Summary of the 74th anniversary of the Normandy landings

Even though the weather has been less clement in recent days, the festivities for the 74th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy benefited from a radiant start to June 2018 in the Manche, and thousands of people flocked to Carentan and Sainte-Mère-Eglise for a week. A success, this year again, which bodes well for this major event in June 2019, which will be the 75th anniversary of June 6, 1944, the famous D-Day. « Every year now it’s a big popular celebration, » rejoices the president of the Manche departmental council, Marc Lefèvre. At first, when I was mayor of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the American army didn’t come officially. We worked with reservists and people didn’t necessarily know it. We made do with bits of string. Since the 60th anniversary, it’s truly been a regular feature of the American military’s calendar. They’ve committed the resources and understood that it’s an unmissable event. This presence also gives these events a certain sparkle, notoriety, credibility, and legitimacy. Even if it doesn’t explain everything. Popular support also contributes significantly. »

For Marc Lefèvre, while this event is a tribute to the liberators, he emphasizes the messages developed over several years. « We embody values. We’re not glorifying war. It’s a thank you to the liberators and a shared message of peace. We’ve been able to articulate this message over the years and also explain this support and loyalty. » What also makes this wonderful celebration so successful is undoubtedly the way the different territories work together, and this will perhaps be even more the case for the 75th anniversary next year.