A two story home with an ambulance parked in front. It could have been used for sleeping quarters, command post or possibly a aid station. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II. 

A burned-out enemy tank. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A downed enemy bomber. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A group of soldiers taking a break. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A mountain view with high peak in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A large banner welcomes American troops to Reims, France. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A burned out factory or possibly an aircraft hanger. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Shown is the Cathedral of Reims, which is a Roman Catholic church with the original building being built in about 401 A.D. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A bell tower in France. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A busy street lined with pedestrians begins to normalized after German occupation has ended. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Shown is Captain Robert O. Williams who was Headquarters Company Commander and hailed from Utica, New York. He is shown in a few of these photos which originally belonged to Major Nash O. Thompson. They would have spent quite a bit of time together and probably became good friends. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Another photo of Cpt. Robert O. Williams, HQ Co. Commander. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A bit hard to identify but it looks like a damaged bridge. Most of the bridges were destroyed, either by Allied troops trying to slow German progress or by German troops try to slow down Allied troops during their retreat. Ultimately the bridges needed to be rebuilt temporarily and later permanently to permit the moving of troops, equipment and supplies. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A wider view of the bell tower, which looks to be part of a small church or possibly a school. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A fire station located in Cherbois or Reims, France. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A French policeman standing in the street. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

An abandoned fuel truck has been stripped of anything useful. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A view of more abandoned fuel trailers. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A beautiful valley and mountain scene. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A busy street in front of the Gare de l'Est train station in Paris. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II. 

Another beautiful landscape photo featuring some of the mountains in the area. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Major Nash O. Thompson stands in back row, far left, with a few of the men of the unit. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Major Thompson takes a close look at a downed German plane. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Major Nash O. Thompson presents himself to the Commanding Officer. This was probably some type of award ceremony. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

An arched doorway frames the view of a castle or fortress in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Nash O. Thompson is shown, at right, with Col. Leslie E. Jacoby who took command of the unit in June of 1943. He was from Ohio and was a West Point Graduate. He was awarded the Silver Star in WWII and the Legion of Merit during the Korean War. He died in 1973 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Nash O. Thompson sits with a soldier identified as Cpt. Robert O. Williams but I am not sure if that I.D. is correct. This particular soldier looks to have a medical collar emblem so he may be one of the two dentists from the unit, Cpt. Charles A. Kozlowski or Cpt. John W. Makeig. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Another look at the remains of a German plane. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

An impressive look down into a valley between mountain ranges. You can see quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Tree covered mountain tops shown in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A photo from aboard ship shows a plane in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A view of a French village and countryside. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Another photo from above a French village with a river in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A destroyed home with bomb crater in the foreground. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A few of the 5th TD Group soldiers receiving medals. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A cobblestone street in what looks to be a major French city. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A few soldiers on a back street. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A view of a a tree-lined town street and open square. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Another photo of a French street. A large single church spier can be see in the distance. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A couple of soldiers stop their conversation for a photo. Courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Cpt. Robert O. Williams and Nash O. Thompson pose for a photo. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Nash O. Thompson takes a moment for a snack. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A third photo of the downed German plane. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Another view of the French town with river. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Watching some of the water activities. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

A woman walks on a back street. Photo courtesy of Nash O. Thompson II.

Col. Clinton S. Berrien would briefly become the third commander of the 5th TD Group in late 1942. He was replaced by Lt. Col. Joseph K. Gibson, who took over on May 14, 1943. Berrien was born on July 21, 1897 and died on January 25, 1973, at the age of 75. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 4460-A. Photo provided courtesy of the MCoE (Maneuver Center Of Excellence) Museum Division Archives, Armor Branch.