In the early hours of June 6, 1944, a man knocked loudly on the door of Alexandre Renaud, Mayor of Sainte-Mère-Église. Since the town's occupation by the enemy in 1940 there had been a strict curfew. This late night visit could only mean an emergency. The visitor explained rapidly that a house
WW2
The pursuit of happiness, in Granville
First published January 2017 Granville’s fierce tides and their monstrous waves have always drawn crowds. Our vintage postcard is just one of handfuls we have come across depicting nature's attack upon these cliffs. The waves are crashing over Le Plat-Gousset, a coastal path built from Granville’s own sturdy rocks and concrete. But
What lies beneath, in Valognes
All towns have something they would like to forget. Valognes is not unusual in this, it was just a little prettier than most, for a while. Until June 1944 when liberator’s bombs obliterated it’s fickle heart. A glorious past In the 18th century this country town was fashionable. Here, more than 100 noble
What would you do, if this was you in Perrou, in 1942?
When Hollywood met Normandy, on Sword Beach, 1944
There is a famous black and white film, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck with the best intentions of exposing the horror and bravery of war. He had determined to make a revolutionary, realistic movie to parade before audiences who were just boys and girls during WW2. The film would be about 6 June 1944, it