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Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de Picardie

Résultat de la volonté de résistants de transmettre aux jeunes générations l’histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation de Picardie et les idéaux pour lesquels les résistants s’étaient battus, un musée a été inauguré en 1986 dans l’Aisne à Tergnier.

L’initiative de la création revient à M.Etienne DROMAS, capitaine FFI du groupement B et président des Combattants Volontaires de la Résistance.

Consulter l'offre pédagogique du musée >>>

La Picardie est une région fortement touchée par les deux guerres mondiales.

Région stratégique, lieu de passage entre le nord de l'Europe et Paris, la Picardie se trouve partagée entre la zone interdite et la zone occupée. La présence de l'occupant est durement ressentie. Des hommes et des femmes vont peu à peu réagir. "L'armée de l'ombre" se construit.

Le département de l'Aisne a sur son territoire un musée consacré à l'histoire des résistants et des déportés. Un musée voulu par des résistants dont Etienne Dromas, qui a trouvé sa place dans la commune associée de Tergnier, Fargniers.

Vous êtes invités à découvrir ce musée unique en Picardie, implanté sur une place classée monument historique.

L’histoire du lieu

Après avoir trouvé à Tergnier un bâtiment pouvant l’accueillir, le conseil général de l’Aisne vote la somme nécessaire à sa rénovation. L’office départemental de tourisme, avec à sa tête Maurice Bruaux, apporte son aide et son concours. Le premier aménagement se fait grâce à la mobilisation des résistants qui assurent son fonctionnement pendant de nombreuses années.

À voir

Le premier espace permet de découvrir et de comprendre l’histoire de la période allant de l’arrivée d’Hitler au pouvoir jusqu’à l’intervention du maréchal Pétain le 17 juin 1940, suivent des espaces consacrés à l’appel du 18 juin, la naissance de la Résistance et son action, la vie quotidienne sous l’Occupation, la répression et la Déportation. Un espace est également consacré au bureau des opérations aériennes et aux parachutages, aux forces françaises libres dans le monde, au Débarquement et à la Libération. De nombreux objets et matériels viennent compléter l’exposition permanente : un Beechcraft C.45, une locomotive, un wagon ayant servi à la déportation… En octobre 2005, 300 mètres carrés se sont ajoutés à la salle d’exposition permanente. Cet espace polyvalent met à disposition du public une salle de réunion, de conférence, d’exposition temporaire et de projection ainsi qu’une médiathèque et un centre documentaire.

Le musée accorde une place toute particulière au public scolaire. Des dossiers pédagogiques ont été élaborés. Des ateliers (analyse de documents, rencontre avec des témoins…) sont développés sur différents thèmes (la vie sous l’Occupation, la Résistance…), et sont animés par les enseignants ou par un intervenant du musée.

Sources : ©Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de Picardie

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Practical information

Address

5 place carnegie FARGNIERS 02700
Tergnier
Téléphone/ 03.23.57.93.77

Prices

Individuels :- adultes : 5€- 18-25 ans : 1€- moins de 18 ans : gratuité.Entrée + visite guidée : 6 € (sur réservation)Groupes (à partir de 10 personnes):- adultes : 5€- scolaires : 2€.

Weekly opening hours

Mardi au samedi de 10h à 12h et de 14h à 18hDimanche après-midi de 14h30 à 18h30

Fermetures annuelles

1 mai1er novembre24 et 25 décembre31 décembre et 1er janvier et tous les lundisOffice de tourisme : place du marché Couvert - 02300 Chauny - Tel : 03.23.52.10.79

Email : museeresistance02@gmail.com

Septfonds internment camp

Septfonds 1939. Républicains espagnols parqués au camp de Judes. Source photo : Carte postale

This camp, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, was a French detention and internment camp for foreigners.

he Septfonds camp was set up in the context of the massive arrival of Spanish Republican refugees starting in January 1939 and the massive exodus of Jewish populations from the East, called the Ostjuden, who fled Hitler’s Germany.

Three years after General Franco had overthrown the republican government in Madrid in a military coup d’état, the fall of Barcelona on 26 January, 1939, sent 300,000 civilians and 200,000 soldiers on the road to exile.

In February, General Ménard, commander of the military region of Toulouse, was appointed to coordinate the implementation of host facilities. In view of reducing the number of camps in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, the decision was taken to open six major centres along the Spanish border to house 100,000 people: Bram (Aude), Le Vernet (Haute-Garonne), Agde (Hérault), Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales), Oloraon (Pays Basque), and Septfonds (decision taken on 26 February).

Louis Boucoiran and several senior officers, including General Noël, commander of the 17^th military region, definitively chose 50 hectares (125 acres) of sheep-grazing land in the Tarn-et-Garonne department.

Mr Olivier, an architect, and Captain Castéla of the corps of engineers, were put in charge of carrying out the overall plan.

Fifty kilometres of fencing (barbed wire, watchtowers and spotlights) were installed by the army; local road No. 10 was made a throughway; local businesses built some forty barracks, an infirmary an a prison.

Over one thousand soldiers were assigned to oversee the site: six mobile guard platoons, one cavalry squadron from the 20^th dragoons, an infantry battalion from the 107^th of Angoulême and a battalion from the 16^th regiment of Senegalese Tirailleurs from the Guibert Barracks in Montauban.

On 5 March, the first convoy arrived at Septfonds; 2,000 men arrived every day to add to the number of prisoners. As the work was not finished, the first Spanish Republicans were temporarily housed at the La Lande camp before moving to their assigned camp, the Judes Camp, on 16 March. 16,000 Spaniards were squeezed into forty-five barracks made of boards covered with corrugated sheet metal.

As was the case at many Spanish refugee camps, the living conditions were very difficult: problems of sanitation and hygiene, food supply problems, and no running water, heating or electricity in the barracks. At least 81 of them died early on, leading to the creation of a cemetery.

