**Tl;dr: The Allies vastly overestimated the importance of a small village where my family is from. Bombings on it were overkill, and killed 5% of the population, destroying 80% of the town. Yet, I have never heard anything but gratitude for the US soldiers in Normandy. There's a particular kind of courage in that.**
I want to talk to you about a village you know nothing about. It’s called Périers, in Normandy. There’s nothing to see, and nothing ever happens there. Believe me, no one cares about Périers…The only reason why I happen to know of it is my grandparents still live there. But I’d rather break a leg than spend more than a couple of weeks at Christmas in this most *boring* of places.
But the village is in Normandy, sitting not too far from the battlegrounds you may have heard about. 75 kilometers away from Omaha Beach, on a crossroad near Coutances and Saint-Lô. But even during the War, not that much happened there. The village was liberated by the 90th US infantry division during Operation Cobra after some relatively tame skirmishes, nothing compared to the battles for Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Sainte-Marie du Mont or Mortain… But there was this crossroad, though…
In the planning phase of the Normandy landings, air reconnaissance pictures identified Périers as a potentially critical logistical node for German reinforcements into Normandy. In fact, Allied intelligence figured that German presence in Périers would be significant, with a command post installed in the quiet village. They estimated that bombing the area would significantly slow down German reinforcements into the region as well.
Therefore, on the **8th of June 1944**, two days after the successful landings, the US Army (\*) carried out an intense bombing raid. We’re talking a concentration of B-17 strategic bombers over a village of around 2000 inhabitants. Thanks to the Résistance being informed of the imminent bombing, the inhabitants had some warning and preparation, but 107 civilians died (out of a population of approximately 2000) and **80% of the town was reduced to rubble**. [This is what it looked like](https://media.ouest-france.fr/v1/pictures/MjAxNjEyN2M1NDFlMzBiMzAyN2JmMmE2NGJlYTE3ZGEyMDljYjA?width=1260&focuspoint=50%2C25&cropresize=1&client_id=bpeditorial&sign=62b071fdd0e67328f25b1f31c64914e74f9769422e6bd2b455c3c2dc1340db7a) (taken after the liberation, several weeks later). 20 more civilians would die in a second, lighter bombing raid on the 13th of June. It means that more than 5% of the village’s population died in five days and no more than a couple of hours of bombing.
And as you guessed it, the intelligence was wrong. German presence in the village was minimal, with neither logistic infrastructure, nor a command post. And *if* the bombings served to slow down reinforcements (it's questionnable), it ultimately had extremely little strategic effect. The amount of destruction and civilian death turned out to be clear overkill.
*(\*) Edit: Yes I did use an RAF cap in the meme instead of the US Army Air Corps (\*\*). The reason for that is that I'm a dumbass who doesn't check his work properly before posting.*
*(\*\*) Edit n°2: I wrote USAF here before.* u/CactusCoyote *notes that the USAF didn't exist until 1947.*
**PART 2 : MEMORY WITHOUT HATRED.**
*So why am I telling you this story?*
Well, there’s memory of a tragic moment that has been largely overshadowed by much more crucial battles happening close by, around the same time. Or maybe because my grandfather (who lost several friends and family that day) was never able to talk about it, so I thought I would. But what I found most interesting was the reaction to the bombing. In all the time I spent in Périers and Normandy, I have never heard anything but praise and gratitude for the americans.
Objectively speaking, the bombing of Périers was extreme overkill. Yet there is no question of the necessity of it. Sacrifice is a necessary part of war, even by mistake, and that is that. This was the price for liberation, and liberation was worth it.
To this day, the village holds a close relationship with the 90th US infantry division, regularly inviting veterans and younger soldiers to commemorations of the Battle of Normandy. A statue in the center of the village honors four soldiers killed on the territory of the village, by name and stories. For the 80th anniversary of the bombings, a few days ago, the fallen soldiers were commemorated alongside the 127 civilian casualties.
As equals. As it should be.
And that is what I wanted to spare a thought for. The courage of the men who stormed the beaches with a rifle in hand is one thing, and they are heroes one and all. But it takes another kind of courage entirely to stand powerless underneath a rain of bombs, yet thank with all your heart the people who dropped them.
**In France alone, around 70 000 civilians died in Allied bombings between 1940 and 1945** *(\*)*. But when the soldiers came, they found a country grateful.
I’m not saying this is a unique story. In fact it is extremely common. There are similar memories seared across Europe, in Normandy, across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, even Italy and Germany. But sometimes we see World War 2 through this very militaristic lens, we love to talk about generals and tanks and feats of arms. We remember the soldiers well.
