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The Battle of Montcornet

Colonel Charles de Gaulle beside French President Albert Lebrun on a visit to Goetzenbruck, 23 October 1939. © ECPAD

After crossing the Ardennes, General Guderian’s XIX Army Corps advanced to the northwest. On 16 May, the German vanguard reached the outskirts of Saint Quentin.

General Touchon’s 6th Army was tasked with establishing a defensive front on the Aisne. Stalling operations were needed in order to achieve this, so a number of units were sent forward.

8 May 1945 - 8 May 2020: the pen of surrender

The act of German surrender of 7 May 1945

The UN French Battalion in Korea

70th anniversary of the Korean War

National commemorative day of 8 May 1945

Relive the VE Day ceremony of 8 May 2020

The keys to the map room where the first German act of surrender was signed

A model boat made by a Natzweiler-Struthof deportee

Bibliography

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How to commemorate?

Festliche Preisverleihung „Erben der Erinnerung“, Pantheon, Paris, 23. Mai 2019 ©Arnaud KARAGHEZIAN/ECPAD/Défense

Commemorations, which seem to have grown in number and scope in recent years, are sometimes criticised for being ossified and repetitive in nature. Yet they are evolving considerably today, putting spectators in the role of protagonists of the commemorations and drawing on every discipline, from the arts to sport, to pass on memory. The challenge for remembrance actions, whether those organised by the State or its public or private partners, at national or local level, lies in coming up with new commemorative practices, combined with prior educational outreach work: explaining the meaning of the commemorations to ensure the adherence of the general public, and in particular young people. Performances, concerts, historical re-enactments and digital devices are so many ways of innovating in commemorations, primarily aimed at a younger generation looking for roots, meaning and future.

Who to commemorate with?

Feier zum 70. Jahrestag der Kämpfe der Glières, 6. April 2014. © Grégory Yetchmeniza/Le Dauphine/MAXPPP

Commemorations give rise to unique gatherings of people who come together in the same spirit to remember a glorious or painful past, pay tribute to soldiers’ bravery or honour the memory of those who died. Highly ritualised, official ceremonies are structured around the presence of civilian and military officials and follow a strict protocol. But at national or regional level, during preparations and on the day of the ceremony, different groups come together to offer citizens a time of national cohesion and passing on of memory. Witnesses and protagonists of history, military units, young people, former allies and adversaries, families of victims: all have their own particular place, almost a role to play, in commemorations. This section aims to show how all of these people are remembrance protagonists in their own right.

Where to commemorate?

Gedenkfeier am 18. Juni 2019 beim Mémorial de la France combattante – Mont-Valérien, Gedenkstätte für das nationale Gedächtnis. © Soazig de la Moissonnière/Présidence de la République

France has a rich remembrance heritage, inherited from a history of contemporary conflicts that have been played out primarily within its borders. Today, war memorials, most certainly the oldest remembrance sites, museums, monuments and steles, national cemeteries and Major National Remembrance Sites trace a geography of combatant memory. The cornerstone of remembrance policy, this heritage plays a crucial role in commemorations. Indeed, remembrance sites do not always speak for themselves. “In situ commemorations” provide an opportunity to assemble veterans, officials and representatives of the younger generation, in one place, for shared contemplation. In the case of remains that have disappeared or sites where more than one event is remembered, the protagonists of remembrance are faced with a challenge: to give meaning to remembrance sites and landscapes, and make them places of innovation that offer a new approach to remembrance.

“Heirs of Remembrance”: 5th edition

Memorial to the Martyrs of Deportation

Commemorating through sport

Two youngsters take the kick-off at Top 14 match, alongside General Charpentier, military governor of Paris, 30 November 2014. © Ligue Île-de-France de Rugby

For the First World War centenary, Jean-Louis Biasin, chairman of the Paris Departmental Rugby Committee, and Peter Macnaughton, deputy chairman of the Île-de-France Rugby League, made the Tournoi des Capitales a focus of remembrance, to raise awareness among young players about the shared memory of France and its former allies and adversaries.

Commemoration as performance

The two world wars remain the biggest tragedies of the 20th century, and they are also an inexhaustible source of inspiration to keep history alive and pass it on more effectively. In recent years, historical re-enactments have seen an increasing following, with participants and spectators seeking to “act out” or “witness” history, from a commemorative perspective.

Commemorating through music

National tribute to the victims of Albacete, 3 February 2015.

Colonel Claude Kesmaecker has been director of French air force band the Musique de l’Air for the past 15 years. Made up entirely of professional musicians, the Musique de l’Air embodies the prestige and excellence of air force values. It takes part in the military ceremonial and also performs across France and overseas.

Online remembrance practices

Rencontres du Web 14-18 web event held on 17 March 2017 by the Mission du Centenaire. Here, Martine Aubry, a research engineer at Lille 3 University, presents the online database of war memorials. © Richard Holding

For the First World War centenary, the internet came into its own as a tool for disseminating the memory of the 1914-18 conflict. It also became a means by which the State and history enthusiasts could play a part in the commemorations. Already possessing a cultural, educational and scientific identity, the centenary soon gained its own digital identity.

The place of families

The family of Private Henri Poiget visits his grave in the French military cemetery in Bitola, Macedonia, for the first time. © Stéphanie Trouillard

More and more French people are reconnecting with their family history. The First World War centenary and the 75th anniversary of Liberation put them at the heart of the commemorations. In cemeteries or at ceremonies, these enthusiasts are going in search of their past. That task is made easier by the latest digital resources, enabling them to reconstruct the story of a forebear, and also to break the silence.

Commemorating overseas

Cérémonie du centenaire de l’Armistice de la Grande Guerre, 11 novembre 2018, cimetière de Gulele, Addis Abeba, Éthiopie.

First World War Armistice centenary ceremony, 11 November 2018, Gulele Cemetery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia © Ambassade de France en Éthiopie

Colonel Stéphane Richou was defence attaché in Ethiopia until summer 2020. In that role, besides protecting and developing French defence interests, he organised a large number of commemorative actions to stimulate the two countries’ shared remembrance.

The place of school pupils

Primary-school pupils take part in the “Heirs of Remembrance” award ceremony, 23 May 2019, at the Pantheon, Paris. © Arnaud Karaghezian/ECPAD/Défense

The major commemorative cycles provided an opportunity to see just how heavily teachers and students have become involved in remembrance activities. Aware of that involvement, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, working closely with education and agricultural training services, endeavours to offer them the means and resources they need to develop learning initiatives focusing on remembrance.