And yet a social, cultural and political life took shape inside the camp: committees or cells of Spanish Communist Party militants were set up; others organised artistic activities; the Spanish children went to school in the village.

Teams were assigned to camp maintenance or sent out for community service work (cleaning sewers and restoring riverbanks, in particular); many were recruited by nearby farmers and industries, notably as part of the service units set up in the summer of 1938. One year later, the threat of war led these workers to be put at the disposal of heavy industry and the army; 79 companies of foreign workers including 20,000 Spaniards were at work when war was declared.

The camp was in operation until 1 March 1940, when it was returned to defence activities. Only the 220^th and 221^st Companies were kept there for maintenance.

The camp was used for instructing foreigners who joined the French army; it welcomed some 800 pilots from the Polish army in France. With the war, many German refugees fled the Reich. The Spanish refugee camps were reopened. With the collapse of France in May-June 1940 and the establishment of the Vichy government in July, the Septfonds camp became a demobilisation centre for foreign army volunteers, the “residuals” of the African Light Infantry battalions and the French Foreign Legion, as well as French soldiers considered as “undesirables”.

The law of 27 September 1940 eliminated the foreign worker companies (CTE – companies de travailleurs étrangers) and set up foreign worker groups (GTE – groupements de travailleurs étrangers). Three groups were formed at the Septfonds camp: groups 552 and 533, made up of Spaniards, and group 302 for demobilised foreign army volunteers, mainly made up of Jews.

On 17 November, the Vichy government promulgated a law transferring responsibility for oversight of the camps to the Ministry of the Interior. In January 1941, the camp included an internment centre for foreigners, groups of foreign workers and an annex to the town’s hospital. In February 1941, foreigners considered as non-dangerous were gathered here. Having thus become a housing centre for foreigners “in excess numbers in the national economy”, the Septfonds camp, intended for 2,500 people, took in a new category of internees: officers of the Allied army, including Poles. Then came the foreign communists arrested in the Tarn-et-Garonne department at the end of June 1941, who were also held here.

Threatened with closure in the autumn of 1941, the camp became a regional triage centre for foreigners considered as undesirables or lacking proper documentation and who had been arrested in the department. Progressively, Vichy decided to increase the number of supervised Jewish workers through the transfer of internees from other camps, as well as to create groups made up only of Jews. At Septfonds, it was the 302^nd “Palestinian” Group of foreign workers. By order of the Ministry of the Interior dated 30 June, the internees were evacuated and the camp was closed. Most of the Jews in the department were put under house arrest until it reopened in August of 1942 as part of the system set up to apply the “Final Solution”, which was put in place in all the territories of the Nazi Reich after the Wansee Conference (January 1942).

After the roundup of the Jews in the department, the 84 GTEs in the camp were sent to Auschwitz, via Drancy, from the Caussade train station. The department’s large roundup of 26 August led to 173 arrests, along with those of Réalville and Montech. For the year 1942 overall, 295 Jews transited through Septfonds.

In November, the Free Zone no longer existed. The camp continued to operate: in the spring of 1943, alongside the 70 deportees, there were foreigners who had been forced to enrol in “Obligatory Work” at the Todt organisation’s worksites, as well as Jewish women “with no resources and no jobs” starting in September 1943.

Septfonds was liberated by the French Résistance in the first half of August 1944 during the “Night of Carnival 44 Attack”.

Between August 1944 and May 1945, when the camp was definitively closed, the site was used to detain five hundred people suspected of collaboration in the department. In most cases, the collaboration concerned economic collaboration, such as providing farm food supplies, construction or repair work.

The site was abandoned for thirty years, and brush covered the barracks and cemeteries. Starting in 1970, institutions and associations decided to turn Septfonds into a memorial. Four sectors were adopted: the Spanish cemetery (located two kilometres from the village), the stele erected in memory of the Jews who were deported (Henry Grau Square), the Polish oratory built by the prisoners before their transfer, and the Camp Memorial. The Spanish cemetery was created in 1978. In 1990, a stele was erected on a square in the village of Septfonds in memory of the 295 Jews deported from the internment camp in August 1942. Two years later, an exhibition presenting a historical overview of the camp and its use at different periods was presented while awaiting the opening, in 1995, of an exhibition and documentation hall at the Résistance and Deportation Museum in Montauban, dedicated to the history of the internment camps in south-western France, notably the Septfonds camp. The Polish oratory, built in 1941 on the camp’s access road, has been restored.

In 1996, the “Septfonds Camp Memorial” was set up and a memorial stele was inaugurated. Two years later, historical signs were installed to complete the memorial site.

Septfonds Town Hall

Rue de la République 82240 Septfonds

Tel.: 05.63.64.90.27

Fax: 05.63.64.90.42

E-mail: mairie-septfonds@info82.com

Tarn-et-Garonne Tourist Office

City of Septfonds (82)

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Practical information

Address

82240
Septfonds
Tél. : 05.63.64.90.27 Fax : 05.63.64.90.42

Weekly opening hours

Accessible year-round

Email : mairie-septfonds@info82.com

Museum of the Foreign Legion

View of the museum. Source: Musée de la Légion Étrangère

This is an army museum, or what used to be called a "musée de tradition" (museum of tradition)...

