"LA VOIE DE LA LIBERTE"
(The Liberty Road) was created
by the French as a commemorative to
the Allied Forces which liberated France after D-day.
The Liberty Road starts in Normandy at Sainte-Mère-Église and travels across
Northern France to Bastogne in Belgium near the border with Luxembourg. It follows one
of the routes taken by the Allieds, to be precise, the route
taken by US General George S. Patton. All along the road, there is a stone marker or
'Borne' to mark every kilometer. The road is 1,145 kilometers long with the
first "Borne" outside the town hall in Ste Mere Église and the last
one in Bastogne. The Voie
de la Liberté was conceived by Major Guy de la Vasselais as a Memorial to the
Liberation and its grand opening took place on 18 September 1947 at Fontainebleau.
1145 markers are positioned every kilometers
some of the main towns and villages along the
route are Sainte-Mère-Église (liberated during the nights of 5 and 6 June 1944), Utah
Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Cherbourg, Carentan, Saint-Lô , Coutances,
Avranches, Saint-Malo, Rennes, Angers, Le Mans, Chartres, Étampes, Fontainebleau
(liberated on 23 August 1944), Reims, Valmy, Verdun, Nancy, Metz, Thionville,
Luxembourg City, Arlon and finally Bastogne (liberated on 10
September 1944 / 2 January 1945).
Version
Photos
report
thanks to
the
"Service
Départemental
d'Incendie
et de
secours 77".
We also
would like
to thanks
"le
Souvenir
Français
de Seine
et
Marne",
Maréchal
et Vasseur
family
and
"Bois
le Roi
audiovisuel
et
annimations"
team for
the
production
of a
double
DVD.
Voie de la Liberté
is made of 1145 bornes from
Sainte-Mère-Église to Bastogne with an additional one at the Saint Louis church
at the Invalides a Paris.
The one in the chapel on the right as
you come into the church contains earth
collected in 1945 from all the US cemeteries
along the Liberty Road.
On the right of the borne are
inscribed
Ste Mère-Église
Blosville
St Laurent
La Combe
Marigny
Le Chene Guerin
St James
Gorron
Ste Corneille
and on the left
St Andre
Villeneuve s/r Auver
Solers
Chamigneul
Grand Failly
Limey
Andilly
St Anvold
Declaration
of General
D Eisenhower
All who travel the
"Liberty Road" must sense the
spirit of comradeship and common
destiny that strengthened the soldiers
of the Allied Forces who fought along
that route in 1944. The same firm unity
is still necessary if we are to maintain
human dignity and worldwide freedom and
to secure a just peace for today and tomorrow
generations.
This has been translated from the French
Declaration read during the 1947
ceremony.
On 18
September 2007, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary
and as a mark of respect and
gratitude towards the American Nation and its soldiers fallen
during the liberation of France, the Fontainebleau
Military Reserve Cadre
Association, ACRPF (Association des Cadres de Reserve du Pays de Fontainebleau)
with the help of the town of Fontainebleau
organized a Commemorative celebration.
The
highlights of the ceremony
The
ceremony was based on the one which had taken
place 60 years before.
The "Voie de la Liberté
Borne" is on a small podium at the bottom
of the "Horse Shoe" step of the
Chateau of Fontainebleau.
The "Borne" has its own WWII US Military Police guard of honor
as well as two young ladies dressed in the folkloric
costumes
of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.
- The ceremony opened with the raising of the
American and French flags by four young children.
- Reading of three texts read
in 1947, one of which was the Declaration
of General D Eisenhower.
- Arrival of three WWII jeeps named
Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Fontainebleau and Bastogne.
In each jeep, a young boy and a girl
held
a small jar of earth from the three towns. a
blue
pot in memory of the Ocean crossed
and
the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, a
white pot
for the Royal town of
Fontainebleau a
red pot
for the bloody battle of the Bastogne
The children then poured the earth from the 3 pots
into the Ammunition box.
- The US ambassador representative and the
three mayors signed the official parchment marking the ceremony,
then it was placed in the
ammunition box which was
lead sealed
and a tricolor ribbon draped around it
with the the seal
of the town of Fontainebleau.
- The two youngest children deposited the
ammunition box at the bottom of the
"Borne".
The Alsacienne and the
Lorraine ladies of 1947 (who were 15 at the time)
joined hands with the six children and the Alsacienne and the Lorraine ladies
of 2007 to form
the Memory chain " We remember".
The Lorraine costume (light blue dress) is the
original one made in 1947 for the opening ceremony,
and had been kept by the owner.
-
Speech from the officials and blessing of the
"Borne and ammo box"
- Minute of silence followed by the American and
the French National anthems.
-
Loading of the "Borne" and ammunition
box on an half-track, part of the Military vehicle
convoy leaving the Chateau by
the "porte
d'honneur" to simulate the departure for the
long trip to the USA.
The
60th Anniversary of the "Voie de la Liberte"
commemorative symbols comprised of:
1) The
full scale modern "Voie de
la Liberté Borne", used during the
ceremony of the 60th anniversary of the official Inauguration of the "Voie
de la Liberté" on the 18th of
September 2007
at Fontainebleau.
