As part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the organizers of the « Flame of Liberty » are proposing to physically transport the Flame of the French Nation to the United States of America, with a stopover in the United Kingdom, which was heavily involved in the liberation and was the point of departure for the Allied armada. A copy of the flame will be deposited at Southwick House, near Portsmouth, which was the headquarters of the Allied naval forces from 1943. It was here that General Eisenhower decided to postpone the landings until on June 6, 1944.
The project is also to place this French flame on the tomb of the unknown soldiers in the Arlington military cemetery (Virginia). The aim is to show France’s gratitude to its two allies, because without their commitment we would not have been able to recover our freedom and our nation.
The Flame of the Nation, which has been burning since November 11, 1923 on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, will be collected on May 8, 2024 at around 5:00 pm, following the daily rekindling of the flame. It will be transported in a convoy of vintage 1944 military vehicles via the “Voie de la Liberté” from the village of Saint Symphorien-le-Château.
34 young Frenchmen will accompany it on the 915 km journey from Paris to Cherbourg.
To thank these soldiers and their families, we need your help to raise the necessary funds for the project. We have set up an online kitty where you can make donations with no minimum amount.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the largest-ever landing operation, designed to liberate France and the whole of Europe from Nazi dictatorship. Nearly 7,000 ships, 156,000 men of 12 nationalities, including more than 72,000 Americans, 64,000 British and French (Kieffer commandos and SAS paratroopers) arrived by air and on the five beaches of Normandy. It was the « longest day » that marked the beginning of the liberation of our country.
More than 10,600 Allied soldiers, including 6,600 Americans and 3,000 British, were put out of action on June 6, 1944. Some had barely set foot on the sands of Normandy when they were mowed down by German machine guns. Most of them were under the age of 25!
