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

Quiz : Forts et citadelles

The strategic location of Saint-Nazaire led the Germans to build a huge submarine base there during World War 2.

The construction of this base began at the beginning of 1941. The base was 300 metres long and 150 metres wide, and 450,000 cubic metres of concrete were needed to build it.

It contained 14 cells: 8 for repairs and 6 larger cells in which the submarines could remain afloat. It housed two U-Boat fleets. It spread over a total surface area of 4 hectares and its concrete ceiling was 4 metres thick.

The immensity of this construction and the characteristics of the port of Saint-Nazaire, which was one of the only ports on the Atlantic capable of housing battleships, forced the Allies to carry out particularly intense bombing raids on it.

In 1942 a British commando raid attempted to destroy the base. The civilian population suffered greatly from this Allied policy and 80% of the town was destroyed.

The German garrison of 24,000 men defended the base to the bitter end, making Saint-Nazaire one of the last Atlantic ports to surrender on 11 May 1945.

Since then, this gigantic concrete edifice has become a major focus in the reconstruction and development of the town.

The base is still there today and dominates the port and the estuary. It is now hosts various tourist attractions including the International Ocean Liner Centre, the tour of the submarine 'Espadon' ('Swordfish') and an 'ecomuseum', which give an extra dimension to this historical site.

The public can also visit the panoramic terrace, which offers an unbeatable view of the town.

Base sous-marine

Boulevard de la Légion d'Honneur - 44600 Saint-Nazaire

Situated in the eastern part of the Alpes-Maritimes département, the village of Sospel lies to the south of the green valley of la Bévera, on the edge of the Mercantour park and the valley of les Merveilles, 15 km from Menton and the Mediterranean. Fort Suchet, also known as du Barbonnet, is one of a group of fortifications in the region that constitutes the last bastion ahead of the road to Nice that prevents any potential invader coming from the col de Tende pass.

2 km south of Sospel, perched on the narrow rocky outcrop of Mount Barbonnet, Fort Suchet looks down on the village from an altitude of 847 m. Constructed between 1883 and 1886 with the objective of sealing the la Bévéra and le Merlanson valleys, this compact, Séré de Rivières type fort is pentagonal in shape, surrounded by a wide moat and flanked by three caponniers.
The building work was carried out by Captain Azibert, whose name is still engraved on the façade of the entrance to the fort. In 1891 a cavity was dug out of the rock in order to contain a powder store. Then, in 1914, two three-storey high turrets, armoured with lead were added to the structure. One of the two double 155 mm Mougin turrets has been perfectly preserved until the modern day, which is extremely rare.
This first construction was seconded by a Maginot fort built into the rock on the side of the mountain, constructed between 1931 and 1935. It was an artillery block, controlling the le Merlanson valley as far as the col de Castillon, with an entrance and barracks protected by more than twenty metres of rock.
In June 1940, the 95th artillery foot regiment, who resisted the Italian attacks with orders not to surrender until after the armistice, occupied the place. Tours organised in the holiday season allow comparisons to be made between the defensive systems of the 19th century Séré de Rivières fort with the more recent structure, most of which is underground.
In addition to Fort Suchet and the Maginot structure built on Mont Barbonnet, there are several fortified structures close to Sospel, and the most notable ones played an active part in the fighting of June 1940.
Constructed between 1932 and 1936 on the crest of Mount Agaisen, this fort is one of the links in the Maginot line, in the heart of the fortified sector of the Alpes-Maritimes. Equipped since its completion with powerful artillery, the structure is composed of three concrete blocks set upon an infrastructure of underground galleries. Owned by the town of Sospel since 1964, it is currently undergoing restoration and its annex has been converted into a water tower. Public tours are organised in season, with groups welcome all year round by appointment. Site: perso.wanadoo.fr/agaisen/contacts.htm
The impressive Fort Saint-Roch was constructed between 1931 and 1933 and flanks the Maginot structure at l'Agaisen. The four blocks in reinforced concrete were built above a network of galleries dug out of the rock, which were used for logistical purposes. . Reaching depths of up to thirty metres, this fort was designed to hold more than two hundred soldiers for three months. Fort Saint-Roch is open to the public and holds a permanent exhibition tracing the history of its building and the battles fought there, highlighting its technological prowess at the time if its construction.
Getting to Sospel 40 km from Nice via the A 8 (exit no. 59 "Menton and Sospel ") and then the D 2566. Sospel Tourist information and activity centre Le Pont-Vieux 06380 Sospel Tel. + 33 (0) 4 93 04 15 80 Fax + 33 (0) 4 93 04 19 96 e-mail: infos@sospel-tourisme.com