2) An ammunition
box containing earth from 3 main points
of the "Voie de la Liberté"
Sainte-Mère-Eglise et
Utah-Beach starting point,
km 0 et km 00,
Fontainebleau and the
river Seine crossing at Valvins,
km 670,
Bastogne in Belgium
end of the "Voie
de la Liberté",
km 1145.
and also
A parchment signed by the officials.
3)
A folder titled "WE REMEMBER" containing
the history of
the "Voie de la Liberté" with all copies of documents and letters regarding
the forwarding of these symbols of the French nation's
gratitude towards the US nation.
The
forwarding of the above is taken care of by the
memory chain (chaîne du souvenir)
of the French Regular and Reserve Army.
Since Tuesday 13 January 2009, the
60th Commemorative "borne", ammunition box and relevant information
folder have been entrusted to the
Commander of the French Frigate "La
Motte Picquet". It was with emotion
and a great sense of pride that my wife
and myself transported them along the
600km journey from Fontainebleau
to the port of Brest. The frigate was
soon to set sail for Norfolk, USA, where
the "Borne", box and folder
would be passed on to- - - - for
the last part of its journey to
Arlington Military Cemetery at
Washington,
USA.
Lt Colonel (h) R Delauve
*****
14
February 2009, the
"Borne" arrival
in the USA
This
shows the Commander of the
French Frigate "La
Motte Piquet" passing
on the "Borne"
to a member of the
"French Military
Mission" in the
USA.
This photo is thanks to
"Je me
souvien's ! - Journaux de
bord: Marine nationale"
*****
We can confirm that the
"Borne" is at
the French Embassy at
Washington, unfortunately
no news on its final
resting place. From the
information we have, it is
very unlikely that the
"Borne" , will
be at Arlington Military
Cemetery. We have been
trying to contact the
embassy since October to
see if they have made any
final arrangement into its
final destination, but for
the moment our contacts
are silent., but we will
update the website as soon
as we have some news.
Jean-Luc Delauve
November 2009
*****
Good news. At
last, my father has
managed to get in
touch with
Lieutenant-Colonel
Philippe Chabot,
French Liaison Officer
to the MCoEBldg 35 at
Fort Benning.
Thanks to LTC P
Chabot's work, Fort
Benning's authorities
are very keen in
welcoming the
"Borne de la Voie
de la Libertee"
and are looking into
giving it a place of
honour either on the
parade field or in the
new National Infantry
Museum. Either
way, my father and his team
are very pleased with
the result as one
of France's tribute
monuments honouring the
sacrifice of so many
young American
soldiers during WWII
will rest proudly in
one of the most
prestigious US
military grounds.
Fort Benning hosts the
US Infantry School,
Airborne, Sniper and
Rangers school as well
as is being home for
the 75th Rangers
regiment who
spearheaded the D-Day
landing .
Fort Benning has a
military population of
120,000 with about
30,000 soldiers in
training. Also the
camp is soon to become
"The Manoeuver
Center of
Excellence" with
one of the best and
most modern military
museums retracing the
history of the
US Infantry.
It goes without saying
that my father, his
team and myself are
very proud of the new
future home for our
"Borne".
Let it be a
symbol and a reminder
of the US's fight for
freedom in foreign
lands as well as a mark
of gratitude from
France to the US
for the sacrifice
their soldiers made
during the liberation
of France.
Jean-Luc Delauve Mai
2010
*****
My Father has received
a letter from the French Embassy
at Washington informing us
that the
"Voie de
la Liberté Borne" as finished its
long voyage to the USA and
id now proudly exhibited
at the New National
Infantry Museum at For
Benning, Georgia since Mai
2010.
Jean-Luc Delauve
20th November 2010
*****
We are in contact with
the
nationalinfantryfoundation.org
to try to bring photos and
information on the new
resting place for
this " Liberty
Road marker", I will
update the website as soon
as I get any news
Jean-Luc Delauve
25th November
2010
"Liberty
Road" is a private website created
as personal tribute to all the Americans
who gave their live to free up France during
WWII.
The
latest Liberty Road
Commemorative ceremonies in
Fontainebleau took place due to the
determination of one man, my father. He
keeps a profound gratitude towards our
liberators. He was 10 years old
when he saw a first GI on the
23th of August 1944 at 12.00 in
Fontainebleau: the GIs were from
the 11th Infantry Reg, 5th
Infantry Division, 20th CORPS,
3rd Army.
Thanks to his actions and the help of
Fontainebleau Military Reserve Cadre
Association, Fontainebleau and nearby towns,
they unveiled on the
Square Patton at Fontainebleau:
on
21 September 1997
a 50th Anniversary plaque
of the grand opening of the
"Liberty Road" on the
18 of September 1947.
on
8 Mai 2005
a plaque in the memory of the US
units who liberated our country
and of the two US Generals
Patton and Walker who were made
citizens of honor of the town of
Fontainebleau
on the 10th of February 1945.