Second World War

 

World War II

The Atlantic Wall

The Blockhouse at Éperlecques 

Normandy landings - D-day

The Caen memorial 


One of many Landing craft


Unloading the troops and equipment


French Sherman tank


The destruction of Cherbourg


One of many graveyards

 D-day. The planning of the invasion of the European continent started on January 14th, 1943 during a meeting in Casablanca between Roosevelt and Churchill, Stalin had asked persistently for the opening of a second front in Europe to relieve the red Army which had supported the bulk of the weight of war in Europe.
Military deaths in World War II:
Soviet Union 10,700,000
Germany 5,533,000
United States 416,800
United Kingdom 382,700
France 217,600
The operational range of fighters and logistical pressures reduced the possibilities of the invasion to two choices: Pas-de-Calais and Normandy.
Although Pas-de-Calais had the best beaches and a quickest access to Germany, it was considered to be too obvious a  choice, being too well defended.
Normandy was therefore chosen.
On the allied landing of June 06, 1944. with the hope of a near deliverance, it was necessary to wait  for months during the violence of the bombardments.
With the capitulation of the Germans on September 30 at 17:30, the German occupation was ended and the Calaisiens returned from shelter in the fields.
Calais survived the first world war, but its strategic position in the second world war nearly brought about the total destruction of the historical part of town.