The Musée de la Légion, a private museum for an unusual institution The Musée de la Légion Étrangère is an army museum, or what used to be called a "musée de tradition" (museum of tradition). In the same way that museums in training schools display a range of different arms, so this museum is destined to showcase the very unusual corps that is the legion. It exists thanks to the expertise of the General Commander of the Foreign Legion in matters moral, cultural and tradition concerning his institution. As a public entity, the Musée de la Légion étrangère aims to present the legion's culture to every kind of public, and especially to provide every legionnaire, from committed youth to highest official, with necessary reference points in terms of tradition, training and education. The legion was created more than a century ago and was born of a key idea which remains pertinent today: once a soldier, and especially a foreign soldier, has joined up, he should be given guidance that will lkeep his spirits up in the heat of the battle, especially when he finds himself in new situations where he must take the initiative. The 36 000 legionnaires that have died for France, as well as the 100 000 that have been injured, testify to the fact that a legionnaire sacrifices a lot more than he gains (contrary to the mercenary caricature). The museum, then, aims to remind past, present and future legionnaires of their history, their ideals and their traditions while introducing the public at large to the Foreign Legion through its legend and its historic reality. Conceived of as an internal mirror for legionnaires and a shop window for the public, it is a cohesive memory tool, opening the way towards civil society.

The beginnings of the Musée de la Légion étrangère can be found in minister Boulanger's decision to face up to the morale crisis in the army. Trophy rooms, along with tricolour sentry boxes and Christian names for military barracks, were common at the end of the 19th Century. At the urging of Colonel Wattringue, the First foreign Regiment began building theirs in 1888. In the building that served as a guardroom for the Viénot quarters in Sidi-bel-Abbès, a room was set aside for what Wattringue called the "bric-a-brac of glory". The credit for its opening goes to Colonel Zéni, who, along with four years of work, invested a lot of energy and some of his personal fortune into the completion of the project! The huge room, with its watertight roof, now housed the most spectacular souvenirs: an articulated prosthetic limb belonging to Captain Jean Danjou, who died at the head of the 3rd Company of the first battalion of the Foreign Regiment in Mexico; the eagle from the foreign regiment flag under the Second Empire; the provisional flag made with the corps' personal money in September 1870, when the temporary Executive ordered it; the trophies brought back from the very recent Tonkin campaign. Dahomey and Soudan's African campaigns (to Benin and Mali, respectively), the Madagascar expedition, the long campaign against Bou Amana in the South of Oran, and the entry into Morocco all brought their share of trophies and war spoils. The walls became too small and the rooms overcrowded. A lieutenant named Rolley made a gift of a collection of almost thirty Malagasy assegais.
In 1931, as the sumptuous parties to celebrate the centenary of the Foreign Legion drew near, a second room was created. The "Temple of Heroes" was dedicated to legionnaires, both ranking and non-ranking, who had either fallen on the battlefield or made history in their own lifetime -- General Rollet, amongst others, preferred to emphasize the latter. But the space quickly revealed itself to be insufficient still, since several very prolific artists working in the legion's ranks, encouraged by Colonel Azan. Seargent Sméou, were painting more than sixty works in oil, on canvas or on wood, amongst them the very famous full-length portrait of Captain Danjou, which can still be seen today. At the same time, those at the heart of the Legion were reflecting on the usefulness and the purpose of the trophy room. These discussions led to the creation of Museum of Memory in 1936. It was distinct from the other rooms, and had a much clearer historic function. Lieutenant and future General Adolenko described it in great detail in his first book, "Une Visite aux salles d'honneur et au musée" (A visit to the Trophy Rooms and Museum) (Sidi bel Abbès, 1938, 281p.). A logical route was devised, guiding the visitor -- be he military or civilian -- through the operational rooms. The museum allowed the rooms to maintain their former solemnity, as they now also functioned as trophy rooms in which different ceremonies and military events were held.
At the end of the Second World and Indochinese Wars, the museum became very overcrowded. In 1958, a building housing a trophy room, with an annexe for flags and relics and a huge campaign room, was proposed. It opened in 1961 and lasted less than a year before being abandoned. But the ideas came back when it was time to build the new musée de la Légion étrangère at Aubagne, the legion's new headquarters: the 1958 plans were used as a reference, then adapted to the unique terrain on the northeast side of the army plaza. The building was to have two floors, and the exterior of the first floor would serve as a white backdrop to the Monument for Dead Legionnaires, a little like the "Voie Sacrée" railway. Defence minister Pierre Messmer laid the foundation stone on 30 April, then presided at the inauguration three years later with General Koenig, who, like he, was a former Legionnaire. The Musée de la Légion étrangère, a visit to foreign countries under French rule In this 1960s building, every floor has its own logic. The garden level is a place for reflection and questioning, but it is open to the public on days when there are no official ceremonies. It consists of a trophy room and a crypt. It is in this huge room that a young recruit will get his Legion contract from his first section chief, a ranked foreign lieutenant, in front of the painting of Jean Adolphe Beaucé, student of Ch. Bazin, at the battle at Camerone.
From the moment his military life begins, then, the recruit is faced with a pictorial representation of keeping one's promise - and its ensuing sacrifice. Four months later, he will have completed his initial training and become a legionnaire. He returns to this room, where a former corporal or sergeant gives him some simple reference points: Camerone, the oath, the 19th Century knapsack and the famous "pudding." In a language adapted to the least Francophone amongst the new legionnaires, the Major General of the Foreign Legion -- or the officer serving as his delegate -- congratulates them on successfully completing their training, then brings them into the crypt. Standing to attention before the names of the dead who have fallen on the battlefield, iin front of the articulated hand of Captain Danjou, which is the material symbol of loyalty and sacrifice, the legionnaire walks up to the former flags of foreign regiments. Here, the general reminds him of the sacrifice made by his predecessors, the memory of which the Legion keeps alive. Much later, on the day he retires or at the end of his contract, the legionnaire, no matter his ranking, comes back to the trophy room for a similar ceremony. He collects his thoughts for one last time by this symbol of those who have fallen for France.
In a way, he is reporting to his predecessors . He will visit them again later, usually during the Camerone festivities or while he is on holiday. About 3000 former Legionnaires come back to this locus of memory, this family vault, every year. The campaign room on the upper floor is designed to portray the military history of the Legion through its battles. Here, the visitor is in a less intimate, less symbolic space. He will certainly find objects here, but he'll also find the pedagogical materials expected of a museum: information sheets, explanatory plaques, various educational software. As much as the trophy room is impossible to comprehend without a guide (for groups) or an audio guide (for individuals), the campaign room allows the visitor to follow a chronological path that is accessible to the least historically inclined -- and least Francophone -- amongst them. After being introduced to the tradition of foreigners serving France, from the Genoan crossbowmen of 1346 to the Hohenlohe regiment, dissolved in 1830, the visitor learns about the Foreign Legion from its creation after the law of 9 March 1931 to the present day. Rooms contain artefacts from each relevant historic period: arms, uniform, war spoils, objects of ethnographic interest. Along with these three-dimensional objects is the museum's impressive collection of over a century's worth of art: Benigni, Rousselot, Toussaint, Marin-Gillet known as Marino, and Rosenberg succeeded each other as the museum's pseudo-official painters. More than 400 of their works, mainly watercolour sketches, are featured. The work of the less-famous Jondvedt, Toussaint Yvon, Burda, Kauffmann, Perez y cid and Kwon rounds out the collection. Any discussion of the museum without a mention of its Puyloubier annex: the Musée de l'uniforme légionnaire (Museum of Legionnaire Uniforms). Housed in the Legion's Institute for the sick while the world waited for the "great museum" to be built at Aubagne, this unique collection, which has been curated by Raymond Guyader for almost 40 years, brings together the costumes and accessories of legionnaires form 1831 to our days. Just a small fraction is on show to the public, comprising, amongst other things, 94 uniforms modelled by mannequins, from the original 1831 get up to that worn when the French moved out of Algeria, in1968.
Latest news: an historic centre for Foreign Legion research The Musée de la Légion étrangère will henceforth be directed by a highly ranked officer, preferably a qualified curator, in charge of history and culture at the heart of Foreign Legion headquarters. The museum naturally shares the classic goals of any museum: to conserve, to valorise and to educate, but since September 2004 it has also housed a research centre. The museum's historic documentation centre was created in September 2004 and is twinned with the journal Képi blanc. It aims to make the museum's documentary collection (incorrectly named the "Foreign Legion Archives" in the past), the Legion's historic library and Képi blanc's collections of old photographs available to the public, primarily to university researchers and publishers, with the aim of encouraging the research and teaching of military history relating to the Foreign Legion. Different kinds of sources and more than 5000 works are available to the researcher (within the limits of copyright law). Thematic searches and a computerized inventory are also available, all overseen by an experienced team.
Musée de la Légion Etrangère d'Aubagne Quartier Viénot Route de la Thuillère 13600 Aubagne Tel: 0033 (0)4 42 18 82 41 Contact by post Monsieur le général commandant la Légion étrangère D.H.P.L.E. Quartier Viénot BP38 13998 Marseille Armées Tel: 0033 (0)4 42 18 12 41 email: museelegionetrangere@hotmail.com email: centre-documentaire@comle.terre.defense.gouv.fr Opening Hours Winter (1 October to 31 May): Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday: 10am-noon and 2pm-6pm Summer (1 June to 30 September): Everyday except Monday and Thursday: 10am-noon and 3pm-7pm. Directions West Aubagne Road from Thuilière (RD 44), follow the signs to Eoures Entrance free, onsite parking available Groups by prior arrangement

