Visiting, lecturing and touring have taught me a lot about American involvement in the First and Second World Wars. But my interest is not in war in and of itself, let alone the range of a 75 mm field gun vs. a 155 mm howitzer. What I’m especially curious about is the mindset of the contemporary American traveler. I’m interested in understanding how Americans of different backgrounds relate to their/our own history in France and, more importantly, how that reveals a sense of their individual and our collective place in the world. The First and Second World Wars are significant steps in that history and that place. But I am not a war buff. I am not a history buff. What I am is an American France travel buff. So I would be remiss not to visit American-related and other war sights and to try to understand how and why they came about and what they may signify today.

Yet I recognize that the vast majority of Americans of the 21st century have scarce interest in the First World War—and that despite the spring of 2017 marking the centennial of our entrance into the war and hence of the beginning of the so-called American Century.

Some historical events of 1917: The U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6; General John J. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the expeditionary corps arrived in Boulogne-sur-Mer on June 13; the first major contingent of American forces arrived in France at Saint Nazaire on June 26; American troops marched down the Champs-Elysées in Paris on July 4, and that same day Pershing visited Lafayette’s tomb in Picpus Cemetery.

As I write today, however, one hundred years later, Americans, in their vast majority, whether homebound or travel bound, as well as our elected officials, show little to no interest in the centennial. (We do actually have a national World War One Centennial Commission.) Not that every anniversary needs marking, but there are anniversaries that are uncanny reminders of where we are today and of the decisions and worldviews that we hold. The current centennial is one of them. The causes of WWI, the great debates about international intervention of a century ago and our eventual entrance into the war on the side of France and Great Britain, the development of our military and of our military industry, our role in the conflict’s military outcome and in its final treaty: all of those are echoed in debates and decisions today.

But examining history is not our national strongpoint. For some it may even be anti-American. Furthermore, between the America First attack on science, public education and critical thinking, on the one hand, and by the me-first sense that since Teddy Roosevelt shot game and I want to protect big game and since Woodrow Wilson was a bigot then I’ve got nothing to learn from their points of view, on the other hand, there isn’t much daylight for a national history lesson.

Personally, I prefer having a 13-year-old tell me that history is boring than an adult tell me that it doesn’t matter, because I can then tell a story and show a sight to the 13-year-old to spark interest whereas the adult will dig in to ill-informed convictions like trench warfare.

Nevertheless, despite our national aversion to history, we are very attracted to trends. Knowing and taking part in trends is important to us, even without understanding that they are trends since doing so would involve a minimum of critical thinking. Luckily, then, travel is frequently marked by trends.

We’ll always have Paris, of course, but other destinations that Americans select by broad measure in France shift from time to time. A destination will stand out on the map for the short- or medium-term thanks to some well-placed articles and advertisement, famous visitors, a big book or especially a big movie. Images of Ronald Reagan at Point du Hoc 1984, Bill Clinton in the Normandy American Cemetery 1994 or Saving Private Ryan 1998 may inspire thoughts of visiting Normandy some day.

France Revisited doesn’t have the pretension of influencing trends in tourism any more than we do of following them, but we do pride ourselves on helping to fill in the gaps left by other publications. So while awaiting to the trends set in motion by a blockbuster WWI movie, you can read archived articles about Quentin Roosevelt, “the most famous American killed during WWI,” about Belleau Wood and the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, about Chateau Thierry’s bond with the U.S., and about the American Escadrille Lafayette Memorial near Paris.

More articles about WWI sights, American-related and other, will appear on France Revisited in the coming months, written not by a war buff but by an American France travel buff. In the meantime, my travel research is well underway. Recently, shortly before the first round of the French presidential election, while touring Meuse, Lorraine (northeastern France), I took a snapshot of a desolate corner of the village of Hattonchâtel.

Desolate but very much alive, as the fresh flag and pole and newly pasted and defaced election posters demonstrate. I’m guessing that the posters were slashed by a fan of Philippe Poutou, candidate of the New Anti-Capitalist Party, NPA, whose face remains intact. The slasher may not be difficult to find since Poutou received only 13 votes out of the 967 voters here and in the surrounding 6 villages. Where do their sympathies lie? See here.

Visible behind the posters is one of Hattonchâtel’s scant medieval remnants, an arch that is part of the old entrance gate to the village. Not much to see, but a historical monument nonetheless.

The white monument is a rare example of a WWI memorial that only presents a female figure. The village was heavily damaged in the early weeks of the First World War when the Germans took over the village in September 1914. They were dislodged by American troops four years later.

Hattonchâtel was adopted after the war by Belle Skinner (1866-1928), a philanthropist from Massachusetts, who financed the village’s reconstruction, including the local château, village hall and a school, and the installation of a water system so as to bring drinking water into ever household.

So many stories in one desolate corner.

Far be it from me to suggest that this corner of this village in this part of France is worth the detour. But there you have it in a snapshot, a bit of American history along with much else, past, present and, with the election underway, future.

Most American WWI commemorative events in France will take place in 2018, centennial of our involvement in major fighting in France: Belleau Wood, Saint Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and others. This summer, though, on private initiative, a transatlantic event called The Bridge 2017 will commemorate the centennial of the landing of the first major American contingent at Saint Nazaire. The ocean liner the Queen Mary 2 has been chartered for the occasion. She will be arriving at Saint-Nazaire, site of her construction, from her home port of Southampton, England, before making the transatlantic journey to New York, while four giant trimarans race against her during the crossing. In 1917 the Americans brought with them not only troops that would change the course of the war but also basketball and jazz, not to mention chewing gum and cigarettes. As part of the festivities, therefore the 3X3 Basketball World Cup will be held in Nantes June 17-21 and jazz will be a main feature of the June 21 summer solstice music festival in the area, as well as on board during the transatlantic crossing. I found a publication interested in my writing for them an article on the subject. It’s British. They liked the Queen Mary 2 angle.

© 2017, Gary Lee Kraut

For general tourist information about touring in three of the departments (French subregions) marked by battles involving Americans during the First World War, see Meuse (Meuse-Argonne Cemetery, St. Mihiel American Cemetery, etc.), Aisne (Aisne-Marne Cemetery, Belleau Wood, Blerancourt) and Ardennes (War and Peace Museum, Sergeant York

“The American Traveler and the First World War Sights in France” will be one of four lecture topics that the author will be proposing to universities, Alliance Française groups, libraires and other groups and organizations during his autumn-winter 2018-2019 guest lecture tour in the United States. If interested in this particular lecture write to Gary at gary [at] francerevisited.com.

The post The American Traveler and the First World War Sights in France appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

Château-Thierry, 55 miles east of Paris along the Marne River, benefited from the dedication of Reverend Julian Wadsworth, delegate of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife in their efforts to honor the memory of fallen soldiers while assisting residents of Château-Thierry and the surrounding villages.

This is an area where American forces played a significant role along with our British and particularly French allies beginning in the spring of 1918 in countering the final major German offensives and pushing them back and to eventual surrender and signature of the armistice of November 11, 1918. The following October, the Wadsworths purchased the shell-ridden Hôtel de l’Elephant in Château-Thierry in order to create what Julian Wadsworth would refer to as “a war memorial” and “a community house of friendliness.”

Known as the Maison de l’Amitié Franco-Américaine (MAFA), the House of French-American Friendship, it provided day care and nursing services, a free circulating library and reading room, a war museum, tech instruction in the use of wireless telegraph and radio-telephone, the organization of Boy Scouts and Camp-fire girls and a social club for girls, while also supporting cultural exchanges and events in English and in French.

