D-Day commemoration in Normandy

Recently, I spent a month in Normandy to learn more about the historical background, and visited Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beach. I knew that I would be there around the 6. of June, the 81. anniversary of D-Day, but I was not aware what go along with it. Every year there is a two-week programme to celebrate that day.

You can see Allied flags everywhere, there are posters with portraits of Allied soldiers along the streets in the coastal towns, stating “Never forget WW2 heroes”, and many tourists in historical uniforms drive around in old military jeeps. Two British visitors told me that the way of remembrance in Normandy makes them feel very proud. Also the landings were reenacted with sailing boats and canoes, while people on the beach applauded and welcomed them.

I heard that the French have a responsibility to honour the Allied soldiers, and a woman told me she appreciates that the Canadians volunteered to liberate the country.

The D-Day commemoration includes an intensive emotional atmosphere and a strong focus on heroism. Sometimes I found this exhausting, even though I consider it important to remember. Also other Germans told me they found it strange and a bit too much. For example, the expression “D-Day was an epic day” sounds glorifying from a German view, though there might simply be a different linguistic connotation in English.

The commemorations also seem one-sided, with clearly assigned roles: the liberators and the liberated. Germany, however, is hardly ever included which gave me the impression that reconciliation and the aspect of remembering together might be less relevant here. Normandy’s way of commemoration is a huge contrast towards the more quiet, inclusive way I got to know in Ypres, and a more serious, warning remembrance like in Germany.

I wondered what the many people who died on 6. of June 1944 would think about all of that. Would they like it that people celebrate that day? Or would they rather prefer that we grieve about what happened? Maybe there is no answer to these questions, but it made me think.

I attended the Canadian commemoration event at Juno Beach Centre on 6. of June and exhibited my book at a book fair where I met the Canadian author Thomas Wilson.

On the American cemetery I came across the 100-year-old American veteran Jack Einstein and had the chance to interview him. “I think it is definitely important that we remember history”, he said. “Just too bad that humans can’t get along better without wars.”

I was positively surprised to see many nationalities visiting the German cemetery. A Frenchman told me: “I like Germany. We don’t forget what happened, but we are friends now and respect the losses of both sides.” And Jack Einstein mentioned: “They had a job to do just like we had.”

I plan to return to do more systematic research and interview institutions as well.