Deliverance Day Remembered

We have a house in Normandy and every community still commemorates is own individual Deliverance day with services and parades. For my commune it is a date in July when the Americans finally drove the Germans out. The commemorative events always include telling the story of what happened and listing all those who died, civilian casualties far out numbered military.

I am there now - posted something on "Today I have..." we have found all the experiences extremely moving, we have been able to meet several veterans of the Deliverance, and their stories add to what you say. I have learned so much.

Deliverance day? I haven't heard that before. I think the D was just the D in Day as here in Normandy it is called Jour J.
Our commemoration will be in August as that is when the British and Canadians got here. Our local town is Falaise, where 80% of the town was destroyed and you can still see the shell holes in the churches.

Do you know the little museum at Ouistreham and the Commando display - "Ceux qui portaient le beret vert" ?

There is a very good one at Montormel with a memorial to the Polish division who held the "Falaise gap" until the Americans and Canadians arrived. There is a magnificent view and you can look down and understand exactly why it was called the Falaise pocket, which is where the serious fighting of the Normandy campaign ended in mid-August 1944 and thousands of German soldiers died or were captured.

In France all those who served in the last war, no matter where that was get free entry to all the museums and other venues that commemorate the war.

My father until his death 5 years ago used to get a real kick out of wandering nonchalantly through the turnstiles saying 'ancien combatant'. He, five of his brothers and his father served in the army during the war, 2 went over on D Day +3 and fought their way through to Berlin. My father reckoned the family had earned his free entry into the museums.