The MAFA “afford[ed] an ideal opportunity for closer acquaintance and the making of abiding friendship between the American, English and French peoples,” according to a pamphlet produced under the direction of Wadsworth in 1925. Entitled “A War Memorial: A Community House of Friendliness,” the pamphlet explains:

“Already the French Government had asked the Methodists to aid with relief for the refugees who were returning to the devastated homes. Thirty-two villages were assigned to them. It was while thinking of the aid which the Board of Foreign Missions in New York had offered for the devastated areas of France that the thought came of enlarging this temporary material assistance and making a more enduring monument which would a Memorial worthy of the soldiers whose graves are in France. The gift of the Methodist Episcopal Church to Château-Thierry should be more than a passing gift of material relief. It should be an enduring monument of happiness, built out of the desolation of war. It must be a loving service for those who are still living in the war-scarred villages of the Valley of the Marne.” (The full text of that brochure can be found here.)

In 1930 the Wadsworths donated the MAFA to the city. While it continued its vocations for decades, its increasingly dilapidated state led it to being closed in 2000.

This year, on the eve of its November 11 Armistice Day / Remembrance Day / Veterans Day commemorations, the town of Château-Thierry inaugurated a new building on the same location, now calling it Maison de l’Amitié France-Amerique (translated on the plaque by its entrance as the House of France-American Friendship). The square out front had long been re-baptized Place des Etats-Unis (Square of the United States).

While the new building doesn’t as actively serve the lofty goals of the Wadsworths’ original project of the 1920s, it nevertheless reaffirms Château-Thierry’s with the United States.

The inaugural ceremony was led by U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley and Mayor of Château-Thierry Jacques Krabal, accompanied by local and regional dignitaries in the presence of about 200 Castelthéodoriciens, as citizens of the town are called.

Rather than recount the history of the war or the American involvement in 1918 in the Third Battle of the Aisne, the Battle of Château-Thierry and the Second Battle of the Marne, the MAFA houses on its second floor an exhibition focusing on the life and death of Quentin Roosevelt. Son of Theodore Roosevelt and his second wife Edith, Quentin was shot down by German planes at the age of 20 during aerial combat over France on July 14, 1918, 17 miles northeast of here.

Quentin and his brothers Ted Jr., Archie and Kermit all served in WWI. Quentin was originally buried by the German army in the village of Chamery, where his plane crashed. In 1955 his remains were removed to the Normandy American Cemetery, to be re-laid to rest beside those of Ted Jr., who fought in WWII. The oldest American soldier and highest ranking officer to land by sea in Normandy (Utah Beach) on D-Day June 6, 1944, Ted Jr. who died of a heart attack five weeks into the invasion.

For more about Quentin Roosevelt, read Quentin Roosevelt: The Most Famous American Killed in France in WWI.

The ground floor of the new MAFA is occupied by the Château-Thierry Tourist Office. For visitors who need logistical assistance or who arrive without firm plans for their day, it’s a good first place to stop in order to obtain information about war touring in the surrounding region. For more about sights and memorials related to the American involvement in WWI, including Belleau Wood, the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, and the American Monument of Château Thierry see this photolog.

Happily, war touring in these parts can also go hand in hand with wine touring—and not just any wine but champagne. Though Château-Thierry is located in the administrative region of Picardy and the department of Aisne, 16 miles from the border of the Champagne region (actually called Champagne-Ardenne), its surroundings lie within the champagne appellation.

As indicated above the entrance to the MAFA, the Chateau-Thierry area represents “the gates to champagne.” The tourist office is therefore well armed to advise visitors on how and where to visit champagne producers within a 20-minute drive east or west along the Marne, and they can call ahead to make last-minute appointments with grower-producers. (An article about champagne producers of this portion of the Marne Valley is coming soon.)

Finally, in keeping with the MAFA’s historical role as a center for cultural exchanges and learning, there is a space for temporary exhibitions and a room where children can come to learn English.

The MAFA is not a destination in itself, but the starting point for further explorations in this once war-torn, still champagne-filled stretch of the Marne River.

With time and interest, one might take a stroll to see the admirable facades of the theater, city hall and food market on the town’s central square and to look up towards the ramparts of the chateau occupied over 1000 years ago by a certain King Thierry IV before the Counts of Champagne took control of the region. Some medieval ruins still remain behind the ramparts.

The town’s major historical sight, involving neither champagne nor war, is its Hôtel Dieu, the former central hospital with a rich collection of works received during its centuries as a religious institution. There’s also a museum dedicated to 17th-century fable writer Jean de La Fontaine.

For outdoor entertainment, an enjoyable, family-friendly birds of prey show takes place April-September beside the chateau ruins, where, among others, a North American bald eagle takes flight.

Maison de l’Amitié France-Amérique / Château-Thierry Tourist Office, 2 place des Etats-Unis, 02400 Château-Thierry. Tel. 03 23 83 51 14.

© 2015, Gary Lee Kraut

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Quentin and his brothers Ted Jr., Archie and Kermit all served in WWI. Ted Jr. would later be the oldest American soldier and highest ranking officer to land by sea in Normandy (Utah Beach) on D-Day June 6, 1944. He died of a heart attack five weeks into the invasion. Quentin was originally buried in the village of Chamery, where his plane crashed. The two brothers are now buried side by side at the Normandy American Cemetery above Omaha Beach.

In this exclusive France Revisited interview, Christiane Sinnig-Haas, author of a forthcoming book about Quentin Roosevelt, tells about “the most famous American victim of the First World War” and how, after becoming director of the Jean de La Fontaine Museum in Château-Thierry, she became interested in Quentin’s life.

[This interview was conducted in 2012. In 2015 Château-Thierry inaugurated the Maison de l’Amitié France-Amérique on Place des Etat-Unis. The building houses the tourist office, an exhibition space that speaks of the life and death of Quentin Roosevelt and a “mini-school” offering English classes for children.]

[Cliquer pour la version originale française de cet entretien.]

France Revisited: How did you come to be interested in Quentin Roosevelt?

Christiane Sinnig-Haas: I came upon Quentin Roosevelt by chance, as is the case with many encounters. His story is tied to the history of the First World War in the Chateau-Thierry region. I discovered the tragic destiny of Quentin Roosevelt when I took over as director of the Jean de La Fontaine Museum of Chateau-Thierry, which is also a Maison d’Ecrivain [Writer’s House].

I had just finished a book about a great contemporary Chinese writer Ba Jin who lived in Château-Thierry in the 1920s and whom the city wanted to honor when a friend took me to Chamery to the site where Quentin’s plane crashed on July 14, 1918.

The City of Château-Thierry also held a series of events and exhibitions in honor of the memory of Quentin Roosevelt in 2010.

In doing research about Quentin I discovered that he had left numerous letters telling about his short life before and after his arrival in France where he enlisted as a volunteer. He had inherited from his father, President Theodore Roosevelt, a taste for writing. In 1921 his brother Kermit published a selection of Quentin’s letters. Reading between the lines one discovers the portrait of the extremely likable and brilliant young man that was Quentin.

I traveled to Harvard, to Sagamore Hill [home of Theodore Roosevelt and family] and to Washington to better understand the reality of his daily life. It’s through his letters and through the archives maintained by the family that I entered into the world of Quentin Roosevelt.

