Tag: WWII
Paris Exhibition: “You Will Always Remember Me,” Words and Drawings of the Children of...
Relatively well known in France but little beyond its borders, the history of the home for Jewish child refugees that operated in the village of Izieu, 45 miles east of Lyon, from May 1943 to April 1944 provides a remarkable glimpse of migration, childhood and caregiving under perilous conditions.
Where and Why to Visit the American WWI Sights of France
A France Revisited “Conversation with an Expert” in which Gary Lee Kraut speaks with Ben Brands, the historian with the American Battle Monuments Commission about the U.S. First World War sights of France.
The Museum of the Liberation of Paris
A new, free, highly informative museum in Paris, partially located in an air raid shelter used by the Resistance during the city's liberation, provides insights into the history of Paris and Parisians during the Second World War.
Eisenhower, de Gaulle and the Wild Rabbits at the Invalides
Late on a drizzly afternoon, having learned nothing and felt little from reading about and watching videos of the 75th anniversary of D-Day commemorations in Normandy, I went to visit the wild rabbits that inhabit the lawn of the Invalides.
D-Day Turns 75: Five Threads Leading from the Beaches of Normandy
Beyond the numerous commemorative ceremonies that accompany the 75th anniversary of D-Day and of the liberation of villages and towns over the ensuing ten weeks, here are five telling ways in which organizations and businesses are using, (re)interpreting or inspired by Normandy’s wartime memory in 2019.
Arcs of War and Triumph
The France Revisited Newsletter: I write this in the wake of two major events in Paris over the past month that occurred by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe. On Nov. 11, the gathering of leaders of the belligerent nations of the First World War to commemorate the centennial of the armistice.
On Dec. 1, the vandalization of the arch by some affiliated with the Yellow Vest movement.
Daytrip from Paris: A Compiègne-Pierrefonds Biking Excursion
Within an hour’s train ride from Paris, many cycling routes allow for a daytrip of biking and touring. This one involves a visit to the town of Compiegne and biking through the forest between the Palace of Compiegne and the Castle of Pierrefonds, with the possibility of a detour to the Glade of the Armistice.
The Silence of Oradour-sur-Glane
As Elisabeth Esris walks the charred and shattered streets of Oradour-sur-Glane (near Limoges) with other visitors the uniformity of silence is remarkable. This is not a place for conversation or expletive even though each step leads to palpable savagery.
The American Traveler and the First World War Sights in France
Between America First and me first there isn't much daylight for a national history lesson. Nevertheless, you don't have to be a war buff or a history buff to visit American-related First World War sights in France and to understand how they relate to our place in the world today.