Nantes, Chollet, Mayenne… The towns of the Loire region paid tribute to the dead of the Second World War on Wednesday May 8, the anniversary of the German capitulation of 1945.
This Wednesday, May 8, in France we commemorated the victory of the Allied forces over Nazi Germany during the Second World War. May 8, 1945 was marked by the capitulation of the German army, provoking the armistice and announcing the imminent end of the armed conflict.
Throughout France, this day is used to celebrate victory, but also to honor the war dead. 70 million people died in the conflict. Tributes were held in Pays de la Loire. In Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), a commemoration took place at the monument to the 50-Otages, on the esplanade of the Five Communes-Companion-of-the-Liberation. Mayor (PS) Johanna Rolland was present, as well as Sarah El Haïry, the Minister responsible for Children, Youth and Families.
Former resistance fighter and Second World War commander Pierre Everrard, 99, took part in the event. He testified about the day of the liberation of Nantes, where he himself hung up the French flag on the facade of the prefecture, before opening the way for the American forces.
“What my eldest was able to do is important. It was he who fought for this freedom, who fought for this democracy and it is up to us today to continue to persevere and keep that, for a free world“, comments Kristian Le Guen, former soldier, who participated in the ceremony.
In Chollet, in Maine-et-Loire, the traditional tribute was held again this year, with the parade of a brass band and in the presence of flag bearers and local elected officials. Likewise in Mayenne, in the department of the same name, where a ceremony took place at the cemetery in front of the war memorial, on the Military Medal roundabout.
In Beauvoir-sur-Mer (Vendée), an American liaison plane, a Piper L-4 model, was restored near May 8 by an association of mechanics. Object witness to the liberation, it is one of the five Pipers still capable of flying in France. It is therefore often the centerpiece of historical reenactments, in which it regularly participates since its renovation. The plane will fly to Normandy for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings next June.
