French troops at the front (1940)

View of the German cargo ship Rostock captured by the French ship Elan on February 10, 1940. French sailors on board the captured ship.

Faces of officers.

Opening the holds of the cargo ship.

French sailors descend into the hold for inspection.

Engine telegraph of the cargo ship.

An officer and a sailor descend the ladder from the upper deck.

Lowering the German flag from the mast.

Face of a French sailor.

Raising the French flag on the mast of the cargo ship.

View of a part of a French military transport aircraft.

Loading propaganda leaflets onto the aircraft.

An officer places leaflets in a special container for scattering over enemy positions.

Securing the container with leaflets under the bottom of the aircraft.

Starting the aircraft engine.

The crew clarifies the route on the map.

View of the tail of the aircraft.

The crew boards the aircraft.

The mechanic removes the brake pads.

The aircraft begins to taxi to the runway.

The plane takes off.

The crew members in the cockpit.

The navigator plots the course.

The dropped leaflets fly through the air.

The crew are in their places.

The plane lands after returning to the airfield.

The artillerymen run to the guns at the firing position on alarm.

The gun crew removes camouflage.

Preparing ammunition for firing.

The crew takes their places at the gun.

The soldiers bring the powder charge.

The breech block checks the gun breech.

The gunner adjusts the gun panorama.

Loading the gun.

The crew members working at the gun firing.

The gun barrel during the shot.

The overheated gun barrel smokes.

An armored cap on the Maginot Line.

An observer watches the enemy through binoculars.

View of fortifications on the river bank.

A stuffed German soldier suspended on poles.

Officers climb to the observation post.

Inspection of damage to walls and communications after enemy shelling.

Traces of shell fragments hit.

A soldier observes enemy positions through a periscope.

Panorama of one of the sections of the German positions on the opposite bank of the river.

The soldier continues to observe.

View of a German permanent fire point (pillbox).

An officer gives orders to his subordinates.

View of one of the pillboxes on the Maginot Line.

Fortifications on the Maginot Line.

Soldiers carry boxes of ammunition into one of the bunkers.

Ammunition being transported along rails into the gun casemates.

An ammunition depot in one of the casemates.

Interior view of the mechanisms and rotation platform of a fortress gun.

Ammunition cassette.

The gunner stands at the gun aiming mechanisms.

Gun aiming.

View of the cooking shop in the underground kitchen.

The cook stirs the cauldron with a ladle.

Cooking food for personnel.

Issuing pots of food to the officer on duty at the canteen.

Soldiers during lunch in the underground canteen.

The face of a soldier smoking a cigarette.

A soldier listens to the radio.

A French military unit lined up on the square of one of the settlements.

A general walks along the line.

A view of a part of the square.

The general presents an award to the unit commander.

The soldiers hold their weapons in the "on guard" position.

The general congratulates the unit commander and kisses him three times.

Presentation of awards to distinguished soldiers.

Faces of the awarded soldiers.

The general reads out the award order in front of the line.

The general presents an award to a young man in civilian clothes.

The face of the awarded young man.

Soldiers stand in line.

The general congratulates the young man.

The general presents an award to one of the soldiers.

The general congratulates the awarded man.

The face of the awarded soldier.

The soldier talks to the young man.

A woman in mourning congratulates the young man.

The general thanks the woman and shakes her hand.

After the end of the award ceremony, the soldiers march in parade formation along the city street.

Soldiers march along the street.