Another decisive encounter was my meeting Richard Derby Williams and his wife Mary. Richard Derby Williams, grandson of Quentin’s sister Ethel to whom he was very close, attaches, as does the entire Roosevelt family, great significance to paying homage to Quentin’s sacrifice, and he was extremely positive about this project in English. He knows Château-Thierry well and has become friends with those here who honor and maintain the memory of Quentin. His grandmother Ethel Roosevelt Derby, guardian of the family memory, had established a friendship with a couple of teachers from the area, the Corets, who perpetuated the celebration of Memorial Day at Quentin’s tomb in Chamery, part of the commune of Coulanges-Cohan since 1954.

These warm relations have been perpetuated by her grandson and family, the Theodore Roosevelt Association, local authorities, the City of Château-Thierry, and the Aisne-Marne Cemetery at Belleau Wood.

FR: Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and is often described as being his favorite. Why?

C.S-H.: As his name indicates, Quentin was the fifth child of Theodore and Edith Roosevelt. His half-sister Alice and his mother Edith often remarked that he was undoubtedly the most talented of the President’s children and that he possessed a strong sense of humor.

At a young age he showed himself to be very bold and reckless and to have little physical inhibition, which frightened his parents. Intelligent, full of joie de vivre, direct, sensitive and inventive, he was a born leader, as can be seen early on in episodes of the White House Gang which delighted the press and the American public. The president attached great importance to the development of Quentin’s sense of responsibility and principles and channeled this spirit that he recognized in himself.

He was an excellent student whose interest in reading and writing were encouraged by his parents.

Theodore Roosevelt nourished high ambitions for Quentin in whom he might have seen a potential political heir. He shared his father’s traits both physically and intellectually, and Theodore didn’t fail to notice that Quentin had a certain charisma.

While a student at Harvard, Quentin became the epistolary confidant of his father who shared with him his opinions particularly regarding domestic and international politics. Like the president, he was charming and full of energy; he was sincere and applied the principles in which he believed.

Quentin had an absolutely limitless admiration for his father, whom he adored.

FR: Where did Quentin’s passion for flying come from and how did he become a pilot?

C.S-H.: Quentin surprised his friends and family early on with his strong attraction and innate talent for mechanics, which was both a passion and a gift.

In August 1909, during a family journey in Europe, he was struck by the beauty of an aerial show in Reims, which was for him a revelation. He was almost 12 years old. He returned to the region in 1918, as a pilot enlisting voluntarily to meet his destiny.

Poems that he wrote at a young age reveal his fascination with aviation, mechanics and engines. His enthusiasm for experiences involving mechanics wasn’t always shared by the family. While a student at Harvard he considered completing his degree at MIT and said that he wanted to become a mechanical engineer.

Theodore Roosevelt, for his part, understood very early on the strategic importance that aviation was going to have in the European conflict, especially after the first Battle of the Marne. He had written articles on the subject and Quentin was well aware of them.

In 1917, when the United States entered the war, Quentin, then at Harvard, immediately informed his parents of his decision to enlist in order to become a fighter pilot, despite problems with his back and his sight. His father gave his support and totally adhered to his decision.

Before leaving for France in July, Quentin was trained at the Mineola Aviation School then completing his training in France.

In 1917 the American army had less than one hundred trained pilots, and the manpower needs for the conflict in Europe were enormous.

FR: How did his father, a former president, feel about his son going to war?

C.H-S.: It’s undeniable that Theodore Roosevelt’s personality and ideas definitely marked the choices of his sons and of his entire family.

Theodore Roosevelt’s political perceptiveness concerning the conflict and the worldwide situation in Europe were remarkable. With premonitory insight he warned his countrymen of the economic and strategic dangers of a German victory for Europe as well as for the United States. He was convinced very early on of the necessity for the United States to get involved in Europe. The attitude of his successor in the White House, Woodrow Wilson, and of the latter’s refuge behind political neutrality—which enabled Wilson’s reelection in 1916—distressed Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt early on sought to convince the American people that Wilson’s non-interventionist attitude and his pacifism were reprehensible; he called President Wilson a coward.

To Roosevelt, the United States’ entrance into the conflict in 1917 came very late and he considered the country to be unequipped and that a lot of time had been lost. (As early as 1914, Quentin’s sister Ethel, a nurse, had accompanied to France her husband Richard Derby, a surgeon voluntarily enlisted to work at the American Hospital in Paris.)

President Wilson’s refusal to allow Theodore Roosevelt (“Colonel” Theodore Roosevelt) to enlist, despite the insistence of allies who believed that his presence would have a positive effect on troop morale, left a bitter taste in the former president’s mouth since he was well-known and popular in Europe. His sons, he said, were his pride and his substitution due to the prohibition against being on the front in Europe himself.

In June 1917, his sons Ted and Archie sailed to France and Kermit for Mesopotamia (now Iraq). On July 23, 1917, Quentin sailed for France. For the entire family, participating in the war effort was a question of honor.

FR: What’s known of Quentin’s last dogfight?

C.S-H.: Quentin’s squadron, the 95th Pursuit Squadron, along with 94th Pursuit Squadron were the first American fighter plane squadrons.

On July 14, 1918, the situation in the Chateau-Thierry sector was extremely dangerous. German aviation had very strict orders to prevent any observation and reconnaissance attempts—the great German “Friedensturm” offensive was planned for the following day, July 15. The German commander had given orders to totally neutralize any observation flights along the front line.

On July 14, Quentin’s unit, based at Saints near Château-Thierry, took off early in the morning under the command of Lieutenant Edward Buford. The squadron’s mission was to fly cover for an observation plane of the 88th that would take photos behind the front line The photos were taken and the observation plane headed back to base when German Fokkers appeared. The formation of five American planes that had gone over the front line found themselves faced with a formation of seven German Fokkers.

Confronted with so many enemy planes, Lieutenant Buford decided to cease combat and to bring the unit back behind the lines. The weather was cloudy and windy and visibility wasn’t good. Between cloud layers, Lieutenant Buford caught sight of a Nieuport in difficulty being attacked by three Fokkers. It had apparently been hit. The dogfight lasted five to six minutes. Quentin had thrown himself into combat, undoubtedly the victim of his own great boldness, his bravery and his lack of fear, convinced that he was doing the right thing.

At the same time it was raining in Paris and the allies were parading down the Champs-Elysées for the July 14 French national holiday, Bastille Day.

Quentin was signaled as missing when the other airplanes returned to base. He had been shot down and had crashed in Chamery, in the German zone.

Quentin had deplored the superiority of the new design of the German Fokkers over the older American Nieuports in his letters and had noted the problems of being underequipped that his father had predicted at the start of the conflict.

FR: Quentin’s plane crashed on the other side of the front. The Germans buried him and, conscious that he was the son of a former American president, immediately informed the French military. What’s known about the reaction of the German and the French authorities to his death?

C.S-H.: News of Quentin’s death shocked the entire world. The press everywhere told of his sacrifice, and his courage was saluted unanimously. The Roosevelt name was known and respected by the French as well as by the Germans, both civilians and the military.

On July 15 he was buried in Chamery, a little village in the department of Aisne, at the place where his plane had crashed. An eyewitness described an impressive honor guard of German soldiers giving him military honors at the site.

In keeping with tradition, the broken blades of the propeller and the buckled wheels of his plane marked the site of his tomb surmounted by a wood cross.

A photo of his remains next the plane was taken by the German military. Its use as propaganda to lift troop moral quickly turned out to be extremely counterproductive among both civilians and the German army. It was even quite demoralizing for the troops. The comparison of the courageous son of the former American president dead in aerial combat with the six sons of the Kaiser who maintained a respectful distance from the front was rather unflattering for the latter and further glorified the sacrifice of Quentin and of his brothers Theodore Jr., Archie and Kermit, all on the front and volunteers in the name of the fight against barbarism.