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna sentenced France to return Savoy to the King of Piedmont-Sardinia, allied with Austria. Victor-Emmanuel I used a proportion of the ample compensation paid by France to fortify the Alpine barrier and block the French army's passage into Italy.

Since the glacial rock bar allowing access into Piedmont was no longer protected since Napoleon had destroyed the fortress of Brunetta de Susa in 1796, the decision was made to reinforce the protection of the routes between France and Italy around Esseillon.

Dominating the Arc Valley along two kilometres over Modane, the rocky foothills of Esseillon, a natural defensive barrier a hundred metres high, blocks the access to the Haute-Maurienne Valley and Mont-Cenis Pass, between Savoy and Turin. In 1817, excavation was started to strip the rock intended to hold the future constructions. At the heart of the grandiose mountains of Haute-Maurienne, the huge construction of a military town was entrusted to a young captain from Piedmont, Olivero.

Educated on Austrian defence systems, he put into practice the theories of Marquis de Montalembert, a French artillery general in the 18^th century: the forts were designed to block the enemy’s path following a line of defence perpendicular to the direction of their progression. Five structures were erected, the way the valley flared placing everything out of the reach of enemy artillery stationed on the surrounding summits. Named after the first names of members of the royal family of the House of Savoy, these thick-walled forts flanked by breaks making crossfire possible. They form a majestic architectural ensemble that effectively fulfilled its role of blocking the path through Mont-Cenis Pass, the gateway into Italy, until 1860.

In this year, marked by Savoy's reannexation to France, the crenellations cut into the fort walls, mainly directed towards France, now served no purpose. The defence structures in Esseillon were modified by the French, in such a way as to counter invaders coming from the East.

In 1871, drilling started on the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, transferring the border defence fortifications to the valley around Modane. Stripped of any strategic interest and weakened by shells, these remote and cold imposing structures perched at over one thousand five hundred metres altitude were downgraded to a site for holding disciplinary battalions or prisoners. The fortifications were saved from fire until the Second World War.

Built between 1818 and 1828, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was the major component of the Esseillon defence system. Sat at the edge of a cliff at 1,350 metres altitude, the fort comprises a parallel series of eight, two-storey buildings, two of which were specifically batteries for cannons. The main entrance, reached by a wooden bridge extended by a metal drawbridge, led through to the headquarters building that housed the staff, the barracks, and logistics buildings, including two wells that supplied the garrison with water.

The fort’s fire plans were directed towards the village of Avrieux and the royal road connecting Chambéry to Turin, although a number of embrasures also flanked the area surrounding the Marie-Thérèse redoubt. A path suitable for motor vehicles bordered by projecting stones snaked inside the fort and facilitated the movement of batteries. Inside the building, a maze of staircases and vaulted galleries provided easy access for moving cannons about. On the Sardinian side, a ditch was bordered with caponiers, structures detached from the escarp.

A prison was built in 1833 for the purpose of holding Italian liberals. Initially conceived as a base station in the event of an attack, the fort was designed to hold a garrison of 1,500 men serving 35 cannons. A thriving hub, it also contained a hospital and a chapel. In June 1940, it was at the centre of the defence system of the 281st artillery regiment, before being used by the Italians, who started to imprison French resistance fighters there in 1943. During the course of winter 1944, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was used as a support base for the 6th battalion of Alpine hunter operating against the German troops entrenched at Mont-Cenis. Today, some entrance points into the fort are dangerous and are currently being reinforced as part of the general restoration programme of the complex.

