80 years of the D-Day landings: Norman high school students discover the pre-war United States at the Caen Memorial

80 years ago, nearly 57,000 American soldiers, engaged in the allied forces, landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, to liberate France from German occupation. But in which America did these young heroes from across the Atlantic grow up?

Throughout the morning of Monday, June 3, a class of final year students from the Malherbe high school in Caen (14) visited the exhibition “At the dawn of the American century 1919 – 1944” at the Caen Memorial produced at the occasion of 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

During the guided tour, high school students found themselves in the America of the Roaring Twenties, marked by the golden age of cinema, the development of the star system, the emancipation of women, the birth of consumerism and the rise of the automobile industry.

But it is also an America hit by social and racial tensions and the economic crisis with the Wall Street crash. All this before the war interfered in the daily lives of Americans, shocked by the attack on the Pearl Harbor military base by the Japanese army on December 7, 1941.

Several emblematic objects from this era were on display, such as a microphone that belonged to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the jacket worn by Charlie Chaplin in the film The dictator. “It was very immersive, very colorful. This exhibition allowed us to better understand American life at that time,” says Louis.

The political, social and cultural history of the United States between the wars no longer holds any secrets (or almost) for these students. “It was very interesting to discover this period. We don’t study it enough in history classes,” believes Marie.

“The exhibition was well constructed, well explained. There were a lot of things we didn’t know,” adds Servann, who appreciated the part devoted to American cinema and its most famous actors such as Clark Gable or Clara Bow.

Other students were more affected by the rise of racial segregation and the exclusion of the African-American population from society. “We see that they were not accepted while the United States will use them to contribute to the war effort,” comments Louise.

This cultural opening was interesting for these high school students who already know so much about the D-Day episode. “The Memorial is a must, a place of memory. This work that was carried out was very interesting to understand where the GI’s came from“, says Stéphane Reigner, their history and geography teacher.

“Since primary school, then middle school, and now high school, we have seen a lot of things about the Landing. And even outside of the school curriculum. We see a place of memory every day: as Normans, we cannot forget it. Here, it’s anchored in the collective memory,” says Louis.

This duty of memory is applied on a daily basis by these students. Every day, the students pass in front of a plaque dedicated to two former students, Pierre Audigé and Alexis Lelièvre, who both distinguished themselves as resistance fighters and were shot at Caen prison in June 1944.

A tribute ceremony was organized in April by the students of the High School Life Council, notably in the presence of the Mémoires de la Résistance et de la Déportation Normandes association, so that everyone could remember their names.

While Normandy welcomes thousands of tourists for the 80th anniversary of the landing, high school students intend to participate in the celebrations this Thursday, June 6. Louis hopes to attend festivities in one of the villages in the Caen area, while at his side, a comrade would like to see heads of state, such as American President Joe Biden, expected for the international ceremony at Omaha Beach.

Finally, Louise and Marie are excited about going to the Memorial again to attend a commemoration ceremony. “The duty to remember is important. We must remember everything that happened and know why today, we are lucky to live in a democracy and to be able to educate ourselves.“, says Louise.