by Jean-Paul Pallud.
Hardback (7.0×10.0 inches). 120 pages. 2025 reprint and revision of 1981 magazine.
Subtitle: The Third US Army First Battle
After the Battle continues to recycle 1980s magazine articles that took modern photos of locations in WWII photos while recounting the history of the battle in and around the old photos. The back cover showcases the theory, although understand that no color photos are in the book — period and modern photos are in black and white.
This book is the first volume of US advance into Brittany (France) in an effort to take St. Malo, Brest, St. Nazaire, and other ports. Despite the breakneck speed of advance, the dash was unsuccessful and the peninsula became a backwater siege operation as Patton’s main force headed east towards Germany.
Of the 100,000 German troops in Brittany, roughly two-thirds of them were sent to Normandy to fight in the bocage (p47). That left about 30,000 Germany army along with 50,000 naval and service personnel to defend the ports (p49).
I will note this volume seems to have more “Then” (WWII period) photos than “Now” (modern, aka circa 1980 photos) than I’ve seen in previous volumes. One spectacular photo is of a roadblock (p112) of barbed-wire wrapped obstacles. Another shows the US “Monuments Men” rescuing the damaged Calvary of Plougastel (p109), which was restored in 1949. Finally, an aerial photo of the port of Brest and surrounding bocage (p25) might inspire a tabletop battlefield.
The book contains 193 black and white photos and four black and white maps. Some of the modern photos have GPS coordinates in case you want to visit the remains of bunkers, fortifications, and other spots.
I’m not sure why Brittany is split into two volumes, especially because this first volume is only 120 pages long, and recycling 1980s photos is certainly stretching the “now” part, but I suspect, without actually being in France, that most of the “now” photos are likely the same, although some locations may have been further developed or renovated.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
