Sitting on the shore of Tallahassee’s Lake Ella in a neatly kept plot is a stubby concrete monument to events and efforts of a bygone era.
The fireplug-shaped tribute comes from the Republic of France in recognition for the support of Florida’s soldiers and citizens in liberating the western European nation from the Nazi Army and providing food during the early days of rebuilding their economy.
After Operation Overlord, which established the American and Allied Armies in France, the task of pushing the German forces back to their border quickly began. In all Florida lost 1,745 soldiers in the campaign to liberate France.
This short and stocky pillar recognized the Herculean effort made by residents from all walks of life to liberate a country most would only read about in newspapers and magazines of the day.
The date on this monument of August 15, 1944 (15 Août 1944) recognizes the day French residents of Paris began their uprising to overthrow the Viche administration, the Nazi’s puppet government.
Originally the plan called for the bypassing of Paris in hopes of saving it from destruction, but the rebellion necessitated intervention to prevent the slaughter and annihilation of the French citizenry.
The August 15, 1944 (15 Août 1944) date recognizes the day Parisians began their mass uprising against the Nazis, hoping for the weight and force of American and Allied support.
The departing Germans stripped the region of every resource they could carry, including foodstuffs. While reconstructing its agricultural system, the country was dependent on donations from all sectors of the U.S., including the Florida.
Originally a marker on France’s “Liberty Road (La voie de la Liberte), many like it were used to identify the route from the Normandy invasion to Bastogne, Belgium near the border of Luxembourg.
This monument was in a railcar of gifts from the French people, arriving on February 11, 1949 and received by Governor Fuller Warren. While never erected in the state’s capital complex, it was dedicated at its present site in 1998.
This was facinating Les. I have lived in Tallahassee 43 years and never knew this. I should have known you’d be such a wonderful writer after listening to your stories long ago.
You continue to amaze us!