80 Years After Le Havre’s Liberation

Commemorating the Liberation

Yesterday, September 12, Le Havre marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation. President Emmanuel Macron, invited by Le Havre’s mayor Edouard Philippe, a potential successor, paid tribute to a city that had been completely destroyed by the Allies. The bombing of Le Havre, following the attacks on Dieppe and Rouen, was part of a pivotal military and political effort that led to the eventual defeat of the Nazi regime and the end of the war in Europe. This operation involved both the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). According to Wikipedia, the bombings had a devastating impact: 5,000 dead, 80,000 homeless, 150 hectares razed, and 12,500 buildings destroyed.

A Symbolic Ceremony

The ceremony started around 7 PM at Place du Général de Gaulle with Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour,” the same song recently performed by Celine Dion from the Eiffel Tower during the Olympic opening ceremony. French President Macron poignantly noted, “When the survivors emerged from the cellars, they found themselves standing in a city that lay in ruins—a city that had the color and appearance of ashes, crushed, pulverized.” The city was reconstructed over about twenty years under French architect August Perret (1945 to 1964). In 2005, Le Havre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Perret’s design, utilizing reinforced concrete and a modular grid system known as “poteau-dalle” (column-slab), was groundbreaking, creating a transparent and adaptable urban structure. This uniformity in design, reflecting Perret’s vision of a “Gesamtkunstwerk” or total work of art on an urban scale, remains a hallmark of Le Havre’s unique character.

My Favorite Places in Post-War Le Havre

Among my favorite places is Oscar Niemeyer’s “Le Volcan,” a cultural center that opened in 1982. Originally named “Maison de la Culture,” it is a key venue for the production and dissemination of artistic works in theater, music, dance, circus, new aesthetics, new media, and digital arts. It also holds special significance as a Rafale and two refueling planes flew over it in remembrance of the bombings.

Another favorite is the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux (MuMA). The museum currently features an excellent exhibition titled “Photographier en Normandie,” running until September 22, 2024. This stunning display traces the evolution of photography in Normandy from 1840 to 1890, highlighting the influence of impressionist painters such as Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin, among others.

A Witness’s Story

A brochure distributed before the ceremony included a poignant account from Ghyslaine Rouvillain, born in Le Havre in 1933. At eleven years old during the 1944 bombings, she and her family were in Bolbec, where her mother, Evelyne, managed refugee camps while also working as an assistant in surgery at a hospital. Rouvillain recalled, “My father could hardly wait to return to Le Havre, but then the bombings happened. We could hear them from Bolbec, which gives you an idea of how severe it was. Some people thought the bombings were a good sign, indicating that Le Havre would soon be liberated. My father would reply, ‘You don’t realize what is happening.’ Eight days after the disaster, we were able to take the train to Le Havre. My parents wanted me to see it. The city was devastated. From Place Thiers, you could see the sea. The Jardin Saint-Roch had turned into a cemetery. There were still puddles of blood, and in some places, it was still smoking. It remained in that state for a long time before being cleared.”

Historical Context of the Jewish Community

Le Havre, primarily known for its significant port, has a rich Jewish history dating back to the early 20th century. Initially, Ashkenazi Jews involved in the coffee and cotton trade established a presence, followed by Tunisian Jews arriving after World War I. By World War II, Le Havre was home to about 300 Jews, many residing in the Notre-Dame district. The Nazi occupation forced the Jewish community to flee, and around 15 were deported. The synagogue on rue Victor Hugo was destroyed along with much of the city during the Allied bombings from 1942 to 1944. After the war, the Jewish community rebuilt, with North African Sephardim arriving in the 1960s, bringing the population to 220 families.

Reflections on Persecution and Loss

The ceremony also featured Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s poem. This piece held personal significance for me, as my brother Jens Kussatz, who had a severe intellectual disability and epilepsy, was born in Marbach am Neckar, the same birthplace as Schiller. He would have faced exclusion from the Olympics, the Paralympics, and possibly the Special Olympics, and persecution under the Nazi regime. Le Havre was also the city where the torch relay for the 2024 Olympics ended. Approximately 250,000 people with disabilities, including at least 10,000 children, lost their lives during the Nazi regime. This tragic chapter resonates deeply with me, as it does with the Jewish community, which lost six million lives under Hitler’s regime.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/documenting-numbers-of-victims-of-the-holocaust-and-nazi-persecution

Other persecuted groups also suffered immense losses: around 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war were killed, at least 250,000 Romani people (possibly up to 500,000) were murdered, and more than 310,000 Serb civilians were killed by Ustaša authorities in Croatia. Tens of thousands of German political opponents and dissenters were executed, about 35,000 Germans were imprisoned as “professional criminals” or “asocial people,” and 1,700 Jehovah’s Witnesses were killed for refusing military service. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of gay and bisexual men also perished, along with an unknown number of Black people in Germany, likely in the hundreds.

A City’s Resilience and Hope

While the bombing of Le Havre was undoubtedly tragic, it was part of a larger effort to end a brutal system of oppression and mass murder. My father, who was born and raised in Berlin-Köpenick and had heard Hitler’s speeches on the Volksempfänger, experienced the impact of the war firsthand. As a child, he was moved to a city farther from Berlin to ensure his safety.

The devastation of Le Havre symbolized both the destruction wrought by war and the hope for a new beginning. This mirrored the hope that emerged for persecuted communities once Nazi rule was dismantled. The ceremony, featuring musical elements like Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” reflected both the sorrow of the past and the optimism for a better future. For me and many others connected to the horrors of the Nazi regime, these events hold profound personal significance.

Conclusion

The evening concluded with the students of Raoul Dufy College in Le Havre performing “Le Chant des partisans,” and President Macron walked among the spectators, shaking hands. The celebrations ended with a sound and light show on “Le Volcan,” which is visible every evening until Sunday according to France Bleu.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with spectators at the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Le Havre.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE 

French President Emmanuel Macron appears on a screen set up at Place Charles de Gaulle in Le Havre.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

French President Emmanuel Macron at the War Memorial in Place Charles de Gaulle during the 80th anniversary of Le Havre’s liberation.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

One of the planes of the Memorial Flyover above Oscar Niemeyer’s “Le Volcan” during the 80th anniversary of Le Havre’s liberation.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

From the current exhibition “Photographier en Normandie” at the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux (MuMA).
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

From the current exhibition “Photographier en Normandie” at the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux (MuMA).
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

From the current exhibition “Photographier en Normandie” at the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux (MuMA).
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

From the current exhibition “Photographier en Normandie” with a painting of Eugène Boudin at the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux (MuMA). Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

THE UP #3,” a permanent sculpture and symbol for resilience and transformation by Lang & Baumann, at the beach in Le Havre.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz

Spectators at the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Le Havre.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

Emmanuel Macron in front of the War Memorial, surrounded by members of the press, at Place Charles de Gaulle.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE

Close-up of Emmanuel Macron after the ceremony, as he was greeting spectators.
Photo credit: Simone Suzanne Kussatz / ARETE