The American press was explicit: On August 4, 1918 the Chicago Sunday Tribune printed photographs of the sons of President Theodore Roosevelt and the sons of the German Kaiser with the heading “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND AUTOCRACY.”

On the French side, Quentin’s death confirmed the admiration and the gratitude for these American volunteers. The high French authorities quickly send their condolences to Theodore and Edith. Quentin was decorated with the Croix de Guerre avec palme [a French medal for exceptional conduct during WWI].

FR: Quentin Roosevelt was killed in aerial combat on July 14, 1918, the French national holiday, Bastille Day? Is that in some way significant?

C.S-H.: Quentin had a rendez-vous with destiny. The symbolic date of his death amplified the prestige of his sacrifice. That date is part of what made him a legend. Le 14 juillet (the 14th of July), the national holiday, date of the storming of the Bastille, is the French equivalent of America’s Independence Day. It’s as though the son of a French president had been killed by the enemies on American soil on a 4th of July!

Quentin’s sacrifice and the Americans who volunteered to enlist in the First World War left a very strong mark in the collective memory; their enthusiasm, their energy and their indefectible faith in doing the right thing lifted the morale of soldiers and of the French people. The ferocious battles that took place in the area around Château-Thierry during the Second Battle of the Marne have marked forever the sites themselves and French-American friendship.

FR: Can you tell us about the reaction of the Roosevelt family to the news of Quentin’s death and the bond it created between the family and France after that?

C.S-H.: President Roosevelt was informed at Sagamore Hill [his home] on the morning of July 17. The reaction of the parents before the press and before the American people was one of great reserve and great dignity. They saluted Quentin’s courage and his sacrifice along with that of all parents whose sons were in danger or had died on the front in a foreign land. They wanted to share their pain with the American people and with parents who suffered as they did. Quentin’s father and mother didn’t ask for any more compassion than ordinary citizens.

In private the shock was violent. It was a shock of the ideals on which Theodore and Edith had built their lives confronted with the reality and pain of Quentin’s death. It’s possible that Theodore couldn’t stand the sense of guilt concerning Quentin’s tragic end. He was devastated. Something was extinguished in Theodore’s heart with Quentin’s death. His family, those close to him and he himself recognized it. The “Lion,” as his family called him, died six months later at the age of 60.

American troops liberated the area of Chamery and discovered Quentin’s tomb several days after his death. His parents wanted Quentin’s remains to stay buried there where he had fallen, and the authorities accommodated their desire.

Early in 1919, Quentin’s mother came to meditate on his tomb. The former First Lady had a fountain built in Quentin’s memory in the village of Chamery.

[Editor’s note: Quentin’s oldest brother Theodore Roosevelt Jr. died during the Invasion of Normandy 1944. After the creation of the Normandy American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, the Roosevelt family sought and obtained permission to have Quentin’s remains exhumed from Chamery and buried beside those of his brother. ]

FR: Beyond the personal story of his engagement in the war and the family tragedy of his death, how do those events fit in with the larger narrative of the war and why do you consider them significant?

C.S-H.: Quentin’s life, his birth, his personality, his intellectual abilities, his charisma and his humor formed an exceptional individual and someone who was extremely likable; he would undoubtedly have made his mark on America’s political or social landscape. He considered himself as someone who was very ordinary yet he had many uncommon qualities.

There’s a tragic and romantic dimension to his destiny about which he had a premonition. He went through very dark phases of depression but he felt that he had a mission that he could not and would not escape. That sentiment appears repeatedly in the letters to his fiancée Flora Payne Whitney. He belongs to a generation that expressed a pressing desire to fight for ideas. It gives pause to consider today the consensus at the time around the determination and the will to fight to the death that invaded the entire society, whatever the price may be. He was only 20 years old yet his letters reveal great maturity.

Reading his letter we can imagine someone for whom friendship was precious. His comrades-in-arms, the soldiers and the mechanics under his orders were unanimous in their great appreciation and respect for him. It’s difficult to fake your personality when death is lying in wait at every mission. Quentin belongs to the collective memory as do all those pilots who died in aerial combat.

He was undoubtedly the most famous American victim of the First World War.

Crushed by his destiny, by the war and by the events that engulfed the world, he would have belonged—had he not carried the Roosevelt name—to the thousands of forgotten aviators and aces who, like Quentin, wanted to bring an end to this war and to its butchery.

[Editor’s note: Regarding American WWI pilots who were killed in action, see also this information about the Escadrille Lafayette Memorial near Paris.]

One of his favorite expressions was “noblesse oblige,” something that defines him well; he carried a famous name that personified courage, it gave him responsibility, and he assumed it with nobility.

He embodied the quote from Theodore Roosevelt engraved on Quentin’s fountain in Chamery: “Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die.”

FR: How did you, as an expert on Quentin Roosevelt, come to be chief curator and director of a museum dedicated to Jean de La Fontaine? What brought you to the La Fontaine Museum?

C.S-H.: It’s because I’m director of the Jean de La Fountaine Museum in Château-Thierry, which is labeled “Musée de France” and “Maison d’écrivain” (Writer’s House), that I became interested in Quentin Roosevelt. My approach was essentially literary. His character emerged through a reading of his letters and through the archives.

Jean de La Fontaine was born in Château-Thierry. The museum occupies a 16th-century home that once belonged to his family and is listed as a Historical Monument. It’s just received from the Ministry of Culture the label “Maison des Illustres” [designating a home of someone “illustrious” or renown]. Restoration of the façade has just been completed.

La Fontaine is one of the great poets of the French literature. He lived in the 17th century, the century of Louis XIV, who both admired and was wary of La Fontaine’s genius. Great artists have illustrated his fables and tales: Fragonard, Oudry, Chagall, Dali, etc.

The museum has collections of exceptional paintings and miniatures as well as a library devoted to the writer.

Quentin knew French literature, including La Fontaine and La Bruyère, and had visited France in his youth. He had been impressed by the Louvre. In his letters he quotes authors in French. Through his education he had a command of French both spoken and written.

FR: English-speakers are especially familiar with Aesop’s fables but few know those of La Fontaine. In what way would the La Fontaine Museum be interesting for those who don’t know the writer’s work?

C.S-H.: Aesop’s fables are known in Anglo-Saxon literature and are found in La Fontaine, whose own work they inspired. The 17th century is the century of fables and tales that were showcased in French literature and at the Court of Louis XIV

La Fontaine uses animal anthropomorphism, putting to the forefront animals such as the fox, the wolf, the hare, the frog, the cat, the town rat and the country rat. That animal world is also the key to the success of Walt Disney, who adapted fables, fairy tales—stories with a moral component, often inspired by European literature. Among his sources of inspiration were the fables of La Fontaine.

The mouse known around the world, Mickey, sticks the tip of his snout into La Fontaine’s animal world. As with La Fontaine, the purpose is to permeate the imagination of children and adults, to get around censures and to give lessons in morality by using animals to give a message or to make situations less alarming.

Walt Disney’s The Tortoise and the Hare, a short film from Silly Symphonies released in 1935, was inspired by a fable that Jean de La Fontaine wrote for the king’s son.

There was a before and an after La Fontaine in literature just as there’s a before and after Walt Disney for their adaptation to the movies. Both are unequaled and incomparable. The fables and the ideals that they convey, such as courage, know no borders and are a bond between our two cultures.

