of these trapped sailors extended their arms through portholes in an attempt to receive high doses of morphine before succumbing to the flames.

 

[BravoZulu]

4th Platoon of the traffic control detachment of the French army's 20th Military Region, equipped with requisitioned civilian motorcycles. Lorraine region (possibly Nancy), 1939.

 

[BravoZulu]

German soldiers are posing against the background of a French commander’s tank Somua S35tsf. Alsace Lorraine, France, May 1940

 

[BravoZulu]

Renault R35 #50391 MARS of the 1er BCC, 2e Compagnie. Commander: Master Corporal Reynaud. Driver: Chasseur Lacambra. Destroyed by anti-tank guns at Noyon (Oise) on June 7, 1940

 

[BravoZulu]

German soldiers inspect the destroyed reconnaissance armoured car model 1935 AMD 35 (Automitrailleuse de Découverte modèle 1935). France, May - June 1940.

 

[BravoZulu]

Free French Sherman M4A4 "Nantes" of the 3e Esqadron of the 2e RC (Cuirassiers Regiment) of the 1st army, in front of the City Hall in Dijon, France during the Liberation Parade. 11 September 1944

 

[Nansouty]

The 12RCA was part of the 2e DB (Leclerc's Division), and as such took part in its operations from the very start. But before the division was assembled in Morocco, the 12e RCA already had seen combat in Tunisia. Gribius, De Langlade, among others, were part of the adventure... The tanks were sent to Africa in late 1940, as the Vichy government had claimed tanks were needed to repel a British landing. But in the end, the only action they saw was against Axis forces in Tunisia.

Inspection by the Armistice commission near Bergerac in SW France. They managed to pull the wool over the inspectors' eyes, and more than was allowed was eventually dispatched.

Loading up in Casablanca, bound for Dakar.

A S35 in Senegal

Celebrating Christmas near Dakar

The squadron, about to be loaded up again to Casablanca

Maintenace in Tunisia before action

Pont du Fahs : one of the 3 S35 destroyed by 88mm fire. This one left no survivor. The perforated door was retrieved and became a relic.

A better know picture: Victory parade in Tunis.

 

[NebrHogger]

Less common French types that may have seen brief service early in the war.

 

[uktabber]

Again, GREAT WWII pics gents, Thanks for posting!!