I wonder if the POWs are in fact members of the Polish Army.Many of the Polish armed forces were able to escape from Poland and made their way the France via Romania and reformed under General Sikorski. The Polish Army fought alongside the French and BEF. Elements were evacuated from Dunkirk to England where as a nucleus,the Polish Army was reformed again under Sikorski.
Baffled. That's where I am, Andy ! It does look like a British forward-control cab but full doors are not usual on WD vehicles for 1940 and that doesn't look like a driven front hub to me (so no later-war 4x4 like an Austin K5). I'm not even sure that it's a British hub. Mudguard clearance looks large for a civilian impressed vehicle and the flat-bottomed door with no window quarter-lights doesn't fit with anything that I can think of. The uniforms look a bit shiny...could they be Dutch ?
Interesting theory Harry. After googling for photos I came across these: Search Our Collections | Imperial War Museums The uniforms do look like they might match the ones in the original photo.
Certainly look like Russian uniforms. Russians did wear a kind of putty which was considered healthy for the feet. More like a stocking when wrapped around foot and leg. If France the could they be prisoners from Operation Barbarossa and transported to be France for working on the Atlantic wall? Just thinking out loud. Regards Tom
Interesting IWM photographs of the Polish Army in France during 1939 and 1940. Apparently the Polish Army had two main bases,both in Western France.One at Coetguidan ((Morbihan) and one at Parthenay (Deux Sevres) Coetguidan was and still is a large military base and the home since 1940 of France's military Academy,St Cyr.The Polish Army are shown as based also at Comblessac which is a few miles south of Coetguidan and must have been a satellite camp from the main camp. From the photographs,it looks as the Polish Army was deployed at Villefranche sur Saone (Rhone) south of the Burgundy region and Autun in the Saone et Loire department. Incidentally a good museum apparently reported at Coetguidan St Cyr....paid a visit there a few years ago but got there before the Autumn opening time and had to push on for our travelling schedule.
Harry There is also another memorial to Polish troops in Brittany, namely Malestroit, Morbihan Malestroit — Wikipédia Podhale Autonomous Brigade of Hunters This brigade was set up in France, in Malestroit , There is a monument/memorial to them on the sports ground, adjacent to the fire station TD
I wonder if this is from the same set as our mystery "Russian" photo? Being advertised as "Polish soldiers endless march" https://flic.kr/p/W2LfxJ
The second photo appears to be taken in Calais......if you compare it with the one at post #16 of this thread it is the same picture, but looks like its been cropped and printed backwards given the captions on the vehicle in the left background.
Drew, Im sorry the photo was on display in one of the museums when I went to Dunkirk awhile ago but I know there was an identical one for sale on DELCAMPE during the week? Kiwi REd One ,I never noticed it was around the wrong way I have corrected it and re-posted it,but it was displayed like that in France. I`m not sure which museum because I`m simply clearing my photobucket account and re-discovering some images Edit ; Attached a few more above Kyle
This came from a nagative that i have. French pows Might be a tank unit, some have 32 on there collar ? Keith
The guard on the improvised trestles is horrible sinister. A foretaste of things to come. I had to 'Google' Spidoléine...Motor oil apparently. One of my great regrets is that I'm not rich enough to collect pre-war enamel advertising signs.