Main road looking north
Looking north along the main road through Belchite, it is obvious in this view that although the buildings have suffered massive damage, a considerable amount of structural timber remains in place. The presence of the timber is a good indicator that there was relatively little fire damage in the town. This is not too surprising given that it had a both a garrison and civilian inhabitants. In Belchite the troops were available to put the fires out, unlike Oradour-sur-Glane, where they started the fires in the first instance.
© Michael Williams: July 2003 ... revised February 2004