This incredibly moving snapshot from my WWII collection captures a wide range of emotions. The only identification I have for the photo is that it was taken in a town/village/city named Poules during the tail end of the war. A US GI followed a joyous parade of French citizens and Free French (FFI) underground soldiers as they proudly walk down the streets of their newly liberated city. It’s a photo that speaks volumes.

After nearly four years of German occupation, a contingent of the French population were eager to fight back against the oppressive rule of their German visitors. In this post’s main photo we see a young, attractive female underground soldier causally smoking a cigarette, toting German “potato masher” stick grenades while holding a captured German rifle and briefcase. To her left we see a group of young French women who have been publicly shamed. Their shaved heads were shaped to show a swastika. A joyous moment for the FFI, yet a horrible moment for the women who were caught up in the frenzy of the German occupation. This photo has never been digitized for display on the web. You’re the first to see it!

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