1944 – 2024

 

THE LESLEY J. MCNAIR  THEATER IN CALLAS, FRANCE (1945)

 

Calas (Bouches-du-Rhône), France, June 19, 1945: the Lesley J. McNair open-air theater is the largest of all those built in transit camps. The bleachers, which can seat up to 17,000 people, are set in a valley naturally predisposed to shows and film screenings. (John Vergis / Archives Municipales de Marseille, 129 Fi 172)

 

Dear MDFDE and Friends of the “Merci Train,”

 

As Marseille celebrated, last week, the 80th Anniversary of its Liberation with a two-day celebration (August 27-28) of the Provence Landings (August 15-28, 1944) — THE SECOND D-DAY, the most successful large-scale Allied operation of the entire World War II — launched in the south of France via “Operation Dragoon” (August 15, 1944), by the French and Allied Armies, leading to Nazi Germany’s capitulation on August 28, 1944.

I am thrilled to introduce you to a friend of mine, Frédéric MARTY, a French archaeologist and project manager at the AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE METROPOLIS. One of Frédéric MARTY ‘s most important archaeological works over the years was the rediscovery in 2013 of the U.S. camp for German prisoners of war (POWs) set during and post-WWII at Miramas (Bouches-du-Rhône), about 63 km from Marseille, in the south of France.

Based on Frédéric MARTY’s research, he and his Team have created a unique exhibition covering the complete story of the American presence in Provence under the leadership of U. S. Brigadier General John P. RATAY, Deputy G-2 of the Western Task Force as Deputy in the North African Landings (November 1942), a crucial part of the Allied operations in North Africa, who, thereafter, became successively  commander of the Atlantic Base Section in Morocco – the 20th Port Training Command in North Africa – the Northern Base Section in Corsica (1944) and the General Delta Base Section, Southern Line of Communications, in southern France (1944-1946). This must-see exhibition will be running from October 17, 2024, to January 19, 2025 at the Edgar Mélik Museum in Cabriès (Bouches-du-Rhône), about 58 km from Miramas.

To help us better understand the pivotal role played by the United States in the Liberation and Reconstruction of Provence post-WWII — a less-known human saga of the Provence Landings which surely deserves as much study and coverage as the Normandy Landings — here is a short presentation of the said upcoming AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE-METROPOLIS  Exhibition by Frédéric MARTY.

Kindest regards to all,

Elisabeth Jenssen Founder & President

Friends of Laperouse USA

Chair, #MDFDEFriendshipMerciTrain75

Le Mouvement des Français de l’Étranger (MDFDE) French and Francophones Abroad

Liaison of the American Legion (USA-Europe) for the Friendship Train and the Merci Train

 

Exhibition: The American Provence.

From Liberation to Reconstruction (1944-1947)

 

COMMEMORATING THE 80th ANNIVERSARY

OF THE LIBERATION OF PROVENCE

 

2024 IS A GREAT DATE IN HISTORY with the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Provence landings and the Liberation. This will be complimented by additional commemorations of the Victory in Europe in 2025. The Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis has chosen to celebrate this year event from a unique perspective, namely an archaeological exhibition that will be running at the Edgar Mélik Museum in Cabriès (France) from October 17, 2024 to January 19, 2025.

The Landing on the Var coast — the Mediterranean Landing — on August 15, 1944, was primarily a U. S. operation with the help, mostly at sea, of the British forces and, to a lesser degree, the French Army. Its success was instantaneous: the American Army, advancing towards the Rhone Valley, thus liberated inland Provence in ten days. However, the main battles of the Provence campaign took place in Toulon and Marseille between August 19 and August 28, 1944. The said campaign was mainly led by diverse French forces under Gen. Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, commander of the highly composite Army B, a corps mostly made up of the Empire, colonial troops from North Africa backed by the Resistance groups (the Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur). However, the French Army, integrated into the American 7th Army, depended entirely on the equipment provided by the United States for its operations. 

The American Army wasted no time in setting up the logistics to fully supply the Allied units leading the offensive up the Rhone valley. Eager to end the war in Europe so its military units could be redeployed to the Pacific theater, from 1944 to 1946 the U.S. Army built the largest logistical facilities in the European theater throughout Marseille and all the neighboring towns in its area (Crau, Etang de Berre, Aix-en-Provence region…)Cohabitation between local residents and hundreds of thousands of Americans then in transit there left traces in the people’s memories, the archives and the earth.

The exhibition highlights the French Army’s commitment through its various components as well as the singularity of American presence in the south of France during this brief historical period, which has recently been the subject of renewed scientific research, thus bringing to light a coherent historical narrative on the scale of Marseille’s region that is still little-known to the general public.

A Shared Heritage Combining History and Archaeology

 

At a time when the French Ministry of Culture is emphasizing the study of contemporary conflicts and the collective memory — while using an original point of view that has yet to be fully exploited, the aim is to highlight recent scientific findings and those currently under study, specific to the Marseille area but directly linked to World history.