Christiane Sinnig-Haas is the chief curator and director of the Musée Jean de La Fontaine in Château-Thierry. She is founder of the Association pour le Musée Jean de La Fontaine and vice president of the network of Writers’ Houses in the Picardy region.

The responses in this written interview, originally in French, are the copyright of Christiane Sinnig-Haas, 2012. Translation by Gary Lee Kraut.

The post Quentin Roosevelt, President’s Son, the Most Famous American Killed in France in WWI appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

Christiane Sinnig-Haas est conservateur en chef, directrice du Musée Jean de La Fontaine. Elle est Fondatrice de l’Association pour le Musée Jean de La Fontaine et Vice-Présidente du réseau des Maisons d’écrivains de Picardie.

[Click here for the English version of this interview]

France Revisited : D’où vient votre intérêt pour Quentin Roosevelt?

Christiane Sinnig-Haas : C’est une rencontre due au hasard comme beaucoup de rencontres. Son histoire est liée à l’histoire de la première guerre mondiale dans la région de Château-Thierry. En prenant la direction du Musée Jean de La Fontaine de Château-Thierry qui est également une maison d’écrivain, j’ai découvert le destin tragique de Quentin Roosevelt.

Je venais de terminer un ouvrage sur un grand écrivain contemporain chinois Ba Jin qui vécut à Château- Thierry dans les années 20 et que la Ville de Château-Thierry souhaitait mettre à l’honneur quand un ami m’emmena à Chamery sur le lieu où s’était écrasé l’avion de Quentin le 14 juillet 1918.

La Ville de Château-Thierry a consacré l’année 2010 à Quentin Roosevelt.

En approfondissant ma recherche j’ai découvert que Quentin avait laissé de nombreuses lettres relatant sa courte vie avant et après son arrivée en France en tant qu’engagé volontaire.

Il avait hérité de son père, le président Théodore Roosevelt, le goût de l’écriture. Son frère Kermit avait publié en 1921 une sélection des lettres de Quentin. Entre les lignes se dessinait le portrait d’un jeune homme extrêmement sympathique et brillant : Quentin.

Je me suis ensuite rendue à Harvard, à Sagamore Hill, à Washington pour mieux appréhender la réalité de son quotidien. C’est par ses lettres et les archives conservées de la famille que je suis entrée dans le monde de Quentin Roosevelt.

Une autre rencontre a été déterminante celle de Richard Derby Williams et de son épouse Mary. Petit-fils d’Ethel la sœur de Quentin dont il était très proche, Richard Derby Williams attache comme toute la famille Roosevelt une grande importance à l’hommage rendu au sacrifice de Quentin. Il a été extrêmement positif pour ce projet en anglais . Il connaît bien Château-Thierry et les amis de longue date de Quentin. Sa grand-mère, Ethel Roosevelt Derby, gardienne de la mémoire de la famille avait notamment établi des liens d’amitiés avec un couple d’instituteurs du lieu, les Coret qui ont perpétré la célébration du Memorial Day sur la tombe de Quentin à Chamery, commune de Coulanges-Cohan à partir de 1954.

Ces liens chaleureux ont été entretenus par son petit-fils Richard Derby Williams et la famille, l’Association Théodore Roosevelt, les autorités locales, la Ville de Château-Thierry, et le célèbre site de Bois-Belleau.

FR : Quentin Roosevelt, le fils cadet du Président Theodore Roosevelt, est souvent décrit comme étant le préféré de son père. Pourquoi ?

C.S-H. : Comme son nom l’indique Quentin était le cinquième enfant de Théodore et Edith Roosevelt. Sa demi-sœur Alice , sa mère Edith n’ont pas manqué de souligner qu’il était sans doute le plus doué des enfants du Président et doté d’un solide sens de l’humour.

Il fit preuve très tôt d’une grande audace, il était téméraire et avait peu d’inhibition physique, ce qui effrayait ses parents.Intelligent, plein de joie de vivre, direct, sensible et inventif, il était un leader né comme en témoignent très tôt les épisodes de la White House Gang durant sa jeunesse qui ont fait les délices de la presse et des américains. Le Président attachait une grande importance au développement de son sens des responsabilités et des principes et canalisait cette fougue où il se reconnaissait. Excellent élève, son goût pour la lecture et l’écriture fut encouragé par ses parents.

Théodore Roosevelt nourrissait de grandes ambitions pour Quentin en qui il voyait peut-être un successeur politique potentiel. Il avait des traits communs avec son père, physiquement et intellectuellement. Théodore n’avait pas manqué de percevoir un charisme certain chez Quentin.

Etudiant à Harvard, Quentin devint le confident épistolier de son père qui lui faisait part de ses opinions notamment en matière de politique intérieure et extérieure. Comme le Président il avait du charme et beaucoup d’énergie, il était sincère et appliquait les principes auxquels il croyait. Quentin de son côté avait une admiration absolument sans borne pour son père qu’il adorait.

FR : D’où vient la passion de Quentin pour les avions et comment est-il devenu pilote?

C.S-H. : Très tôt Quentin étonna son entourage par sa grande attirance et ses talents innés pour la mécanique, c’était une passion et un don. En août 1909 au cours d’un voyage avec sa famille en Europe, il fut bouleversé par la beauté d’un show aérien à Reims, ce fut pour lui une révélation, il avait 12 ans. Il reviendra dans cette région en 1918, pilote engagé volontaire à la rencontre de son destin.

Dés son jeune âge ses poèmes traduisent cette fascination pour l’aviation, la mécanique, les moteurs. Son enthousiasme pour ses expériences mécaniques n’était pas toujours partagé par la famille. Etudiant à Harvard il souhaitait compléter son cursus au MIT et avait déclaré vouloir devenir ingénieur en mécanique.

Par ailleurs Théodore Roosevelt avait compris très tôt l’importance stratégique qu’allait prendre l’aviation dans le conflit en Europe, notamment après la première bataille de la Marne. Il avait écrit des articles à ce sujet et Quentin en était tout à fait informé.

En avril 1917 lors de l’entrée en guerre des Etats-Unis, Quentin qui était à Harvard avait immédiatement informé ses parents de sa décision de s’engager pour devenir pilote de chasse, malgré des problèmes de dos et de vue. Son père lui accorda tout son soutien et adhéra totalement à sa décision.Avant de partir pour la France en juillet il sera formé à l’Ecole d’aviation de Mineola, formation qui sera complétée ensuite en France.

L’armée américaine avait moins d’une centaine de pilotes entraînés en 1917, les besoins du conflit en Europe étaient énormes.

FR : Que pensait le père de Quentin, ancien président, du désir de son fils à s’engager dans la guerre?

C.S-H. : Il est incontestable que la personnalité de Théodore Roosevelt, ses idées ont définitivement marquées le choix de ses fils et de toute sa famille. La clairvoyance politique de Théodore Roosevelt concernant le conflit et la situation mondiale en Europe étaient remarquables. D’une perspicacité prémonitoire il mettait en garde ses concitoyens contre les dangers économiques et stratégiques d’une victoire allemande pour l’Europe comme pour les Etats-Unis. Il fut très tôt convaincu de la nécessité de l’engagement des Etats Unis en Europe.

L’attitude de son successeur à la Maison Blanche Woodrow Wilson et son refuge dans une neutralité prudente -qui permit d’ailleurs la réélection de Wilson en 1916 -était un désespoir pour Théodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt a très tôt cherché à convaincre le peuple américain que l’attitude de non-ingérence et le pacifisme de Wilson étaient condamnables; il traitait le Président Wilson de lâche.

