Presles, Calvados (at the foot of the Perrier ridge). Early 20th century: (note the people standing on some steps on the left). 2nd August 1944, Operation BLUECOAT: (the steps!) May 2019: The vanished buildings (and steps) may be a result of the fighting.
Poor Normandy got the brunt of it. The laitiere farms especially. But they've recovered and I always buy Normandy butter.
Great find!!! I had to look quite a few times. Seems only the wall of the building to the right has remained (the same), but that can't be seen on the 1944 picture stills. How on earth did you find this?! Anything conclusive about the unit to which the half-track belonged. Naturally I'm thinking 8RB...
Hi Ronald, I'd had the postcards for a while, so I was familiar with the spot. When I viewed the footage on the IWM website I instantly recognized it. Yes, the brickwork on the right-hand wall is a match (you can just see part of the hedge on the middle 1944 shot). The sequence starts at 0:25 here: THE 11TH ARMOURED DIVISION ADVANCES TOWARDS THE BAS PERRIER RIDGE [Allocated Title] And yes, according to IWM, it is an 8RB half-track.
Just worked out that the right-hand building is the church. Here's a photo taken from the Perrier Ridge; Pt 218 is on the ridge in the distance:
Had never seen this before. What a great piece of film!!!! Will certainly soon add a link to it on the website!
In fact I have already done so: France to Germany - 8th Rifle Brigade . Page is still a bit sketchy. Website is under permanent construction The fighting on the Le Bas Perrier Ridge was fierce. After 2 days on the ridge and 6 more days at Presles, 8RB alone had suffered some 60 casualties (one officer becoming POW). 23rd Hussars were also there and also suffered casualties. The fact that with 8RB "only" 6 out 60 died (feels awkward to put it like this, but don't know how else to say it), will have had to do with the work of Medical Officer Captain Willcox. He got an MC for what he did on the Le Bas Perrier Ridge.
My Dad said it was his worst experience of the war; he wasn't alone: Geoffrey Bishop (C Sqr, 23H): August 7th:
Similar views by Don Gillate (fragment from his autobiography "With the 8th Rifle Brigade from Normandy to the Baltic"):