Erected between 1819 and 1830, Fort Marie-Christine is the highest fort of the complex overlooking the structure in its entirety from an altitude of 1,500 metres. A typical perpendicular fortification structure popular with Marquis de Montalembert, rid of its traditional bastions, the hexagonal complex still maintains a perpendicular face to the enemy. Dedicated to defending the north side of the valley, the fort and its 20 cannons provided an effective flank of the Charles-Albert and Charles-Félix forts as well as the road leading to Aussois.
Encircled by a wall and preceded by a ditch in the east, and a vertiginous cliff to the west, the fort was built over three levels: a ground floor occupied by rooms used for logistics; a first floor where the army barracks were situated, and an upper level consisting of a covered terrace with cannon embrasures. The main entrance was protected by a weighbridge positioned under the crenellations at the guard posts. The central courtyard is surrounded by blockhouses surmounted with vaults that could hold up to 500 men. Originally, a secure passage was provided to Fort Charles-Albert by a long low building that is no longer standing today.

Entirely renovated, today Fort Marie-Christine offers visitors a number of features in addition to its historical interest and importance as a national monument. Housing a gîte and a restaurant, it is a fascinating place to stay and enjoy a meal. Also an activity centre, in 1987 it was made the fifth entrance to Vanoise National Park and offers climbing enthusiasts a range of well-established ascents for both novices and the more experienced.

Protected in the north by the Arc Abyss, to the west of the Saint-Anne Nant ravine, Marie-Thérèse redoubt is the only structure in the Esseillon defence system built on the left bank of the Arc Valley. Constructed from 1819 to 1825, this redoubt in the town of Avrieux was intended to block the Route Royale through Mont-Cenis Pass.

Within reach of the cannons at Fort Victor-Emmanuel, from the other side of the abyss, the structure resembles an irregularly-shaped horse shoe, the western end extended to house the entranceway and the weighbridge facing France. Designed to hold a garrison of two hundred men, the Marie-Thérèse redoubt was organised over two levels of vaulted blockhouses placed around a modest central courtyard. On the upper level, visitors can see triple embrasures, which can accept one cannon and two rifles. A shooting gallery buried in the counterscarp of the ditch thus guaranteed an efficient close defence system. Goods were initially supplied using a system of cables erected across the Arc Ravine and connecting the structure to Fort Victor-Emmanuel. Then in 1850, a narrow suspension bridge over the abyss broke the redoubt’s isolated position by connecting it to the structures located on the opposite side of the Arc Gorges: a covered walkway stretched the length of the bridge, which was defended by a guardroom.

The same year, a swing bridge controlled by a small fort set 50 metres back from the redoubt was erected to protect the access to the fort.

In June 1940, the redoubt was occupied by the 281st infantry regiment, then, after the armistice, by the Italian and German troops until September 1944. Currently under renovation, a part of the structure is today open to visitors. Suspended 100 metres over the void, the bravest visitors can enjoy an unspoilt view over the Arc Gorges from the ‘devil’s bridge’. This gangway destroyed in 1940 was reconstructed in 1989 as part of the project to open the Esseillon site as a cultural and sports site and is today one of the starting points of the via ferrata climbing trail.
Completed in 1827, this building, just like Fort Marie-Christine (wife of Charles-Félix) formed a small unit designed to block the path of troops along the road connecting Aussois and Modane. Stood on the western cliff, it was accessed from the east via an earth ramp leading to an immense door made from hewn stones facing Fort Victor-Emmanuel.

To the rear of the building, a cemetery, known as the Sardinian Cemetery, was used to bury the dead from across the Esseillon site.

When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860, the agreements signed by Napoleon III and Cavour, the prime minister of the nascent state of Italy, stipulated that the fortified complex at Esseilon must be completely destroyed. However, Fort Charles-Félix was the only structure wrecked on the emperor’s order, after three days of shellfire. Visitors are strongly dissuaded from entering the structure today due to the high risks of collapsing walls. Between Fort Marie-Christine and Fort Victor-Emmanuel, the fort ruins make a breathtaking site from the main road, revealing the former dungeon surrounded by a star-shaped wall.

In 1832, the construction of a last fort was started. This was due to the fact that the defence system made up of the existing four structures contained a breach north of the village of Aussois. Linked by a trench to Fort Marie-Christine standing at the same altitude, Fort Charles-Albert was therefore intended to complete the entire complex by blocking access to the north of the site of Esseillon. The structure was never completed and the construction terminated in 1834. Today, only the ruins of two small garrison buildings and the base of one tower can be seen overlooking the valley in Aussois.