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Practical information

Address

Route de la Thuillère Quartier Viénot 13600
Aubagne
04 42 18 12 41

Weekly opening hours

Mardi: de 10h à 12h et de 15h à 18h Mercredi: de 10h à 12h et de 15h à 18h Vendredi: de 10h à 12h et de 15h à 18h Samedi: de 10h à 12h et de 15h à 18h Dimanche: de 10h à 12h et de 15h à 18h

Fermetures annuelles

Fermé du 12/03/2012 au mois de mars 2013 pour cause de rénovation.

Marshal Foch’s Birthplace

Plaque displayed on the façade. Source: Creative Commons Attribution licence

In the heart of the historic centre of Tarbes, near the cathedral of Notre Dame de la Sède, stands the house in which Marshal Foch was born.

This fine property, built in the typical Bigorre style, is located in the heart of Tarbes’ old town, near the cathedral, and contains the personal belongings of Foch and his family.

Since the end of the First World War, a plaque has reminded passers-by that the Supreme Allied Commander was born here.

A listed building since 1938, the house was made into a museum in 1951.

On 1 March 2008, ownership of the property was transferred from the French State to the City of Tarbes.

A typical 18th-century Bigorre house, it is of particular architectural interest, with its balustered exterior gallery with pelmets and marble-framed windows. Inside is a fine staircase in carved wood, imitating 17th-century ironwork.

This intimate setting was where Ferdinand Foch spent the first 12 years of his life. Today, the family home houses the personal belongings and mementos of Foch the officer. Portraits depict the military man who was made a Marshal of France, a British Field Marshal and a Marshal of Poland.

The collection consists of personal belongings of Foch and his family, which chart both his personal journey and his public life as a Marshal of France. One room is devoted to the gratitude of the Allied countries.

A graduate of the École Polytechnique, a trained artilleryman and a teacher of tactics of warfare, Foch is remembered as one of the great figures of the First World War, who led the Allies to victory. Marshal Foch died on 20 March 1929 in Paris, leaving behind the memory of international gratitude.

Maison Natale du Maréchal Foch
2, rue de la Victoire - 65000 Tarbes
Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 93 19 02
Email: musee@mairie-tarbes.fr

Tarbes City Council

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Practical information

Address

2 rue de la Victoire - 65000
Tarbes
Tel : 05.62.93.19.02

Prices

Gratuit

Weekly opening hours

Ouvert tous les jours sauf le mardi 09h30 - 12h15 / 14h00 - 17h15

Fermetures annuelles

Fermé le : Mardi

Email : musee@mairie-tarbes

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe. Photos © Frédéric Prochasson - Fotolia.com

There are as many different viewpoints of the Arc de Triomphe, than there are roads starting from Place Etoile...