L’entrée des Etats-Unis dans le conflit en 1917 lui semblait très tardive, il estimait le pays sous équipé et beaucoup de temps avait été perdu malgré sa véhémence.

Dés 1914 la sœur de Quentin, Ethel avait accompagné comme infirmière son époux Richard Derby chirurgien engagé volontaire à Hôpital Américain de Paris.

Le refus du président Wilson de l’engagement de Théodore Roosevelt malgré l’insistance des alliés, qui pensaient que sa présence aurait un effet positif pour le moral des troupes fut très amèrement ressentie par Théodore Roosevelt qui était connu et populaire en Europe.

Ses fils comme il le disait étaient sa fierté, sa substitution à l’interdiction qui lui était faite d’être sur le front en Europe. En juin 1917 ses fils Ted et Archie embarquaient pour la France, Kermit pour la Mésopotamie (Irak actuel). Le 23 juillet 1917 Quentin embarquait pour la France. Pour toute la famille participer à cet effort de guerre était une question d’honneur.

FR : Que sait-on de son dernier combat aérien?

C.S-H. : L’escadrille de Quentin la 95th Pursuit Squadron  ainsi que la 94 th Pursuit Squadron ont été les premières escadrilles de chasse aérienne américaine.

Ce 14 juillet 1918 la situation du secteur de Château-Thierry était extrêmement dangereuse. L’aviation allemande avait des ordres très stricts pour empêcher toute tentative d’observation et de reconnaissance : la grande offensive allemande «  Friedensturm » était prévue pour le lendemain 15 juillet. Le commandement allemand avait donné des ordres pour neutraliser absolument tout vol d’observation sur la ligne de front.

Le 14 juillet l’unité de Quentin basée prés de Château -Thierry à Saints décolla tôt ce matin là sous le commandement du lieutenant Buford Edward. La mission de l’escadrille était de couvrir un avion d’observation du 88 th qui prenait des photos derrière la ligne de front. Les clichés avaient pu être pris  et l’avion d’observation était reparti vers la base lorsque des Fokkers de chasse allemands apparurent. La formation des cinq avions américains qui avaient  franchi la ligne de front s’est trouvée face à une formation de 7 Fokkers allemands.

Le lieutenant Buford devant le grand nombre d’avions ennemis décida de cesser le combat et de ramener l’unité derrière les lignes. Le temps était couvert, nuageux, il y avait du vent et la visibilité n’était pas bonne. Le lieutenant Buford aperçu un avion Nieuport en difficulté entre les couches de nuages, attaqué par trois Fokkers et qui avait apparemment été touché. Le combat avait duré cinq à six minutes.

Quentin s’était jeté dans le combat sans doute victime de sa grande témérité, de sa bravoure  et de son manque de peur, convaincu de son bon droit. Au même moment il pleuvait à Paris et les alliés défilaient sur les Champs Elysées pour la parade du 14 juillet. Au retour l’avion de Quentin était signalé manquant : il avait été abattu et s’était écrasé à Chamery en zone allemande.

La supériorité des appareils allemands : des Fokkers de chasse de conception nouvelle sur les appareils américains de vieux Nieuport avait été déplorée par Quentin dans ses lettres et rappelait les problèmes de sous équipement que son père le Colonel Roosevelt avait prédit dés le début du conflit.

FR : L’avion de Quentin s’est écrasé au delà du front. Les allemands l’ont enterré et conscients qu’il était le fils d’un ancien président américain ont prévenu immédiatement les français de sa mort. Que sait-on de la réaction des autorités allemands et des français par rapport à sa mort?

C.S-H. : La mort de Quentin a été un choc dans le monde entier, la presse a relaté son sacrifice dans tous les pays et son courage a été salué de façon unanime. Le nom de Roosevelt était connu et respecté des français comme des allemands, civils et militaires.

Le 15 juillet il a été enterré à Chamery, petit village de l’Aisne à l’endroit où son avion s’est écrasé. Un témoin oculaire mentionne une garde d’honneur impressionnante de soldats allemands lui rendant les honneurs militaires sur le site. Conformément à la tradition les pales brisées de l’hélice et les roues voilées de son avion ont marqué l’emplacement de sa tombe surmontée d’une croix de bois.

La photo de sa dépouille à côté de l’avion a été prise par les services allemands. Son exploitation à des fins de propagande pour remonter le moral des troupes s’est très vite révélée extrêmement contre-productive au sein de la population comme de l’armée allemande. Elle était même très démoralisante pour les troupes.

La comparaison du courageux fils du président américain mort en combat aérien avec celle des six fils du Kaiser qui se tenaient à distance respectueuse du front était peu flatteuse et glorifiait encore davantage le sacrifice de Quentin et de ses frères Théodore, Archie et Kermit tous au front et volontaires au nom du combat contre la barbarie.

La presse américaine était explicite : Le Chicago Sunday Tribune du 4 août 1918  affichait la photo des fils du président Théodore Roosevelt et des fils du Kaiser allemand avec comme titre «  LA DIFFERENCE ENTRE DEMOCRACIE ET AUTOCRACIE ». Cela ne laissait aucun doute sur l’opinion publique partagée largement au-delà des frontières.

Du côté français la mort de Quentin confirmait l’admiration et la reconnaissance pour ces volontaires américains. Les hautes autorités françaises ont très vite fait part de leurs condoléances à Théodore et à Edith. Quentin a été décoré de la Croix de Guerre avec palme.

FR : Quentin Roosevelt est mort lors d’un combat aérien le 14 juillet 1918, jour de la fête nationale française. Cela a-t-il une importance particulière?

C.S-H. : Quentin est allé à la rencontre de son destin. La date symbolique de son décès  a amplifié  le prestige de son sacrifice. Cette date fait partie de son entrée dans la légende. Le 14 juillet français, jour de fête nationale de la prise de la Bastille est l’équivalant français de l’Independence Day américain. C’est un peu, comme si le fils d’un président français avait été abattu par les ennemis sur le sol américain un 4th of July !

Le sacrifice de Quentin et des volontaires américains de la première guerre mondiale a laissé un souvenir très fort dans la mémoire collective, leur enthousiasme, leur énergie, leur indéfectible foi en leur bon droit avaient remonté le moral des soldats et du peuple français. Les batailles féroces menées dans le secteur de Château Thierry dans le cadre de la seconde bataille de la Marne ont marqué à jamais les lieux et l’amitié franco-américaine.

FR : Le président Roosevelt est mort six mois après son fils, à l’âge de 60 ans. Pourriez-vous nous parler de la réaction de la famille Roosevelt lors de la nouvelle de la mort de Quentin et les liens que cela a créé entre la famille et la France par la suite ? 

C.S-H. : Le Président Roosevelt a été informé à Sagamore Hill dans la matinée du 17 juillet  La réaction des parents devant la presse et devant le peuple américain a été d’une grande réserve et d’une grande dignité, saluant le courage de Quentin et son sacrifice, incluant ce sacrifice dans celui de tous les parents dont les fils étaient en danger ou morts sur le front en terre étrangère.

