War and Liberation in France: Living with the Liberation

237 Pages·2004·1.79 MB·English

by  Hilary Footitt

War and Liberation
in France
Living with the Liberators
Hilary Footitt
War and Liberation in France: Living with the Liberators
Also by Hilary Footitt
WOMEN, EUROPE AND THE NEW LANGUAGES OF POLITICS
FRANCE, 1943–45: The Politics of Liberation (with John Simmonds)
War and Liberation
in France
Living with the Liberators
Hilary Footitt
© Hilary Footitt 2004
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified
as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2004 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 1–4039–0284–4
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Footitt, Hilary.
War and liberation in France : living with the liberators / Hilary Footitt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–4039–0284–4 (alk. paper)
1. World War, 1939–1945—France. 2. World War, 1939–1945—
Social aspects—France. 3. France—Social conditions—20th century.
4. France—History—German occupation, 1940–1945. 5. France—
History—1945–1958. I. Title.
D761.F66 2004
940.53′44—dc22 2003062672
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne
Contents
List of Maps vi
List of Figures vii
Acknowledgements ix
List of Abbreviations x
Introduction 1
1 Welcoming the Liberators 10
2 Liberation on the Move: Normandy 37
3 Meeting Private Ryan: Cherbourg 66
4 The politics of disappointment: Liberation in the South 95
5 Removing Inflammable Material: The Pyrénées-Orientales 122
6 The Long Goodbye: Reims 147
7 Liberated and Liberators 175
Notes 193
Bibliography 213
Index 217
v
List of Maps*
1 Map of case study areas 7
2 Map of the ‘D’ Day Landings 38
3 Map of North Normandy 41
4 Map of La Manche 67
5 Map of the Landing area in the South 96
6 Map of the Pyrénées-Orientales 123
7 Map of the Reims area 149
*Maps by Tim Absalom
vi
List of Figures
2.1 Normandy: Caen cathedral shelters homeless
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: B8086 (SF19F) 47
2.2 French refugees fed by Civil Affairs
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: B5305 (SF11) 56
3.1 French rebuild homes in Cherbourg. French civilians
clear out the rubble to start rebuilding a home in
Cherbourg after the Germans surrendered the city
to American forces, 27 June 1944
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: EA 28019 (SF35C) 69
3.2 First edition of Cherbourg paper. David Yon, editor
of La Presse Cherbourgeoise, and members of his staff
proudly inspect a copy of the first newspaper published
in Cherbourg after its Liberation. At left is Captain
Fernand Auberjondois of the PW Division of the AEF
in France, who started the press running. Holding
the paper, at right, is Captain Patrick Dolan of
New York City, Cherbourg head of the PW Division,
which assisted the Frenchmen in publishing the paper
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: OWIL 29711 (SF35a) 79
3.3 Allied supplies in Cherbourg. US soldiers transfer
supplies and material to trucks which will carry
them to a depot for shipment to the AEF. Loaded
from ships lying in Cherbourg harbour, the cargo
comes ashore by rolling up a ramp to the docks
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: PNA OWIL 4605A (SF 35F) 83
4.1 Marseille in victory parade. Marseille residents burn
German propaganda in victory parade
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: NYP 39433 (SFA8) 99
4.2 French patriots decorated by US Commander
in Southern France. Lt-General Patch, Commander
vii
viii List of Figures
of the Allied 7th Army in southern France, decorates
members of the FFI for their courage in the battle
for St Tropez
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: NYF 38946 (SFA7) 109
6.1 Reims cathedral in Liberation. Reims residents throng
in front of the city’s famous cathedral, as they welcome
US troops who liberated the town, 31 August 1944.
Children and adults may be seen swarming over
an American jeep in the foreground
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: EA 36202 (SF11 A) 148
6.2 American soldier in Reims. An American soldier rests
in a street of Reims, while people and children laugh
and chat with him
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum,
London: Keystone 482851 (SF11) 151
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been written without the help of numerous
archivists and librarians in Cambridge, London, Washington, Paris, Caen,
Cherbourg, Marseille, Perpignan and Reims. The Harold Hyam Wingate
Foundation kindly gave me a scholarship to support travel costs associ-
ated with the project, and I am grateful to them. I acknowledge, with
thanks, permission from the Imperial War Museum, London, to quote
from their archives.
A great deal of what I have learnt about being a historian has come
from working on earlier projects with Don Simmonds. I owe a particular
debt of gratitude to Douglas Johnson, Roderick Kedward, Siân Reynolds
and Bill Kidd, all of whom have shown consistent interest in this project
over several years.
Lena and Martin Powell have kept me going, and encouraged me
warmly throughout. This book has been an obsession for over three
years. Richard Footitt shared the travelling and the obsession, and I am
profoundly grateful to him.
Cambridge HILARY FOOTITT
ix