Short history of the construction In February 1806, Napoleon I orders the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, in order to commemorate the victories of his armies. Finally the emperor decides to built it in Place de l'Etoile. The first stone of the monument is placed on August 15th 1806. The plans of this construction are those of the architect CHALGRIN. In 1870, in occasion to Napoleon's wedding with the archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he will built a trompe-oeuil of wood and painted material. Finished in time for the ceremony, the decoration gives an idea of what the monument will be once completed. CHALGRIN dies in 1810. He is replaced by Louis-Robert GOUST. At the end of the year 1813, the Arc reaches 19 meters height. The events of 1814 questions everything. Under the "Restoration", the works doze. Louis Philippe, who became king in 1830, decides to give life to this project again. The works start again and the Arc de Triomphe, dedicated to the Armies of the Revolution and to the Empire will be completed by the architect Guillaume - Abel BLOUET. The monument will be inaugurated on July 29th 1836.

The Monument The proportion of the Arc de Triomphe are enormous : it measures 49 meters height and exceeds 45 meters width. The arch of the two frontages reaches 20,50 meters of height for a width of 14,50 meters. The transversal frontages are pierced of an arch of 19 meters height on a width of 8,50 meters. The big frieze surrounding the four façades represents the great personalities of the Revolution and the Empire, or furthermore the return of the armies from Italy and Egypt.
The most imposing ornament is without any doubt the one formed by the four colossal groups erected on each pier of the two great façades : - Avenue de Champs Elysées : the Departure of the volunteers (left), still called La Marseillaise, of François RUDE and on the Triumph of the emperor (left) sculpted by Jean-Pierre CORTOT - Avenue de la Grande Armée, the two sculptured alto-rilievo represent the Resistance on the right, and the Peace on the left. On the interior surfaces of the big and small arches, the names of the generals and the great battles of the Revolution and the Empire are engraved. On the ground, near the grave of the unknown soldier, several bronze plaques commemorate important events of the contemporary history : the proclamation of the Republic on September 4th 1870, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France on November 11th 1918 the call to arms on June 18th 1940. It also evocates the memory to the fighters and the resistant fighters of the Second World war, as well as the memory of "the dead for France" in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe means climbing up 284 steps (an elevator gives access to handicapped persons), but it also means to have access to different museum halls and to the terrace. The big hall of the museum, situated under the terrace, exhibits a vast number of documents : engravings, drawings, photographs, models and various original parts of projects (for example the elephant), the construction and the decoration of the Arch, as well as great events, for example the return of Napoleon's I ashes (the 15th of December 1840),Victor HUGO's dead guard (May 29th 1885), the march of the Victory (on July 14th 1919), the arrival of the unknown soldier (January 28th 1921), the homage to General de Gaulle on the grave of the unknown soldier in a released capital (August 26th 1944). The terrace allows/gives a splendid view of Paris, the Champs Elysées, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the Dome des Invalides, and westwards the Arche de la Défense.
The Unknown Soldier The armistice, which puts an end to the First World war, is signed on November 11th 1918 in Rethondes (near Compiègne in Oise). Nevertheless the joy of the victory is plunged into mourning of 1 500 000 victims, for the majority very young. Soon in the small villages as well as in the big cities, monuments in memory of all the dead will be raised and in companies, in high schools and colleges commemorative plaques are carried out. On November 20th 1916, whereas the terrible Verdun battle is in the mind of everyone, F SIMON, President of the French Memory, has the idea to honour a soldier in the Panthéon, who like many others fought and died bravely for his fatherland. The project is finally adopted by the deputies on November 12th 1919. One year after, at the beginning of the month of November, the Parliament decides that the remainders of one of the unidentified soldiers, died during the war on the Field of Honour, will be buried under the Arc de Triomphe. Eight bodies of unidentified French soldiers, chosen among the different front sectors, are then transported in the Verdun citadel. November 10th 1920 at 3 p.m. the soldier Auguste THIN, son of a fighter, who died himself in the war, indicates by depositing a bunch of flowers on one of the coffins which will be carried to Paris. On November 1920, in the morning, after a ceremony at the Panthéon, the coffin is deposited in one of the halls of the Arc de Triomphe, arranged in a chapel of rest. On January 28th 1921, the coffin of the Unknown Soldier is buried in the centre of the principal arch, facing the Champs Elysées.
The Symbol of the flame Following the suggestion made early in 1921 by sculptor Gregory Calvet, then in October 1923 by the writer Gabriel BOISSY, the sacred flame under the Arc de Triomphe was lit for the first time November 11, 1923 to 18 hours by Andre Maginot, minister of war, while troops of the 5th RI presented arms as the band played Chopin's Funeral March." Since that date the flame was never extinct. Every evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association of Veterans or associations, whose good citizenship is recognized (such as the Red Cross). This ceremonial never stopped, not even during the occupation between 1940 and 1944. Obviously the Parisian high-school pupil and student, turn toward the flame and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, during the processions defying the occupant. The Flame under the Arc de Triomphe evokes also for some people the Flame of the Resistance, of which a certain Charles de Gaulle once used to talk. Nowadays, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Flame of Memory symbolize for all the French, but also for the tourists of the entire world, the sacrifice of all those who died on the battlefield. The Flame of Memory also symbolizes the tribute paid to those who gave their lifes, to make us live in a free country. Lastly, since the tragic days of the occupation, the symbol of the flame found an additional vocation, the one of hope in the future and faith in the destiny of our country.
The ceremony of the revival Since November 11th 1923, each evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association, following a planning established by the Committee of the Flame. A precise ceremonial takes place. Each day, at least two members of the Committee, are appointed to accommodate the Associations and organise the ceremony. The associations meet either at the crossroad Champs Elysées/ Balsac, or at the top of the Champs Elysées, or directly at the Arc the Triomphe, when the participants are not too many. They are then taken under the Arc de Triomphe. At the top, the flower carriers lead the procession, followed by flag holders and the members of the association. They reach their final destination by taking the principal alley of the Champs Elysées. The participants take position on both sides of the Holy Flagstone and the flag holders take place in a circle on the west side of the flagstone. Before the ceremony the Commissioner and the Service Guard set up the flag of "the Flame", the bugle and the drum of the Republican Guard. Lastly the Commissioner of the flame and the different Presidents of the Associations join the Flagstone, they ascent the alley accompanied by the the call "The Flame". he delegations are then invited to lay their wreath, then while placing themselves near the flame, the Commissioner gives the sword to the president, who is invited to make the gesture of the revival. The call "To the Deaths" resounds, the flags are inclined, followed by a minute of silence. When a military melody (or other) is played, the call "to the Death" is followed by the refrain of the Marseillaise. The president is accompanied by the authorities and together they sign the Golden Book, then of a fraternal gesture they greet the flag holders, the Commissioners of the Flame, the members of the Associations and the guests aligned along the Flagstone. Everybody unite at the foot of the tomb and the musicians play the anthem "Honour of the Unknown Soldier". Then they are accompanied by the Commissioner in service, whereas the music plays "the Flame". This ritual is the same even when the General, President of "the Flame under the Arc de Triomphe" is present. The delegations are then invited to sign the Golden Book.
Arc de Triomphe Place de l'étoile 75008 Paris Acces Métro Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (1, 2, 6) RER A Charles de Gaulle-Etoile