Ils voulaient partager cette douleur avec le peuple américain et les parents dans la peine comme eux. Le père et la mère de Quentin ne souhaitaient pas plus de compassion que des citoyens ordinaires En privé, le choc fut très violent, choc des idéaux sur lesquels Théodore et Edith avaient construit leurs vies avec la réalité de la douleur de la disparition de Quentin. Il n’est pas exclu que Théodore ne pouvait supporter un sentiment de culpabilité concernant la fin tragique de Quentin. Il était dévasté. Quelque chose s’est éteint dans le cœur de Théodore avec la disparition de Quentin, sa famille, ses proches, et lui-même le reconnaissaient. Le «  Lion » comme le surnommait sa famille s’éteindra six mois plus tard à l’âge de 60 ans.

Les troupes américaines ont libéré le secteur de Chamery et ont découvert la tombe de Quentin quelques jours après sa mort. Ses parents souhaitaient que Quentin repose là où il était tombé et les autorités ont tenu compte de ce souhait.

Au début de l’année 1919 la mère de Quentin viendra s’y recueillir. L’ex First Lady fera construire une fontaine à la mémoire de Quentin dans le village de Chamery.

FR : Au delà de son engagement personnel dans la guerre et de la tragédie familiale de sa mort, en quoi l’histoire de Quentin Roosevelt est-elle importante?

C.S-H. : La vie de Quentin , sa naissance , sa personnalité , ses capacités intellectuelles , son charisme, son humour, en faisaient une personnalité hors norme et quelqu’un d’extrêmement attachant et il aurait sans doute compté dans le paysage politique ou social américain. Il se qualifiait de très ordinaire, mais il avait beaucoup de qualités peu communes. Il y a une dimension tragique et romantique dans son destin dont Il avait la prémonition.   Il passait par des phases de dépression très noires  mais se sentait investi d’une mission à laquelle il ne pouvait et ne voulait pas échapper. Cela apparaît de façon récurrente dans les lettres à sa fiancée Flora Payne Whitney. Il appartient à une génération qui exprime un désir impérieux de se battre pour des idées. Ce consensus autour de cette détermination et de cette volonté de lutte à mort qui envahissait toute la société de son temps quelque soit le prix à payer donne à réfléchir.

Il avait vingt ans, mais ses lettres sont d’une grande maturité. En le lisant on se dit qu’il était quelqu’un dont l’amitié était précieuse. Ses compagnons d’armes, les soldats, les mécaniciens sous ses ordres étaient unanimes, et avaient pour lui une grande sympathie et du respect : il est difficile de tricher sur votre personnalité quand la mort vous guette à chaque mission.

Quentin appartient à la mémoire collective, comme tous ces pilotes qui ont trouvé la mort en combat aérien. Il fut sans doute la victime américaine la plus célèbre de la première guerre mondiale. Broyé par son destin, par la guerre, par des évènements qui laminaient le monde, il aurait fait partie -sans le nom qu’il portait -des milliers d’aviateurs et as oubliés qui avaient comme lui le désir de faire cesser cette guerre , de faire cesser cette boucherie.

L’une de ses expressions préférées était «  noblesse oblige » et cela le définit très bien. Il portait un nom célèbre qui personnifiait le courage, il avait cette responsabilité, et l’a assumé avec noblesse. Il incarnait la citation de Théodore Roosevelt gravée sur la fontaine de Quentin à Chamery : “Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die”. “Seuls sont bien vivants ceux qui n’ont pas peur de mourir”.

FR : Comment se fait-il qu’une experte sur Quentin Roosevelt soit également directrice d’un musée consacré à Jean de La Fontaine? Qu’est ce qui vous a amené au Musée La Fontaine?

C.S-H. : C’est parce que je suis conservateur directrice du musée Jean de La Fontaine de Château-Thierry qui est labellisé Musée de France, mais aussi Maison d’écrivain que je me suis intéressée à Quentin Roosevelt, l’approche a été essentiellement littéraire , le personnage s’est dessiné ensuite au fil des lettres, et des archives.

Jean de La Fontaine est né à Château-Thierry. Le musée est un hôtel particulier qui fut propriété de la famille classé monument historique, il vient d’être labellisé Maison des Illustres. La restauration des façades vient d’être achevée.

La Fontaine est l’un des plus grands poètes de la langue française, il a vécu au 17ème siècle, siècle de Louis 14 qui admirait et se méfiait du génie de La Fontaine. Les plus grands artistes ont illustré ses fables et ses contes Fragonard, Oudry, Chagall, Dali …

Le musée possède des collections de peintures et de miniatures tout à fait exceptionnelles mais aussi une bibliothèque unique consacrée à cet écrivain.

Quentin connaissait la littérature française, La Fontaine, mais aussi La Bruyère et il avait visité la France  dans sa jeunesse. Il avait été impressionné par le Louvre. Dans ses lettres il cite les auteurs en français dans le texte. De par son éducation il maîtrisait le français aussi bien à l’oral qu’à l’écrit.

FR : Les Anglophones connaissent surtout les fables d’Esope mais peu celles de La Fontaine. En quoi le Musée La Fontaine pourrait-il donc intéresser ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas à priori cet auteur?

C.S-H. : Les fables d’Esope sont connues dans la littérature anglo-saxonne et se retrouvent chez La Fontaine qui s’en est inspiré. Le 17ème siècle est le siècle des fables et des contes qui ont été remis à l’honneur dans la littérature française et à la cour de Louis XIV.

L’anthropomorphisme animal est présent chez La Fontaine, il a mis au premier plan des animaux comme le renard, le loup, le lièvre, la grenouille, le chat, le rat de ville et le rat des champs, ce monde animal est la clé du succès de Walt Disney qui a lui aussi adapté les fables, les contes de fées, les histoires à visée morale et souvent d’inspiration  européenne. Parmi ses sources d’inspiration figurent les fables de La Fontaine.

La souris mondialement connue Mickey pointe le bout de son museau dans le monde de La Fontaine. Comme chez La Fontaine il s’agit d’imprégner l’imaginaire des enfants et des adultes et de détourner la censure, de donner des leçons de morale en se servant des animaux pour faire passer un message ou dédramatiser des situations.

Le Lièvre et la Tortue de Walt Disney, un court métrage des Silly Symphonies sorti en 1935 s’inspire de la fable de Jean de La Fontaine, qui l’avait écrite pour le fils du roi, le jeune dauphin.

Il y a eu un avant et après La Fontaine dans la littérature comme il y a eu un avant et un après Walt Disney pour l’adaptation au cinéma. Ils sont inégalés et inégalables tous les deux.

Les fables et les idéaux qu’elles véhiculent comme le courage n’ont pas de frontière et sont un lien entre nos deux cultures.

Réponses dans cet entretien avec Gary Lee Kraut paru en premier lieu sur France Revisited en juillet 2012 © Christiane Sinng-Haas.

Christiane Sinnig-Haas est conservateur en chef, directrice du Musée Jean de La Fontaine. Elles est Fondatrice de l’Association pour le Musée Jean de La Fontaine et Vice-Présidente du réseau des Maisons d’écrivains de Picardie.

The post Quentin Roosevelt, fils du président américain, mort pour la France le 14 juillet 1918 appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

It was one of those sights or grouping of sights that I kept hearing about and that I kept ignoring. Each time it rose to the top of my list of places to visit in the months ahead I would push it back a few notches.

Yet Chateau Thierry eventually made it to the top of that list—in part because I’d already toured and written so much about the WWII D-Day Landing Zone that had become increasingly interested in the WWI landscape of France; in part because the 100th anniversary of The Great War, the Der Des Ders, is approaching; and finally because I had the opportunity to interview and tour the WWI sights near Chateau-Thierry with David Atkinson, Superintendent of the Aisne-Marne American War Cemetery.

Before moving on to other work on the subject of these sights, here is a photolog of a day’s visit.

