It is now almost 74 years since the Allies landed on the Normandy coast to help fight of the enemy on the 6th June 1944. On the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, photographer Chris Helgren came up with the idea of comparing the beaches as they were on D-Day with photos of the same locations nowadays, crowded with tourists having fun in the sun. The contrast between the carefree holiday-makers and the hardship of war is particularly striking. These photos pay homage to the brave men who contributed to bringing World War II to and end.
1/ Although the direction is the same, their destinations are very different
2/ Soldiers on guard are replaced by sunbathers with light holiday reading
3/ A climb with very different goals in mind
4/ This young woman certainly won’t have the same memories of this coastline
5/ Nature reclaims her territory: the blockhouse walls protecting the soldiers are now buried under reeds and the feet of happy children
6/ Bullets replaced with footballs…