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Practical information

Address

place de l'étoile 75008
Paris
01 55 37 73 77

Prices

Plein tarif : 9,50 € Tarif réduit : 6 € Groupe adultes : 7,50 € (à partir de 20 personnes) Groupes scolaires : 30 € (20 € pour les ZEP) ; 35 élèves maximum. Gratuit : Moins de 18 ans (en famille et hors groupes scolaires) 18-25 ans (ressortissants des 27 pays de l’Union Européenne et résidents réguliers non-européens sur le territoire français) Personne handicapée et son accompagnateur Demandeur d’emploi

Weekly opening hours

Du 1er avril au 30 septembre, 10h à 23h Du 1er octobre au 31 mars, 10h à 22h30

Fermetures annuelles

1er janvier, 1er mai, 8 mai (matin), 14 juillet (matin), 11 novembre (matin), 25 décembre

Radar museum - Douvres-la-Délivrande

Douvres-la-Délivrande is the site of a British cemetery with over 2,000 graves and a museum on the history of the radar.

At the end of the Second World War, the radar was in its infancy; however, some models were capable of detecting movements at sea, day and night, at a distance beyond the reach of the human eye.

The occupying forces and the allies stepped up their research into and installation of these “wizard’s ears”.

In Douvres, due to its altitude, a long-range radar was installed in late 1942 as a means to notify the military staff of any attempt to land in the region.

However, as happens each time a weapon of war is invented… a means to neutralise it quickly follows suit. The countermeasure of fog and false echoes were extremely popular during the night of the 5^th of June 1944!

The Radar Museum

The radar station remained an entrenched camp until 17 June (10 days after the liberation of Douvres itself).

Today attached to the Memorial of Caen, the radar station is the only one of its kind on the coast.

Two remarkably preserved bunkers and original displays help visitors to understand the role of radars and their technical development.

A couple of miles from the Juno landing beaches, the German radar station in Douvres, along the Route de Basly, served as an entrenched camp for several days. An advanced surgical unit was set up near a convent in La Délivrande.

The first bodies buried here were soldiers killed on 6 June 1944.

Later, the bodies of soldiers killed between the coast and Caen were buried here.

The British cemetery

At the entrance to the town, on the road from Caen, the entrance to the cemetery is immediately identifiable.

A square pavilion with a peaked roof covered in stone is surrounded by pergolas. In line with the porch, the Cross of Sacrifice stands at the far end of the central walkway. It is erected on a small grassy mound and surrounded by low walls.

The steles are symmetrically placed either side of the central walkway bordered by trimmed yew trees. The German plot with the various stone stele and two-sloped roof stands in the right section of the site. Curiously, the grave of the only Polish soldier is set apart.

Big lime trees and magnolias mainly planted around the edges of the site separate the cemetery from neighbouring houses. The cemetery is enclosed by trimmed hedges of hornbeams or beeches.

Musée Franco-Allemand « Station Radar 44 » Route de Bény – CD83 – 14440 Douvres-la-Délivrande

Tél. : 07.57.48.77.32

Site internet : www.musee-radar.fr - Courriel : contact@musee-radar.fr

Choisissez votre mode de visite :

 en autonomie : en suivant les panneaux

 Avec Audiospot : en téléchargeant une application gratuite qui transforme son propre smartphone en Audioguide

 Visites Commentées (par un guide bénévole) réservation sur le site internet obligatoire

Musée du Radar - Douvres-la-Délivrande. Michel.dehaye@avuedoiseau.com

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Practical information

Address

« Station Radar 44 » Route de Bény – CD83 14440
Douvres-la-Délivrande
07.57.48.77.32

Prices

Indiv. : 6.50€ ; réduit : 5.00€ ; Gratuit - 10 ans Groupes à partir de 9 pers : 4.50€

