After The Battle #141 'The Ob-West HQ At Saint- German-En-Laye' (2008)
 
For nearly 50 years, After the Battle has been presenting the history of the world's conflicts through 'then and now' comparison photographs. From the Zulu Wars through the First and Second World Wars to the Falklands, all are researched on the actual battlefields to show how they appear today.
 
The quarterly magazine concentrates on the Second World War, with comparison photographs adding a new dimension to recent history. In addition to major battles, local actions are explored, and other features include the recovery of aircraft and vehicles on land and at sea, the making of war films, and the preservation of military artifacts.
 
Jean Paul Pallud tells how, after seven months of ‘Phoney War’, the Wehrmacht launched its attack in the West on May 10, 1940 and within six weeks the Netherlands, Belgium and France had been defeated, as had the British Expeditionary Force. The Armistice with France was signed on June 22 and hostilities ceased three days later. Of the three army groups that had fought and won the swift campaign, Heeresgruppe A was designated to remain in the West and Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt and his staff soon established themselves at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just west of Paris.
 
RAF Target Mapping Centre at Hughenden Manor Hughenden Manor, well known as the residence of Victorian politician Benjamin Disraeli, was in the Second World War home of the top – secret RAF target mapping centre known as ‘Hillside’. Employing a motley team of talented mapmakers, it was here, in the quiet scenery of the Chiltern Hills, that all the target maps for Allied bombing missions were produced.
 
The Discovery of HMAS Sydney – On November 19, 1941, the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney – the pride and fame of the Royal Australian Navy – sank with all hands after a short but sharp naval battle with the German raider Kormoran in the ocean off Western Australia. The ship and her entire crew of 645 men seemed to have disappeared without a trace. It was Australia’s worst naval disaster, which left bereaved families across the nation. Karel Margry tells us the tragic story
 
Single magazine in Fair to Good Condition