While the Lyon metropolitan area was affected by particularly violent massacres perpetrated by German forces in the summer of 1944, French and American soldiers arrived on September 3 to liberate the city.
A first landing in Normandy on June 6, then a second in Provence on August 15. In September 1944, a wind of hope blew over the city of Lyon, occupied by Nazi forces since November 1942 and witness to bloody events during the summer.
Two weeks before the arrival of French and American forces, on August 20, 1944, violence reached its peak in the region, with the Côte-Lorette massacre, where 120 prisoners from Fort Montluc were shot in Saint-Genis-Laval.
In the days leading up to the Liberation of Lyon, 30,000 to 40,000 German soldiers marched through the city. Then, on September 1, Nazi troops began to leave Lyon. The next day, under Hitler’s orders, the bridges between the Rhône and Saône were destroyed to delay the arrival of the Allies.
Only three bridges remained standing in the face of this attack, thanks to the mobilization of the Resistance: the Saint-Vincent footbridge, the Saint-Irénée railway viaduct, and the Homme de la Roche bridge. The city was then cut in two until the arrival of the French soldiers.
Scenes of celebration in the streets
On September 3, 1944, the First Division of Free France, commanded by General Diego Brosset, entered Lyon, reaching the city hall around 9 a.m. The French soldiers were followed by American troops, and the people of Lyon gathered in the streets to cheer their liberators.
But the clashes were not completely over: militiamen supporting the Nazi forces opened fire from the rooftops in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Hit by gunfire, the dome of the Hôtel-Dieu caught fire. The French forces then responded and restored calm.
Little by little, the tricolor flags appeared in the windows and in the streets, and the Marseillaise resounded in Lyon. In the days following the Liberation, the French forces continued to drive out the last occupants, sector by sector, until the last shootings on September 5, 1944. Lyon was then liberated after four years of war, two of which were under Occupation.
Commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the Liberation
This Tuesday, September 3, 80 years after the Liberation of Lyon, the city commemorates this decisive date with a ceremony open to the general public from 4:15 p.m. on Place Bellecour. Many troops, who carry the legacy of the soldiers of the Liberation, will be present for the occasion.
Two former Resistance fighters are expected to attend this ceremony and be honored: Henry Peyrelongue, Commander of the Legion of Honor, and Roger Leroy, Knight of the Legion of Honor.
The celebrations will then continue with a parade and a musical procession to reach the town hall, the point of arrival of the French soldiers 80 years earlier.
The bells of Lyon’s churches will also ring to mark this anniversary, and students from the urban area will present work produced during the year, including videos of testimonies from Raymond Drevet, Fortunée Metz and Hélène Akierman, all three of whom witnessed the Liberation in 1944.
Until September 22, the city of Lyon and the Center for the History of Resistance and Deportation (CHRD) are presenting the exhibition “Lyon Liberated” which retraces the daily life of the inhabitants during the bombings, the Occupation and the arrival of the French forces.
Victoria Solano with Laurène Rocheteau
