Three or four roofs remained intact at Le Havre.
Bernard McKenzie, June 22, 1945
Can Le Havre ever be a great city (again)? The used stone should be a prosperous business.
Bernard McKenzie, June 22, 1945
First Glimpses of a Devastated Le Havre
Tag: destruction
Pray for Le Havre
Think about communication and getting your hand on news in the World War 2 era. Cables. Wires. Telegrams. News reels. First word of events that changed the course of world history were first discovered by everybody in 72 point type in newspaper headlines. Seeing the devastation in these photographs of Le Havre 73 years later, the utter horror of World War 2 is shocking. To the people who lived here, they must have thought humanity was ending.
A view from Camp Home Run looking out to the ocean.
Bernard McKenzie, Le Havre, France, June 25, 1945
Le Havre & the Harbor.
Bernard McKenzie, June 25, 1945
A limited view of Le Havre from the distant point at Camp Home Run.
Bernard McKenzie, June 25, 1945
More ruins of Le Havre.
Bernard McKenzie, June 25, 1945
Remnants of a War, Le Havre
Le Havre was just coming back to life after being destroyed for its location as a gateway to the European theater in World War 2. Le Havre took a major hit when the Germans seized control, then suffered utter devastation when the Allies regained the stronghold.
Business “not as usual” in the heart of Le Havre proper.
Bernard McKenzie, June 26, 1945
German forts (pill boxes) at the harbor front. The Jerries at one time were very entrenched here.
Bernard McKenzie, Le Havre, France, June 26, 1945
Our bombers scored here.
Bernard McKenzie, Le Havre, France, June 26, 1945
Home was never like this. Thank God.
Bernard McKenzie, Le Havre, France, June 26, 1945
The “Ghost City” of Le Havre, France.
Bernard McKenzie, June 26, 1945
US Army’s Advanced Rating Score
For US soldiers in mid 1945 the long journey to the French coast must have been fraught with a mixture of haunting memories, national pride, and both angst and excitement about returning home. To help organize the mass exodus from the European continent, the US Army created an Advanced Rating Score to help make sense and order of the process needed to return nearly 2 millions GI’s home. When they finally arrived at their exodus point (in the case of my father Bernard McKenzie it was Camp Home Run just outside Le Havre, France) they were met everywhere by destruction and even more waiting, with some stuck for up to a year waiting for their name to be called to board a ship home.
On a high cliff overlooking the remains of Le Havre. The harbor and a lone ship in the distance.
Bernard McKenzie, June 26, 1945
From atop the high fort and looking out to the ocean. Le Havre.
Bernard McKenzie, June 26, 1945
This sector and this only received only a limited amount of bombs. The bombed area is in the background.
Bernard McKenzie, June 26, 1945
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