Weekly opening hours

https://www.musee-radar.fr/web/infos-pratiques.php

Fermetures annuelles

Fermé sauf pour les groupes sur RDV (à partir de 9 personnes) 10h à 18h Fermé le lundi / Closed on Monday du 4 Avril au 30 juin et du 1er Sept. au 15 Nov. 10h à 19h Ouvert tous les jours / daily open du 1er Juillet au 31 Août

Site Web : www.musee-radar.fr

Email : contact@musee-radar.fr

François-Joseph Ier de Habsbourg

1830-1916

Portrait de François-Joseph. Source www.elysee.fr

François-Joseph was brought to power in Olmütz on the 2nd December 1848 following the revolutionary uprising of 1848, succeeding his uncle Ferdinand the Ist. He was the eldest son of the archduke François-Charles and princess Sophie of Bavaria. He married Elisabeth of Bavaria in 1854. The victories of his chancellor, prince Schwartzenburg and general Radetzki was to re-establish Austrian domination over the Hungarians and Italians (1849). Allied by Russia, he was to impose an authoritarian military regime, hostile to national minorities, however he was to lose this support in 1855 because of his hesitation during the Crimean War. The emperor was overthrown in 1859 by the troops of Victor-Emmanuel and Napoleon III (during the battles of Solferino and Magenta). He was forced to give up Lombardy as part of the Zurich treaty (10th November 1859). The rivalry with Prussia over the domination of the dukedoms of Schleswig and Holstein, seized from Denmark in 1864), gave the latter a reason to declare war in 1866. Defeated at Sadowa on the 3rd July 1866, he made peace with Prussia (Prague treaty, the 23rd August 1866), thus relinquishing his rights in Northern Germany to the victor and renouncing all involvement in the unification of Germany - the government of Vienna having crushed the "Little Germany" movement inspired by Prussia. He was also forced to give up Venetia to Italy, via France (treaty of Vienna, 3rd October 1866), who were allied to Prussia following the secret meeting between Napoleon III with Bismarck in Biarritz (October 1865).

To quell nationalist movements in his empire, he passed a statute in 1867 which effectively transformed Austria into a dualist, essentially federalist monarchy (Austro-Hungarian). The territories of the former Austrian empire were separated into two parts either side of the Leithasont to make up Cisleithania around Austria and Transleithania around Hungary. Cisleithania was made up of Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Gabissia, Slovenia, Istria, and the territories along the Dalmatian coast. Universal suffrage was granted to men. Eastern Transleithania was formed of Hungary, Croatia, the territories around Temesvar, and Trans-sylvania. There was no male right to vote here, fact which gave the other people under the domination of Budapest an advantage. The emperor was still torn between an authoritarian rule (inspired by Germany), and the federalist politics of Ministers Taaffe and Badeni. François-Joseph accepted this situation of interior political deadlock.

The policy of rapprochement with Prussia led by Andrassy resulted in a rallying towards Bismarck's politics: in 1873 the alliance of the three emperors (Germany, Russia, Austria), who were to become the Dual Alliance in 1879 (Germany and Austria), and finally the Triple Alliance in 1883 when Italy joined - this is even spoken of in terms of "diplomatic subordination of Germany", from 1892-1893 onwards. Austria occupied (in 1878) and annexed (1908) Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to limit the Russian influence in the Balkans which since leaving the alliance had led to Pan-Slav politics, intensifying and thus becoming involved itself in the affairs of the Dual Monarchy. The annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina resulted in an international crisis. The problem with Bosnia appeared to be linked to that of Serbia and the situation of the southern Slavs under the domination of Budapest, who tended to be turned more towards Belgrade. Torn therefore between Pan-Slav and a dominant Pan-German politics, François-Joseph failed in his attempt to embody the middle way in central-eastern Europe. His long reign of 68 years saw him endure the execution of his brother Maximilian in Mexico in 1867, the suicide of his son Rodolphe in Mayerling in 1889, the assassination of his wife in by an anarchist in Geneva in 1898 and that of his nephew and presumed heir, François-Joseph, on the 28th June 1914 in Sarajevo, the event which triggered the first world war. The dual monarchy was thus relatively stable politically when it entered the war. His sovereign succeeded in imposing a certain dynastic sense of loyalty on most of his subjects and also among the army and other institutions. Austro-Hungary had suffered far heavier losses due to the war and its million victims than the antimonarchist movements by the time its founder passed away.

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Wilhelm Keitel

1882 - 1946

Wilhelm Keitel. Photo DMPA collection

Wilhelm Keitel joins the army in 1901 and holds several posts during the First World War, serving primarily as an officer in the General Staff. After Germany falls in 1918, he pursues his military career at the heart of the new German army, the Reichswehr, as it was authorized by the Treaty of Versailles.

When Adolf Hitler came into power in 1933 and started rebuilding the armed forces, Wilhelm Keitel's career began to rapidly progress. He was named a brigadier in 1934 and the following year became chief of the War Cabinet and the director of the Wehrmachtsamt, in charge of the coordination of the armed forces. In 1938, Wilhelm Keitel became chief of the newly-created Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW - Armed Forces High Command). On 22 June 1940, he signed the Franco-German armistice at Rethondes. This zealous executor of Adolf Hitler's orders was named chief of the OKW -- the Armed Forces High Command -- in 1938, and during the war authorized all Hitler's military decisions as well as the terror tactics he employed in countries taken by the Germans, most notably the execution of hostages and NN (Night and Fog) prisoners. He was promoted to Marshal in July 1940. Despite several attempts on the part of the leading circles of the army and the General Staff to shake up the top of the military hierarchy, he kept his positions until the end of the Second World War. On 9 May 1945, he signed the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht on the orders of Grand Admiral Doentiz. In 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg condemned him to death for Crimes against Peace, War Crimes, and Crimes against Humanity.

