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First issue printed in France in World War II...



Item # 701765

July 04, 1944

THE STARS AND STRIPES - CONTINENTAL EDITION, July 4, 1944, "Printed Somewhere in France" as noted in the masthead. This is the volume 1, number 1 issue of this edition, keeping in mind that the Allied forces had just landed on Normandy less than a month prior. And the liberation of Paris would not happen for another 1 1/2 months.
During World War II, Stars and Stripes published at as many as 25 publishing locations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific. This is the first printed in France after the D-Day invasion.
Relating to this is a front page article: "We Go to Press In France" which notes in part: "History repeats itself. The Stars & Stripes, first conceived in Paris during World War I, is with this edition reborn in France...At first we can offer you little more than a news sheet, for our plant & its equipment still carry the scars of recent battle [explaining this being a single sheet issue]...our pledge to provide a daily newspaper service for the American Forces in France."
Complete as a single sheet issue, very nice condition.

Item from our most recent catalog - #358, released for September, 2025

Category: World War II