Who knows this destroyed town?

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 11:04 am

This foto must show a town somewhere in Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraina, ...). Who can me tell, where it is. My grandfather was there during the ww2

Groscurth · Post by **Groscurth** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 4:37 pm

Looks more like a French town to me, regarding the style of the houses and church.

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 12:40 am

That would be interessting. So far I haven't known that my grandfather was also there in WW2. But it is possible.

bloodpet [GER] · Post by **bloodpet [GER]** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 7:20 am

Would be interesting to have a bigger version of the picture. Perhaps someone can find out what is written on that house a bit above the centre of the picture. It would possibly tell us what country it is.

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 9:19 am

So far I haven't realised, that there is a inscription. It is "Des Vosges":

So Groscurth is right: it is in France.

Rommel8 · Post by **Rommel8** » Sun Dec 21, 2003 6:42 pm

a quick google :)

http://www.vosges.fr/

FB · Post by FB » Mon Dec 22, 2003 4:27 am

I'm very probably making a very big mistake but the picture reminds me a lot of Strasbourg, France, and of one of its tens of bridges.

Best regards

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 5:48 am

FB, which river is it then? The Rhine is much bigger in Strasbourg and the church is not the Münster, I think. But I'm not sure.
The way my grandfather (probably) made in France was mor in the West I think (Moselle or somewhere west of the Vosges).

FB · Post by FB » Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:42 am

Maybe the Ill? Or the Faussé du faux Rempart?

Of course I'm only guessing. I'm not shure at all. Only thing I know is that when I saw your picture, the idea of Strasbourg came to my mind, and cannot explain why, there's something in the picture that reminds me of that town. As I said, though, I'm very probably making an enormous mistake.

It would be great if someone on the forum is from that town.

best regards

FB · Post by FB » Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:41 am

Hi again,

I was looking your picture here (click), where its much bigger, even if not as clear as the one in this thread, and I noticed that the big dark burned house on the right of the picture, above the river and down the church, has something written on its wall. Could you by any chance be able to read what the text says? Maybe it can help in identifying the city.

Best regards

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:29 pm

Hi FB, great, that you have seen that inscription. Perhaps I should take a magnifier and have a close look to my pictures. But also the inscription "Des Vosges" I couldn't really read through a magnifier.
But now to text you have descovered. I have scanned it with 1200 dpi and this is the result:

I can read (or suppose that there is written) the first word "café" and then "Moselle". What do you all think and do you have ideas for the other words.
If there is really written "Moselle" then the town should be in the west of the Vosges.

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 3:47 pm

The word in the second line could be "restaurant"?!

FB · Post by FB » Tue Dec 23, 2003 6:19 am

So the picture seems to indicate the Moselle river as a target for your research.

This river was crossed by the American 36th Inf. Div. in September 1944 in the area among the cities/villages of Remiremont, St. Nabord and Eloyes.

Could the town in your picture be one of these?

Best regards

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 8:30 am

FB, I think Moselle-river is right, but my grandfather was a German soldier and not an american. So he should be in this region perhaps in 1940. But I'm not sure in witch unit he was. But the combination of Vosges et Moselle could mean Epinal or Remiremont or a smaller town in this region, I think.

FB · Post by FB » Tue Dec 23, 2003 8:44 am

I had understood that he was in the German Army, only I thought that he might have been there defending from the Americans attacking.

I agree with you: Moselle + Vosges may suggest a town or village in the vicinity of those indicated in our last posts.

The real problem is that there are litterally hundreds of bridges in the area.

Best regards