Bombed and Abandoned: First of Captured Villages (August 1918)
Description:
This lantern slide, “Bombed and Abandoned: First of Captured Villages (August 1918),” depicts a desolate street in Villers-Bretonneux (a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France). A man is walking in the distance and the buildings on either side of the road are entirely destroyed.
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The destruction pictured is likely the result of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. The fight began at the end of April 1918, was one of the first battles where both sides used almost exclusively tanks, and saw Germany’s biggest deployment of tanks in World War I. The successful outcome is primarily due to a successful counterattack by Australian force against the significantly larger German force. Subsequent fighting in the area continued until August 8, 1918, when the allies pushed further east; the prolonged combat and thus danger of the area would explain why the picture is dated roughly three months after the end of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. This slide is part of a series depicting Australian Y.M.C.A. war work during World War I.
Some discoloration in the center and damage on the right side that partially obscures the image; Text on border reads, "Australian Y.M.C.A. Historical Record Section; Bombed & Abandoned - first of vilages captured of Villers-Brettoneux. Aug. 1918."
Part of the Australian Y.M.C.A. WWI Lantern Slide Series