Esseillon Fort

Aussois Tourist Information Centre, Maison d’Aussois, 73500, Aussoi

Tel: +33 (0)4 79 20 30 80

Fax: 04.79.20.40.23

Email: info@aussois.com 

Tours

Visitors can take guided tours around the buildings open to the public. The new vocation of Esseillon’s defence system is also enhanced by numerous tourist trails with a variety of themes. Nature trails are a great way to explore the wealth of flora and fauna in the region, offering routes to be explored by foot or snowshoe via a network of footpaths, climbing trails for the more athletic or restoration projects at the structures in high season for a more laborious activity. There are a variety of ways to discover the forts in Esseillon and the area surrounding this unique fortified complex in France.

Getting there

From Chambéry (107 km), Grenoble (145 km), Lyon (220 km), Geneva (200 km), or Turin (110 km), via the alpine A43 or A41 motorways (exit at Modane). From Modane (7 km), international train station, by the D215.

Site of Maison d’Aussois

After the defeat by Germany in the war of 1870, France will loose Alsace and a part of Lorraine. Furthermore it is condemned to pay a war indemnity of five billion gold-francs and hasn't got the right to defend on the Eastern borders anymore. The technological progress achieved by the artillery since 1858 (loading with cylinder heads and the use of striped canons) considerably increased its range and precision: the existing fortifications, including those of Paris, are now completely obsolete.

The government of Adolphe Thiers react vigorously to this situation and charges General Raymond Séré de Rivière to draw up a report on the defence of France. The new Parisian defence plan includes the construction of a defence enclosure of 43 works, which measure six to seven kilometres of distance from the original enclosure of 1841.

The envisaged budget equals to 400 million gold pieces and will exceeded of 33 million!

Since in 1870 the Prussians used the Parisis Hillock as observatory and artillery position, the fort of Cormeilles is considered as a priority. Its mission is, on one hand, to block the peninsula of Argenteuil, market gardening zone, essential for a new eventual siege of Paris. On the other hand the fort of Cormeilles is used to protect the road, as well as the railway access to the Montmorency valley towards Pontoise and Rouen in crossing the shootings with the fort Monlignon.

It was built between 1874 and 1878, for a total cost of 3,3 million gold. This price includes the purchase of the grounds and the construction work of a public company, controlled by the civil engineering.

The fort has the shape of an irregular trapezoid, whose 1,2 kilometres long ditch consists of three clay kaponiers. This fort of first generation (central massive building and high levelled battery), possesses two fronts turned towards the attacker and two flanks turned towards Paris, in order to save in terms of earthworks and to ease an eventual re-conquering of the fort. Originally a grid, followed of a clay pit by two fusillade crenels, protected the entrance of the fort. Nowadays this pit is filled. A gantry makes the crossing of the obstacle possible, by being retracted on the left with the use of a winch.

A central massive building, protecting the officer's building, includes 7 cellars for canons and sheltering mortars intended to beat the slopes of the Hillock. Here the artillery peak wasn't possible to see. The garrison of the ford included 36 officers, more than a thousand men and 24 artillery horses. This fort being one of the first built among the defence enclosure of the Séré de Rivère program, serves as testimony and its plans are diffused among the engineers as an example.

From 1855 it is however out of date because of the shell-torpedo crises. The engineers modify many of the Séré de Rivière forts. The fort of Cormeilles will not profit from any modernization program.

During the first world conflict it is used as deposit and also as anti-aircraft battery against the zeppelins that came to bombard Paris.

During the short campaign of 1940, the artillery pieces of the fort open fire and shoot down several enemy planes. The Germans occupy the building and use it as ammunition deposit for the Kriegesmarine. From now on they shelter anti-aircraft batteries of 20 mm Flack instead of the old 75 mm guns.