The aim is to show both the coherence of the American presence in the Marseille area and even beyond, but also the diversity of its manifestations, combining History, archival documents and archaeological remains to emphasize the human dimension. The public must be able to share a common heritage and legacy and be fully aware of how important it is for all of us to protect and promote this exceptional cultural and historical heritage.

Indeed, the theme of the Second World War touches a wide audience because it echoes a collective and family memory that is often still alive. From near and far, all families have been affected by this event, whether these people were combatants, resistance fighters or civilians, and whatever were their origins (French from mainland France or Algeria, colonials, Europeans, Americans…). Moreover, witnesses to this recent history are gradually gone over time, making it imperative to pass these memories on to the younger generations. Who remembers today how the French natives, the Europeans from North Africa, the Algerians and the Moroccans fought side by side for the Liberation of Provence? Who today realizes, when riding the TGV across the Arbois plateau near Calas, that they are passing through what was then home to the largest American military camp in Europe?

Discovering U.S. Camps for German POWs and U.S. Transit Camps

 

The exhibition’s originality lies in the cross-referencing of the different sources being used with an emphasis on the role archaeology plays in understanding recent conflicts. Indeed, the rediscovery in 2013 — and subsequent excavation in 2015 — of an American prison camp for German POWs in Miramas, near Marseille, revealed for the very first time the enormous scientific potential of WWII US camps in the south of France. Some of the discovered objects thus finally presented to the public will address the issue of the treatment of German POWs and their living conditions inside the camp. Combs, toothpaste tubes, Coca-Cola bottles, clothing and camp handicrafts thus tell the story of their daily life made up of hard work and strategies to improve their condition. Archival documents, prisoner drawings and enlarged period photographs, enriching the knowledge of the context, thus help to make the connection to Continental Central Prisoners of War Enclosure #404. This large central camp, the only one of its kind in the south of France, housed prisoners captured throughout Europe before being assigned to work camps such as the one in Miramas. It was annexed to the larger Delta Staging Area in Calas, which transited American troops redeployed to the Pacific front or were repatriated to the United States.

More than two million soldiers passed through the port of Marseille on their way out of Europe. The remains of the huge U.S. facilities built to accommodate the men and store equipment and supplies are still visible in today’s landscape, particularly on the Arbois plateau designed to house up to 100,000 soldiers. These traces, which tend to fade with time, have made it possible to recreate the original layout of a U.S. camp covering almost 750 hectares (over 2.89 square miles). Videos made by the U.S. Army show the intense activity that reigned there. Thus we discover an open-air theater, set up at the bottom of a valley, which could accommodate up to 17,000 soldiers attending the shows then given by such famous stars as Marlene Dietrich or Mickey Rooney.

After addressing the theme of relationships between American soldiers and the local population, the last part of the exhibition explores the future of the recent past. Indeed, for almost fifteen years, archaeological remains relating to the Second World War have been the subject of scientific research guided by new issues. Soil archives thus contribute to the development of historical discourse by providing unpublished data and tangible evidence of the recent past. However, their relative temporal proximity does not protect them from rapid disappearance. This irreplaceable and fragile heritage must therefore be rigorously protected so that it can be passed on to future generations in the best conditions to nourish our collective memory.

Frédéric MARTY CHEF DE PROJET (Project Mgr.)

ARCHÉOLOGIE – CONSERVATION – CULTURAL HERITAGE

Office: 04 42 11 27 73

Division du Patrimoine Culturel — Service actions et programmations culturelles — Direction développement et réseaux culturels — Pôle réseaux culturels, sportifs et gestion d’équipements  — DGD transition environnementale, culture, sport et équipements

LA MÉTROPOLE AIX-MARSEILLE-PROVENCE 

Le Pharo 58, boulevard Charles-Livon 13007 Marseille

BP 48014 – 13567 Marseille Cedex 02

Related links:

https://www.europeremembers.com/stories/15/jean-de-lattre-de-tassigny

McNair, Lesley James, 1883-1944 | Archives and Special Collections (purdue.edu)

https://arsof-history.org/articles/22apr_mg_robert_frederick_page_1.html

France commemorates 80-year anniversary of Allied landings in Provence (france24.com)

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20240814-france-honours-overlooked-heroes-of-1944-provence-landings-80-years-on-dragoon

https://archives.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/articles/debarquement-de-provence-l-armee-b-du-general-de-lattre.html

https://www.7atc.army.mil/History/

LA PROVENCE AMERICAINE – De la Libération à la reconstruction (1944 – 1947)

Musée Edgar Mélik

Friends of the Melik Museum at Cabriès, France: Les Amis du Musée Melik à Cabries – Le Musée Mélik à Cabries (amismuseemelik.fr)

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