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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Also, we visited the No 32 Casualty Clearing Station emplacement in Reviers, where Glen was treated. A incredible IWM video gave us a wonderful Then/Now.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

#Normandy Last week, taking the daughter of a WW2 veteran on her father's footsteps. Glen Schurr was deployed in Normandy with the Highland Light Infantry, and then with the Essex Scottish. WIA August 13th, at Tournebu. We were able to see the very field were he was wounded.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

#WW2 Visiting some WW2 places today. This building is very significant in the history of the Seconde World War. Do you recognize it ?

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

#Normandy American Battle of Normandy Tour today: hedgerows, Saint Lo, operation Cobra, Patton breakout, Brittany American Cemetery. A beautiful day out of the beaten roads.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The photographs of the massacre were discovered and are owned by Baptiste Garin. Much more context and information are given on the superb book written by Julien Fargettas, historian specialist on the Tirailleurs Sénégalais.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

It is estimated to around 3000 Tirailleurs Sénégalais, but also from Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, were murdered in May-June 1940. This was the reality of the Nazi Regime and his Army. This is what pure racism created. These men are resting in peace today. We won't forget.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

This crime was not isolated: Lentilly, Champagne Mont d'Or, Montée de Balmont....in total, about 170 French soldiers, overwhelmingly African soldiers, were brutally murdered in a few days around Lyon.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The result is atrocious: 48 men, all African Tirailleurs, were killed in this war crime.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

They drove in the field, passed piles of bodies, and opened fire toward bushes and wood where some Tirailleurs probably ran away to.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The Panzer IV maneuvered to enter the field and finish their crime.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Our German witness took a picture of the killing while some Tirailleurs were running for their life.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

On the way between Chasselay and Les Chères, they were ordered to walk into a nearby field.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

They were unarmed and defenseless, escorted by Wehrmacht soldiers.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The Tirailleurs were taken toward the town of Les Chères, escorted by 2 Panzer IV of the 8th Panzer-Regiment. White French soldiers were separated from their African comrades who are seen here walking by the Panzer IV.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

In 2019, collector Baptiste Garin bought the photobook of a German soldier. Inside, he found pictures of vehicles and men of the 10th Panzer Division. But this German soldier, whose name is still unknown, witnessed and photographed what happened after the Tirailleurs surrendered.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The Germans had bypassed Chasselay. Morning of June 20th, dozens of men are still holding the village. They decided to fight for the honor. The Germans, surprised to find French troops there, attacked. 2 hours of fighting and the remaining 25 RTS decided to surrender.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

They were ordered to make a stand in front of several good German Divisions (SS Totenkopf, Grossdeutschland, 10th Panzer). The Germans clashed with French troops around Montluzin and Lissieu, then rushed toward Lyon that was taken at the end of the June 19th.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

North of Lyon, the Army was assembling makeshift units to defend the city. Amongst this improvised assembly of mostly untrained men with old weapons was the 25th Regiment Tirailleurs Sénégalais (25 RTS): 2900 men, decent training, decent weapons.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

June 19, 1940. The Germans are advancing everywhere in France. Newly appointed Pétain asked for the end of the fighting. But as far as the Army is concern, there is no armistice signed yet. So, many French Army leaders gave order to keep fighting "with no retreat in mind"

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

#WW2 Chasselay, France, June 20th, 1940. A Panzer IV is opening fire. The target: a group of POW. They are Tirailleurs Senegalais, African Colonial Infantry in the French Army. This is the most documented massacre made by the German Army during the Battle of France. A thread 🧵

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

#WW2 A quick drive around Lyon today: the French Military Cemetery of Chasselay for African soldiers executed by the Germans, bullets impacts from June 1940, the site of the execution of French Resistants, and the German Military Cemetery of Dagneux.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

#WW2 Lyon, France. Night of July 26-27, 1944, a bomb destroyed Le Moulin à Vent café, a lair of Collaborators and Nazis. No one was killed or injured. But the Germans rounded up 5 French Resistants from the Montluc jail, drove them in front of the café and shot them hours later.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

#WW2 Italy: another Then and Now I did last November following the footsteps of the French 2nd Moroccan Division fighting in the Abruzzo mountains, before the battles for Monte Cassino.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

#Normandy Then/Now, Lingèvres, the aftermath of the battle, where Sgt Harris and its Sherman Firefly tank crew destroyed 5 Panther tanks using....5 shells ! What an amazing story. Learn + about the British campaign by booking a Battle of Normandy Tour: www.french-battlefields.com/battle-of-no...