Released by the FFI of the region the fort is then used as a prison to lock up the war prisoners, the collaborationists and the traffickers of the black market. The last officer leaves this place in 1955 and the prison will be closed in 1956. In 1967 the fort is assigned to the 23rd infantry regiment of the Navy and accommodates an initiation centre of the commando which will function permanently, in particular also for many reserve units, until the dissolution of this regiment, at the beginning of the 80's. Given up from the Ministry of defence to the Ile-de-France region, the fort is today managed by the association "Friends of the Cormeilles fort" (l'association des amis du fort de Cormeilles), which is at present looking for objects and documents relating to the work, in order to enrich the collection and build a military museum at the heart of the fort.

Le fort de Cormeilles

Contact  : Les amis du fort de Cormeilles

1, Route stratégique 95240 Cormeilles-en-Parisis

Tél. 06.80.92.48.57

E-mail : jean-pierre.mazier@wanadoo.fr

Visits The association Friends of the Cormeilles fort organizes each first Sunday

at 3 p.m. of the month guided tours of the fort. Access to Cormeilles-en-parisis

By car : 40 km from Paris. Take the A 115 in direction to Cergy-Ponyoise via Franconville

(exit n°2 Ermont-Cernay, Franconville, Sannois).

By train (RER) : SNCF railway station of Cormeilles

is connected during the rush hours by a shuttle service to the RER (A) station of
Sartrouville and to the RER (C) station of Montigny-Beauchamps during the whole day.

By train : 15 min from the Saint-Lazare station, direction Pontoise or Mantes-la-Jolie. 

Fort de Cormeilles

Covering an area of hectares, The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is one of fourteen American Second World War cemeteries on foreign soil, and is managed by the ABMC, American Battle Monuments Commission.

9,386 graves are arranged in rows on this huge rectangular area, each marked by a stele in white Italian marble, in the form of either a cross or a star of David. On the right hand side of the entrance there is a capsule that will be opened on 6th June 2044, a century after D-day: it contains press articles from the time, and a message from Eisenhower to future generations.

The cemetery memorial consists of a colonnade with a seven-metre bronze statue symbolising American youth at its centre. Opposite the rows of graves, on the plinth of the work created by Donald De Lue, the following inscription can be read: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Both ends of the semi-circular colonnade overlook loggias guarded by two great urns crowned by statues. The walls display maps carved into the stone representing the successive phases of the battle: the action of the airborne commandos, the naval plan of the landings, and the fighting on the four beaches. To the east of the memorial, the arc of the circle described by the garden to the missing holds the mortal remains of 1,557 American soldiers who were either drowned or unidentifiable. A chapel stands amid the graves, housing a coloured mosaic symbolising America blessing its children as they left to fight for freedom. A flight of steps leads to the sea, from where visitors have a wide panorama over Omaha Beach, as shown by the viewing table. Twelve kilometres away, rises the Pointe du Hoc monument erected by the French, and accidentally glimpsed in scenes from the 1962 film, "The Longest Day"

The remains of the heroes of the Normandy campaign have rested in peace since the official inauguration of the cemetery on 18th July 1956. Their final resting place was given in perpetuity by the French Republic to the United States of America.

Tours

Opposite the memorial, the American flag flies every day over the great bowl formed by the site, which is closed on 25th December and 1st January.

Access

Seventeen kilometres north-west of Bayeux, via Surrain.

The Normandy American Cemetery "Omaha Beach"

14170 Colleville-sur-Mer

tel. +33 2.31.51.62.00

fax. +33 2.31.51.62.09

American Battle Monuments Commission

Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500 2300 Clarendon Boulevard Arlington,

VA 22201 United States Of America

tel. (00 1) (703) 696-6897

At the centre of the one thousand five hundred hectares of the largest artificial roadstead in France, the defensive system of the Port of Cherbourg is arranged around several fortified edifices, warships forever petrified present exceptional historical point of interest. The inspection of the Cherbourg bay defences by Louis XIV in 1786 marked the beginning of the reinforcement of the coastal defences. During the course of the XIXth century, the forts constructed were adapted to changing artillery methods, which were becoming ever more powerful. During the second world war, a part of the fort was operational and served to cordon off a strategic point of passage and for bringing allied provisions into Great Britain . When Cherbourg fell to the enemy on the 30th June 1944, the port installations sustained considerable damage, as evidenced by numerous bullet and shell holes indelibly marking the granite stones.

