France’s Provence Delivered 70 years ago

August 15 1944, Allies delivered Provence

August 15 1944, Allies delivered Provence

August 15, 2014

Seventy years ago, the liberating Allied forces invaded France from the Mediterranean Sea and delivered Provence from the Nazis.  The French news featured an amazing spectacle of remembrance involving a flotilla of battle ships and an Allied airshow.  Hosted by the president of the Republic of France, Francois Hollande, the historic event was attended by European, British and North African leaders, who watched an impressive fly-past with streets of Provence featuring re-enactments of the joyous scenes of deliverance between French and American troops and locals.

My French father-in-law was part of that wonderful event. He had been in a prisoner of war camp in Switzerland and escaped to join up with the liberating Army of French, American and British soldiers. More than one million men were involved.  Here is an historic photograph of that magic moment when the allies arrived in Provence and Olivier always believed his father took this photograph.  But, I was the one who framed the large photograph and now it hangs in Olivier’s study together with two other historic photographs. One is of the Normandy invasion and the other is of Charles de Gaulle walking the streets of Paris once more having taken back the city from the Nazis, who thankfully did not bomb the city as Hitler had decreed.

These three photographs capture the modern history of France and today we need to remember and be grateful for the human sacrifice of thousands of young men, who restored France to the French 70 years ago for us to enjoy as tourists today.

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