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Charles de Gaulle

1890-1970

Portrait de Charles de Gaulle. Source : Photo SHD

A French general and politician (1890-1970), Charles de Gaulle was the first person to advocate the need for France to have armoured military vehicles. A leader of the French resistance during World War II, he was the founding father of the Fifth Republic, which was particularly noteworthy due to the election of the president under universal suffrage.

Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille on 22 November 1890 to a patriotic Catholic family. He spent his childhood in Paris, studying with the Jesuits and very early opted for a career in the forces. In 1908 he entered the special Military Academy at Saint-Cyr. After four years of study, he was transferred to Arras in 1912 as a sub-lieutenant.

During the First World War he was wounded in combat three times and left for dead in the Battle of Douaumont (1916). Taken prisoner by the Germans, he attempted to escape on five occasions, but was recaptured each time. He was not freed until the Armistice, on 11th November 1918. Pursuing his military career, Captain De Gaulle saw active service in several countries (including Poland and The Lebanon). Between the wars he wrote several works in which he was critical of French defence policy: in particular he believed that the army must be subject to the decisions of politicians and that it was essential for the defence of France, to raise a corps of armoured vehicles in order to face the threat of German mechanised power. At the same time he began his involvement with politics: in 1931 he was seconded to the General Secretariat for National Defence in Paris. Promoted to Colonel in 1937, de Gaulle was given the command of the 507th tank regiment in Metz. When France and Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, he was given temporary command of the tanks of the 5th army. At the time of the German invasion, de Gaulle distinguished himself several times at the head of his unit, in particular halting the Germans at Abbeville (27-30 May 1940). Appointed General on 1 June 1940, de Gaulle became Under Secretary of State for War and National Defence a few days later, in the Government of Paul Reynaud.

On 17 June, de Gaulle left to continue fighting the war from London; he launched an appeal for resistance over the BBC, on 18 June. As a rebel General, he was sentenced to death in absentia. Recognised by Churchill as the "leader of the Free French", de Gaulle organised armed forces that became the Free French Forces. Meanwhile, he provided Free France with a kind of Government in exile, the French National Committee, which became the French Committee for National Liberation (CFLN) on 3 June 1943, following its arrival in Algiers. From 1942 onwards, De Gaulle gave Jean Moulin the task of organising the National Committee for Resistance (CNR) in France within which political parties of all persuasions, trades unions and resistance movements had to be represented, in order to co-ordinate the struggle. After the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, de Gaulle insisted with General Eisenhower, supreme commander of allied armies, that Paris should be quickly liberated, although the strategy was to head directly eastwards, bypassing the Capital. Eventually, the 2nd Armoured Division of General Leclerc liberated Paris on 25 August.

Once the fighting was over, de Gaulle began to rebuild the country at the head of the interim government. He introduced several major measures (including the founding of the Social Security system). But, on 20 January 1946, he left power due to a disagreement of the role played by political parties. The Constitution of the 4th Republic, adopted shortly afterwards, greatly displeased him. He criticised it several times (such as in his speech in Bayeux, in June 1946), reproaching it for the weakness of its executive power. De Gaulle then entered the opposition. In 1947, he launched the Rassemblement du peuple français (RPF or Alliance of the French People), a movement that performed badly in elections, despite attracting many members. This was the beginning of the "wilderness years" : de Gaulle withdrew to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, wrote his memoirs and travelled.

From 1954, France was involved in a war of decolonisation in Algeria. On 13 May 1958, the French Algerians launched an insurrection in Algiers to consolidate their position. They called for de Gaulle to take power. The President of the French Republic, René Coty, fearing that this crisis might descend into civil war, offered de Gaulle the position of Leader of the Cabinet. De Gaulle refused to return to power unless he could change government institutions. During the summer of 1958, he inspired the writing of a new Constitution: this was approved in a referendum on 28 September 1958 by almost 80% of French people. The 5th Republic was born. On 21 December 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected President of the Republic by indirect universal suffrage.

The most urgent task to be faced was Algeria. De Gaulle offered the Algerians self-government in 1959 and organised a referendum on the subject in 1961: 75% of French people said "yes" to Algerian self-government. In April 1961, disaffected partisans of French Algeria staged an attempted coup that failed. Negotiations between the French and Algerians ended with the Evian agreements, signed on 22 March 1962 and accepted by referendum in both France and Algeria. 1962 was a real turning point, firstly on an institutional level: the General proposed electing the Head of State through universal suffrage. This reform aroused strong opposition, but the referendum on constitutional reform was successful, with a "yes" vote of 62.2%. In 1965, the presidential election was conducted by direct universal suffrage for the first time. Through to the second round (with 43.7% of the vote), de Gaulle was finally elected, beating Mitterrand, with 54.8%. In terms of foreign affairs, de Gaulle pursued a policy of national independence, providing France with its own means of defence: the first French atomic bomb was detonated at Reggane in the Sahara in February 1960. De Gaulle refused the protection of the United States and in 1966 withdrew France from the integrated NATO system - but France remained a member of the Atlantic alliance. At the same time, France entered the European Economic Community (EEC) on 1 January 1959. The country faced a major crisis in May 1968. Students organised huge demonstrations, and were joined by workers, triggering a general strike. De Gaulle succeeded in calming the situation by granting certain benefits to workers. On 27 April 1969, he put a plan for regionalisation and reform of the senate before the French people. His proposal was rejected in a referendum by 52.4% of the vote. Failing to gain the approval of the French people, he felt he lo longer had their trust and preferred to resign. Charles de Gaulle retired to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises and continued to write his memoirs; he died on 9 November 1970. In accordance with his will, de Gaulle was not given a state funeral. He was buried next to his daughter Anne, with a simple inscription on his grave, "Charles de Gaulle 1890-1970".

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Operation “1000 Trees for Cemeteries”

Vignemont National Cemetery (Oise department) - Source : MINDEF/SGA/DMPA-ONACVG

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