The Chateau-Thierry War Monument overlooks the town and the Marne Valley from above the Champagne vineyards at the top of a hill two miles west of the town center. I arrived on a day of low clouds and on-and-off rain. Though Chateau Thierry is administratively in the department of Aisne, the Champagne vineyards start here.

I went up for closer look at the double colonnade monument constructed to “commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of American and French fighting men in the region and cooperation of French and American forces during World War I.”

Constructed in 1930, the memorial was designed by Paul Cret, the French-American architect who received numerous commissions to create war memorials and battlefield monuments in Europe and in the United States. The American Battle Monuments Commission, “guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memories,” was created in 1923.

A description of the significance of the battles involving American soldiers that began in the Marne Valley is engraved on the memorial.

Figures representing the United States and France hold hands at the center of the west façade.

Visitors unfamiliar with the region may have difficulty situating the towns on the map below of the Aisne-Marne Salient that’s engraved on the monument. You’ll notice that the big Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims are just to the east and northeast. Among the WWI sites indicated on the map, the Chemin des Dames (near the top of the map), a ridge of tunnels and trenches presented now in a museum on the site, also makes for a worthy stop for more extensive war touring in the region.

The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery is 4.5 miles northwest of the monument, 6.5 miles from the town. The cemetery and the woods above it comprise the area’s main WWI sight for symbolic value and, though largely unknown to Americans, those woods are of utmost to members of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Belleau Wood: the very name is a battle cry for the Marines Corps. It was in the fierce Battle of Belleau Wood that the Marines earned their military lettres de noblesse by holding off an important sector of the final German offensives of 1918, before pursuing, along with French and British forces, the advances that would eventually lead to Germany’s recognition of defeat in the form of the Armistice of November 11.

The Army was naturally also a major force along this front though the headlines at the time emphasized the Marines, so there remains a hearty rivalry between Army and Marines as to the credit each deserves. In any case, 17% of those buried at this cemetery were Marines, according to David Atkinson, Superintendent of the Aisne-Marne Cemetery.

With drama similar to the position of the Normandy American Cemetery on the cliff above the once-bloodied tides of Omaha Beach, the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery lies at the foot of the great battleground that was Belleau Wood.

The cemetery, more particularly Belleau Wood itself, has ever since been a pilgrimage site for the Marines. On leave from Afganistan or Iraq or stationed elsewhere, says Atkinson, Marines will come here and ask (or frequently not ask) to spend the night in the woods.

David Atkinson’s American father landed in Normandy a week after D-Day and took part in the Battle of Normandy 1944 as part of the Engineering Corps… and met Atkinson’s French mother there.

Atkinson oversaw the cemetery as superintendent from 2002 to 2003 and again beginning in 2007. [Post-note: David Atkinson retired from the position in 2015.]

He says that despite the site’s significance in American military history, no sitting president has visited the site, though Nixon visited after his presidency. The cemetery nevertheless hosts one of Europe’s largest American Memorial Day commemorations.

The cemetery contains the remains of 2289 war dead, most of whom fought in the vicinity and in the Marne Valley in the late spring and summer of 1918. The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, a 30-minute drive (about 17 miles) northeast of here near the town of Fère-en-Tardenois, contains far more tombs (6012) than Aisne-Marne, however the latter’s connection with Belleau Wood gives it its special symbolic meaning.

Eighty, ninety years on, it’s necessary to replace or restore some of the original Italian marble headstones.

Inside the chapel…

… the walls are inscribed with the names of 1060 originally listed as missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered or identified.

A German Cemetery with the remains of 8625 soldiers lies a half-mile up the road.

Superintendent Atkinson took me on a tour of Belleau Wood, where we stopped to overlook the chapel…

… and to glimpse the cemetery between the trees.

The outline of trenches of 1918 can still be seen in Belleau Wood.

Captured Germany artillery is still there.

A monument shows a Marine attacking with rifle and bayonet.

The thickest of the oak trees standing in the woods were witness to the fighting of June 1918. Superintendent Atkinson says that visiting Marines will often want to take a piece of the wood home with them, harming trees in the process. That led him to carve up some trees that were to be removed anyway in efforts to preserve Belleau Wood and to offer up engraved pieces as gifts to visiting Marines and to certain other curious visitors.

I thank him for including me among the latter. Here is my piece of Belleau Wood, along with the flags he kindly supplied.

Practical information

Opening times: The cemetery is open daily from 9am to 5pm except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Getting there: Chateau Thierry is 54 miles east from Paris, an hour by train or by car. Reims is another 30 minutes further east. By car, the war sights are easily visited just off the A-4 autoroute on the way to or from Champagne or on an overnight in the Chateau Thierry area. By train, it’s possible to take a taxi to the monument and to the cemetery or to rent a car for the day.

Tourist information: The official tourist website for Chateau Thierry and the surrounding area in this southern portion of the department of Aisne.

Tours: For an excursion combining war touring and champagne vineyards see here.

Other articles about WWI touring in and near Chateau-Thierry

ABMC WWI Museum Opens at Château-Thierry’s American Monument
Château-Thierry Reaffirms Its Bond with the United States
Quentin Roosevelt, President’s Son, the Most Famous American Killed in France in WWI

Other notable sights in and near Chateau Thierry

Museum of the Treasure of the Hotel Dieu
The town’s most artful site is its Hotel Dieu, a former convent and Church-run hospital-cum-public hospital that presents its treasure-trove of paintings, sculptures, earthenware, furniture and religious articles, all of which were donated to the institution over the centuries. Chateau Thierry’s Hotel Dieu was founded by Queen Jeanne de Navarre in 1304 and had its heyday as a religious institution thanks to major benefactors of the late 17th and 18th centuries. Among modern benefactors are the Friends of French Art California who helped finance the restoration of a painting and a buffet. A guided tour (the only way to access the museum) explains the history of the institution, opens the doors to its treasures, and tells the fascinating and sometimes horrific story of the cloistered life. The Hotel Dieu served as a public hospital until 1983 and remains the property of the public hospital system. There are limited touring times (Fri. and Sat. Nov.-March, also Sun. April-Oct.), so check the website in advance for times and/or call town hall (03 23 83 51 14) for a reservation.

The La Fontaine Museum
Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) is the French-speaking world’s most famous fable teller. (The English-speaking world is more familiar with the work of Aesop, whose work comes to us from Greek then Roman Antiquity.) La Fontaine’s birthplace and family home, dating from 1559, has been a museum in his honor since 1876 and has recently been restored. Open daily except Monday.

Chateau de Condé
There’s little to be seen of the castle that gave Chateau Thierry its name, but there is a notable private chateau 10 miles east that’s open to the public. The Chateau de Condé, in the village of Condé en Brie, is rather under-visited considering the quality of its décor of the 17th and 18th centuries and the possibility of encountering members of the Pasté de Rochefort family, owners since 1983. Open April 15-Oct. 15 daily except Mon., 2:30-5:30pm. Open for groups upon reservation at other times.

Dance with the Eagles
A live outdoor show of birds of prey is held daily April 1-Nov. 2 by the ruins of Thierry’s castle. Here, to close the American theme of this photolog, is an American Bald Eagle that I met in its dressing room after the show.

Photos and text © 2011, Gary Lee Kraut.

For another article about WWI memorials and cemeteries in northern France read “Olivier Dirson, WWI Battlefield Guide: One History Leads to Another.”

The post An Hour from Paris: Chateau Thierry’s American WWI Sights (photolog) appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.