In 1787, the foundations of the Querqueville fort were laid on the site of the a modest semi-circular fort dating from the Seven years war. The construction of the fort was interrupted before its completion, when the passage for vessels was moved one kilometre to the west.
The Querqueville fort, from which troops had to shoot from long distances and was therefore inaccurate, saw its vocation considerably reduced. The work undertaken was nevertheless completed in 1795, resulting in a construction in the shape of a semicircular casemate, opening up into a central courtyard, and protected by a two-tiered barracks. On the land side, the semi-circular gun battery with fifty three casemates was protected by a bastion separate from the rest of the edifice. In the mid XIXth century, an artillery firing range was added to the area surrounding the fort. This served as a firing range for the Marine gunners, before being used as the site for a barracks for accommodating colonial troops in 1895. Large-bore coastal batteries were added to both ends of the fort around 1879. An aeronaval base was constructed in 1925 near the fort, used during the 1940 campaign by allied aircraft who attempted in vain to drive back the advancing enemy troops in the Cotentin. The fort was later used as a training ground for the School of National Marine Safety. The terrace of the fort, the cavities on the first floor, the bastioned façade with its protrusions, its recesses and its moats, all suffered damage during the bombardments of the second world war. However, the Querqueville fort is without doubt the best preserved fort in the Cherbourg roadstead, and is regularly opened to visitors during heritage days.
Around 1784, the Count of Chavagnac undertook soundings of the deep waters of the Cherbourg roadstead in order to study the future implantation of the grand harbour wall, and discovered several rocky islets. Later on during the mid XIXth century, military engineers used one of these rocky ridges to anchor a defensive fort near to the western pass of the roadstead. Built in 1854, the Chavagnac fort is a triangular edifice with rounded edges, designed to cross fire with the western battery on the end of the harbour wall. Swivelling armoured dugouts were added to the fort, and it was also strengthened by a stone parapet and a breakwater wall. Like all the main forts which make up the roadstead, it was concreted at the end of the XIXth century and electricity was installed. The fort is now in ruins, and can only be admired from the sea.
The stones used to build a first battery at the end of the XVIIIth century crumbled during a violent storm in 1808. Almost entirely rebuilt from 1811, the central fort is arranged around a lighthouse surrounded by barracks and logistic buildings. Built in an elliptical shape, it has a flat roof overlooking two rows of casemates, concealing a vast interior courtyard. Originally, the upper firing level, an open-air battery, made gunwale fire possible (above the parapet due to the elevated platform). However, the height of the structure was reduced at the end of the XIXth century, to keep pace with progress in artillery technology. The lighthouse was destroyed, the central courtyard was covered in concrete, and two exterior barracks were added. Under German occupation, the enemy troops modified the fort, installing a powerful garrison to provide guns for defending the western and eastern passes. Since the last period during which it came under fire, the central fort has retained a fortified dugout with armoured doors, an elevator to bring the munitions to the dugout, and a 37 mm cannon in its casing. Now seriously damaged and unstable, the fort is no longer accessible to the public.
Built in the mid XIXth century, the forts, known as the western and eastern forts rose above the waves at either end of the harbour walls surrounding the Cherbourg roadstead. They originally took the form of triple-tiered forts, of which two were casemates. These two forts were built around a circular courtyard, and they had two casemate levels with an open-air battery on top of them, with a parapet made from clay, covered with brick. The two ground levels were given over to the garrison's quarters, and also housed the armouries. They were concreted at the end of the XIXth century and they served as coastal defences during the 1940 campaign. Threatened by the rapidly advancing enemy, the French army blew up the marine battery inside the eastern fort on the 18th June 1940, which then led to the destruction of the whole fort, of which only a few blocks of concrete now remain.
Built in 1779 on a rocky mass on the site of a smaller fort, the fort of the island of Pelée was designed to strengthen the defences of the eastern pass of the Cherbourg roadstead. The engineer Pierre-Jean de Caux, director of the Lower Normandy fortifications, supervised the construction work, and created a work concentrating numerous pieces of ordnance within a restricted area, taking inspiration from the military architecture of the marquis of Montalembert. The fort, in the shape of an irregular semicircle with rounded walls to dissuade enemy fire, the fort is built around a central courtyard, and originally had two floors. On the ground floor are buildings designed to house supplies and munitions, protected by a monumental gate accessed by a ramp. On the upper level, casemate batteries are positioned ready to open fire on attackers. The whole edifice is topped with a flat roof positioned behind a parapet. Progress made in artillery technology towards the end of the XIXth century led to the redevelopment of the fort. It was concreted and its now useless parapets were removed. A smaller port protected by two stone groynes and an inclined plane in granite was added to the front of the edifice. Used for many years as a prison for political prisoners, the fort of the Island of Pelée was modernised by occupying German troops, who installed an electric power station inside its walls. Originally linked to dry land by a rocky outcrop, the island of Pelée and its fort are not open to visitors, only the ramparts of the fort are visible from the sea.
Cité de la mer and Le Redoutable The former transatlantic harbour station of Cherbourg is the jewel in the crown of 1930's architecture. Built in reinforced concrete in 1928 by the architect René Levavasseur, in collaboration with the engineers Chalos and Fleury, it retains its unique Art Deco style interior decoration designed by the Marc Simon workshop. Inaugurated in 1933 by the French President Albert Lebrun, the harbour station was partly destroyed by the Germans in 1944. It is now home to the Cité de la mer, a vast space dedicated to the discovery of human underwater exploits. Offering permanent exhibition galleries dedicated to ocean exploration, the Cité de la mer is now also home to the very first French nuclear submarine, Le Redoutable. Launched in 1967 from Cherbourg arsenal, the SNLE (nuclear submarine missile launcher) returned there in 1990 to be dismantled, and the section containing the nuclear steam supply system removed. Now on display on one side of the permanent exhibition gallery building, visitors can walk around it from the stern to the bow, guided by a recorded commentary through headphones (in French or English) and listen to sound effects of the submariners' daily lives. Visitors with reduced mobility can also visit the former war machine, where an interactive terminal enables them to go on a guided tour of the submersible.
Cherbourg and Haut-Cotentin Tourist Office 2, Quai Alexandre III 50100 Cherbourg-Octeville tel. 02.33.93.52.02 fax. 02.33.53.66.97 e-mail : tourisme@ot-cherbourg-cotentin.fr Cité de la mer Transatlantic harbour station 50100 Cherbourg-Octeville tel. 02.33.20.26.26 fax. 02.33.20.26.27