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Oh, and yes, my group got stuck for 25 minutes in a WW2 bunker while visiting the German underground hospital. It was fun (and just a bit worrying 😅)

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

All together, a very interesting day in Le Havre. A huge thanks to the local association Mémoire et Patrimoine who is taking care of many of these places. They are all volunteers: memoire-et-patrimoine-le-havre.fr

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

We ended the day in yet another tunnel, the Sainte Marie Tunnel, dug inside the cliff for public transportation, used by the Germans as an ammunition dump, and by the civilians as an bomb shelter during WW2.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

We exited by the corridor on which the wounded soldiers would arrive from the ambulances on the surface. On the way, a large room for the fuel for the generator.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

And the most impressive: the surgery room, all paved with luminescent paint on the walls allowing the surgeons to see for a moment in case of power outages ! Such an eerie feeling to watch this, 12 meters underground.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

An circular ventilation room to let the air flow in this large underground system, a sterilization room and a nicely paved radiography room.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

And you get to the main part: a central corridor with large rooms where dozens casualties could be treated. One of the largest could receive 96 men.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Then, you go down and down, something like 12 meters underground.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Bunkers were built to protect the entrances. Today used for local WW2 exhibits. Still a lot of markings on the walls, from the Germans, British and Americans.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Then came the most impressive: the German underground hospital. During the Occupation, the Germans took over some underground brewery rooms and turned everything into a large underground hospital. One of the entrance, from the street.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

As a reminder, this is what was left of the city center of Le Havre after the bombings of September 1944, just days before its Liberation.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

A brutal story told there: during the bombing of the city on September 6, 325 people broke into a forbidden entrance of the Jenner Tunnel to take shelter. One bomb fell on the entrance. No other exit. 7 survived. 319 were killed. A plaque lists all of the names.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Today, the place is also a memorial for the civilians casualties of the RAF bombing of Le Havre in September 44, including all the rescuers and first aiders.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Casualties were taken first into a heating room, then the operating room before being taken into bunk beds to recover. One room was for the sterilization, one for the surgeons.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

It is a U-shaped tunnel, with running water, electricity, power-generator and heating to treat up to 75 casualties.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Next visit was the Operating Shelter of Le Havre Central Hospital. Dug during the war, it was done to take care and operate civilians casualties and protect them from air bombardment. It was dug right under the cliff.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

It is a simple corridor with several rooms for telephone exchange, some restrooms and some space for the communications officers, even if they would mostly live in the French villas at the surface. A concrete corridor (now collapsed) was providing a safe access.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

This bunker was the main communication center for all "Festung Le Havre": Flak, coastal artillery, strongpoints....

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

The first visit was at the German telephone exchange bunker. Located on the high ground, next to beautiful villas back then that the officers would have confiscated from the locals. The German camouflaged the bunker with local stonework.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

#Normandy Last week, we visited several WW2 underground bunkers/shelters in Le Havre. They were both civilians and military. And it was IMPRESSIVE ! A Thread for WW2 and bunker/underground enthusiasts🧵 ⬇️

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

From Normandy, I wish you all an excellent year 2025. Getting reading to take you on guided tours of the DDay Beaches and the Normandy Battlefields. Info and booking: www.french-battlefields.com

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

#WW2 Christmas 1943 in Italy. French soldiers attending a catholic mass in the Abruzzo mountains. Three Germans POWs can be seen in the center of the group of French soldiers.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

#WW2 Then/Now in Italy, in the Abruzzo mountains. French troops of the 3rd Algerian Division are getting ready to flank Monte Cassino.

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

#WW2 While in Italy, visiting the battlefields of the French Expeditionary Force in 1943/44, I had fun doing some Then/Now videos. Here is one. Finding a location like this one is like a Treasure Hunt. I love it when I finally match the place !

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Romain Bréget | French Battlefields Guide @frbguide.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

#WW2 We went to visit a WW2 temporary exhibite at the Army museum in Paris. Very disappointing. But hopefully, Paris by night is amazing.

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