For the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, La Presse de la Manche is drawing on its documentary collection and its special editions to publish several large formats per day until June.
By Frédéric Patard
Published on
10 May 24 at 2:17 p.m.
After our series previous articles retracing all the major episodes and themes of the Landings and the Battle of Normandy, we continue to publish the testimonials of those who experienced these historical moments.
In the evening of June 6, 1944Saint-Lô and Coutances (Manche) are part of the cart of Normandy towns targeted by the Allied aviation.
Objective: prevent German reinforcements from arriving on the beaches. Failed military objective. But tragedy experienced by thousands of Norman civilians who saw a deluge of bombs.
Our series on Saint-Lô and Coutances is made up of 4 testimonies:
- A student at Bon Sauveur de Saint-Lô, Marie Hélène spent the night in the cellars to escape the bombs, then fled with the residents into the countryside.
- Jean Mignon, 14, is also in Saint-Lô. With his parents, he went on foot to the South Channel before being liberated by the Americans.
- Marguerite Vray is at the Ecole Normale de Coutances when the planes bomb the town. She too will flee the city and experience a summer of exodus.
- Finally, Pierre Henriet, a high school student in Coutances, remembers receiving the blessing of Mgr Louvard in a cellar, in the middle of the bombing. And a summer of 44 full of carefreeness.
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon -.
#French