Because the Normandy landing memorial sites are well worth a detour, a tourist route dedicated to D-Day would not be complete without a visit to the site of Bénouville Bridge,called "Pegasus Bridge" since 1944. Installed in 1934, this lift bridge, just over thirty metres long and nearly seven metres wide, was at the cutting-edge of modernity of the time, as it was driven by an electric motor, the task of which was made easier by an impressive concrete counterweight. 

In the night of 5 to 6 June 1944, three Horsa gliders from the British 6th airborne division, under the orders of Major Howard, landed in silence, just a few metres from Bénouville Bridge. Their insignia, a Pegasus, was the name given to the structure thence onwards.
 

The mission of the British 6th Airborne glider infantry was to seize the bridge. Along with the taking of the neighbouring Ranville bridge, the idea was to prevent German reinforcements from hitting the eastern side of the imminent landing.
In addition, cutting the artery between Caen and the sea would preserve a passage for later expansion of the Allied Beach Head. Armed by around fifty men, a 50 mm canon and a little bunker housing a machine gun, the German garrison defending the strategic structure was rapidly dominated by the first liberators on Normandy soil.

"Ham & jam, ham & jam": a few hours after the gliders arrived, this was the radio signal given to announce Major Howard's mission was a success. The commando still had to fight against enemy counter-attacks, notably by elements of the 21st Panzer.

It managed to keep its position and kept the bridge intact until back-up arrived on Sword Beach.

The meeting was finally achieved at around 1pm, with the famous bagpipes of Bill Millin, personal piper of Lord Lovat, playing in the background. Major Howard's parachutists, in control of the only points for crossing the two rivers between Caen and the Channel, made the first D-Day attack, which gave allied troops control of communications between the east and the west of the River Orne and its canal.

