I posted these items already in this thread but promissed to post better photos, and more details about how they were aquired: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=357234
Firstly, I will start with what is most important for me: the story of how these items were aquired.
On August 28th 1944, after the landings in southern France, US units were taking position outside Nice. The German troops inside Nice were planing on withdrawing towards Italy.
However, on the night of August 27th, the local resistance decided that the next day there would be a general insurection in Nice. The reasons for the insurection were mutiple: for the honnor of liberating their town, for political reasons (communist resistance VS Gaulist resistance wanting to have more influence), to prevent the Germans from destroying certain strategic structures, etc.
The first gun shots of the insurection were fired at a railraod crossing in the northern part of Nice. Early in the morning a German truck was attacked, and its occupants were killed or surendered. Then there were several firefights during the morning. Some of the captured POW's were Polish and actualy helped the resistance fighters.
In the afternoon a German car came speeding down the road, and was machine gunned, sending it crashing into a tree, killing or wounding its occupants(This fact is confirmed by several period reports that I have copies of).
I met a man who lived at the railroad crossing as a kid, and who was present the day of the fighting. After the shooting was over, he went and inspected the German car that had hit a tree. He said that he absolutely wanted to find a German helmet. He found one in the car, but did not take it because it was covered in blood. He then looked through the items that the resistance fighters had already gone through that were lying on the road, and picked up a map, a Tornister and an A frame. The map is of special interest: it is a civilian Michelin map, with a stamp from a German intelligence unit, I guess to indicate it was accurate, and good for use by German forces.
Here is the man with the items he picked up.
Also included is a photo of the monument that now exists at the railroad crossing, commemorating the names of the resistance men who were killed during the fighting.
Firstly, I will start with what is most important for me: the story of how these items were aquired.
On August 28th 1944, after the landings in southern France, US units were taking position outside Nice. The German troops inside Nice were planing on withdrawing towards Italy.
However, on the night of August 27th, the local resistance decided that the next day there would be a general insurection in Nice. The reasons for the insurection were mutiple: for the honnor of liberating their town, for political reasons (communist resistance VS Gaulist resistance wanting to have more influence), to prevent the Germans from destroying certain strategic structures, etc.
The first gun shots of the insurection were fired at a railraod crossing in the northern part of Nice. Early in the morning a German truck was attacked, and its occupants were killed or surendered. Then there were several firefights during the morning. Some of the captured POW's were Polish and actualy helped the resistance fighters.
In the afternoon a German car came speeding down the road, and was machine gunned, sending it crashing into a tree, killing or wounding its occupants(This fact is confirmed by several period reports that I have copies of).
I met a man who lived at the railroad crossing as a kid, and who was present the day of the fighting. After the shooting was over, he went and inspected the German car that had hit a tree. He said that he absolutely wanted to find a German helmet. He found one in the car, but did not take it because it was covered in blood. He then looked through the items that the resistance fighters had already gone through that were lying on the road, and picked up a map, a Tornister and an A frame. The map is of special interest: it is a civilian Michelin map, with a stamp from a German intelligence unit, I guess to indicate it was accurate, and good for use by German forces.
Here is the man with the items he picked up.
Also included is a photo of the monument that now exists at the railroad crossing, commemorating the names of the resistance men who were killed during the fighting.
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