A symbolic site

Immortalised on screen in 1962 during the film The longest day, the first Normandy site under allied control still has many signs of the heroic actions that happened here and which preceded the Landing of 6 June 1944.
In 1960, Pegasus Bridge was extended by five metres following widening of the canal and was then replaced in 1993 by a new, wider and more modern structure. The new bridge is raised, like its glorious predecessor, and has reproductions of the old railing and wooden pathways from the time. In the centre of the site, visitors can still see the German anti-tank canon in its basin, the role of which was to defend access to the port.
Near the banks of the canal which the bridge spans is a path lined with a bronze bust of Major Howard and three stones mark the exact position of the three gliders. On the opposite bank is the first Normandy house liberated by the allied troops, which is in fact the famous Café Gondrée. In summer, the site puts on a sound and light show which stages the intermingled destinies of Bénouville Bridge and Major Howard's men.

Installed between the River Orne and the canal, the Pegasus Memorial was inaugurated on 4 June 2000 by the Prince of Wales and the French defence minister. In addition to the real Bénouville Bridge, which was reassembled after being taken town in 1993, the memorial has a "Bailey" bridge from 1944: named after a British engineer, these bridges could be assembled by forty sappers in less than three hours and were used to allow heavy military vehicles to pass.
Recently, the ministry of defence (general secretariat for administration; department of memory, heritage and archives) made a financial contribution to the installation of a life-size replica of a Horsa glider in the middle of the park around the memorial.
 

The permanent exhibition areas in the memorial give visitors the opportunity to see films of archives and showcases with an impressive collection of objects and documents to the glory of the British 6th airborne division: fragments of gliders from 1944, soldiers' equipment, Major Howard's personal objects and Bill Millin's bagpipes!
For young visitors and their teachers, the Pegasus memorial offers free of charge an educational file which traces a journey rich in emotions, thus emphasising the necessary orientation of memory actions to the younger generations.

Mémorial de Pegasus Bridge

Avenue du Major Howard 14860 Ranville
Tel. +33 (0)2.31.78.19.44.
Fax: +33 (0)2.31.78.19.42.
Email: memorial.pegasus@wanadoo.fr

Tours
The Pegasus Memorial is open every day, except in December and January. Guided tours (in French or English) are organised upon reservation.

Getting there
Five kilometres from Ouistreham, via the Ranville/Cabourg.exit 

Pegasus Bridge Memorial site

Website of Normandy’s regional tourist committee

The Centre was created on the initiative of Marie Michelet, wife of Edmond Michelet, and the Fraternité Edmond Michelet association. The project took shape in the early 1970s.

The Michelet family home was donated to the Association in order to set up the establishment, in partnership with the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde, to study events that occurred in the Second World War, in particular the Resistance and deportation. The Centre Edmond Michelet was inaugurated on 8th May 1976.

From the outset, the project's aim was to be a different memorial. Thus, Marie Michelet always refused that the establishment be a fixed memorial; she wanted it to be a living place, with the permanent exhibition running alongside a space for studies and reflection. This ambition led to the current name of "centre of studies".

Composition:

The establishment consists of a museum, a library and a video library, an archive and documentation section, an events area with permanent exhibitions, mobile exhibitions, conferences and a yearly seminar, and a learning department.

The archive service comprises:

- The Edmond Michelet and Etienne Borne collections

- Collections of former Résistance members, deportees and personalities

- A photo library

- Old newspapers and magazines

The museum has 10 rooms devoted to:

- Edmond Michelet, the Résistance member and the man of State

- The Résistance

- The occupation

- The deportation

- Human Rights

- Propaganda in images

An audio-guide is available for the visit.

The exhibition presents propaganda posters, of which the centre owns a record number in France (around 350) and which give an understanding of the context civilians had to face during the occupation. This museum develops the usual themes of museums dedicated to this period, but takes an object-focused approach.

Centre Edmond Michelet

4 rue Champanatier

19100 Brive la Gaillarde

Tél. : 05 55 74 06 08

museemichelet@brive.fr

Open every day except Sundays and national holidays, from 10 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm.

Free entry

Guided tour on request for groups

Site du Centre Edmond Michelet