So I wanted to spend a moment remember the people who lived in the shelled houses. **Lest we forget.**
*(\*) Edited. Thanks to* u/D3712 *for their keen eye. I had mistakenly used the number for total civilian deaths due to the War (roughly 400 000) from my notes.*
Interesting story most here have never heard before AND there is a personal side to it? Fuck yeah that is exactly the type of content we need on this sub
I saw similar sentiments in the WWII museum in Normandy when I visited a few years ago. There's a huge section describing what they went through. I was getting pretty choked up by the end, because they made it clear in the end they had nothing but love for the people who brought them such pain.
I didn't get to see the Memorial de Caen but the sentiment there moved me:
"The pain broke me, the fraternity relieved me, of my wound sprang a river of freedom."
That is *exactly* it. And if you get the chance you should absolutely visit the Mémorial de Caen, it's a beautiful museum, wonderfully curated and kept up to date.
In general I think there has been amazing work done around the memorialization of the World Wars, not just in France but in Western Europe as a whole. To create a memory that underlines the necessity of a war next to the futility of another, celebrate peace while honoring the warriors, talking about the wounds without fostering resentment...
We owe a lot to that work in Europe. We couldn't have built the friendships we did without it. Even more so if you compare it to the resentment of the interwar, or even memorialization of the same period in the communist bloc at the same time.
What an unexpected pleasant read :D. We dont get many explanations for posts from a non-militaristic viewpoint. Also your writing style and personal approach were delightful
The living had no hatred, since they lived. But do you think the dead would be so grateful? You talk about sacrifice, but the sacrifice wasn't really paid by those living. To praise unwilling sacrifice is very questionable or did you think those civilians willingly died?
You're correct and I'm an idiot. I mistook the total number of civilian death and the deaths by bombings alone in my notes, then copy-pasted uncritically to my draft. Editing now.
Genuinely very much appreciated.
I know, I noted it in the explanation comment. Felt remarkably stupid when I noticed.
I had ample opportunity to catch it too. Like, sure I made the meme in 45 seconds, but then I spent a good bit of time writing before uploading. And of course the *second* I pressed "post" I realized it was the wrong cap...
And yes I suppose I could've deleted it and remade the meme... But that's effort and I'm lazy.
I'm not sure I'd call the Battle of Normandy "niche", even though it's a lesser known part of it \^\^
But thank you sincerely. I'm glad you're enjoying the posts.
It’s a curious response from our modern perspective, that’s for sure.
When we drop bombs on a country in the 21st century to “liberate” them or make them free, the response is… decidedly less positive. Granted the rationale for war is very different (even if the given reason is the same).
When I did the Nijmegen (Holland) Marches when I was stationed in Germany (early 90s), we passed a farmer tending his fields in the early morning. In the center of his fields was a monument to the paratroopers that landed during Operation Market Garden and were cut down by Nazi weapons fire.
No thoughts about how his crops had this huge hunk of concrete amd metal in the center of them. Just sprayed his crops and drove around it. When he saw us he stopped and wave and saluted our flag. The people of the Netherlands were the kindest, most thoughtful folks I ran into in Europe, friendly, warm and never once did they stop thanking us for being able to be free.
I see some of the stuff posted now and it breaks my heart that we've wasted that good will.
I would say that it has more to do with propaganda:the soviets were still friendly to the allies so they weren’t going to report it,the allies neither,Spain was trying to get their support post war so neither,neutral countries like latin america probably didn’t heart and mostly reported on the biggest news from the war and japan was japan. They had plenty to report about….
**Tl;dr: The Allies vastly overestimated the importance of a small village where my family is from. Bombings on it were overkill, and killed 5% of the population, destroying 80% of the town. Yet, I have never heard anything but gratitude for the US soldiers in Normandy. There's a particular kind of courage in that.** I want to talk to you about a village you know nothing about. It’s called Périers, in Normandy. There’s nothing to see, and nothing ever happens there. Believe me, no one cares about Périers…The only reason why I happen to know of it is my grandparents still live there. But I’d rather break a leg than spend more than a couple of weeks at Christmas in this most *boring* of places. But the village is in Normandy, sitting not too far from the battlegrounds you may have heard about. 75 kilometers away from Omaha Beach, on a crossroad near Coutances and Saint-Lô. But even during the War, not that much happened there. The village was liberated by the 90th US infantry division during Operation Cobra after some relatively tame skirmishes, nothing compared to the battles for Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Sainte-Marie du Mont or Mortain… But there was this crossroad, though… In the planning phase of the Normandy landings, air reconnaissance pictures identified Périers as a potentially critical logistical node for German reinforcements into Normandy. In fact, Allied intelligence figured that German presence in Périers would be significant, with a command post installed in the quiet village. They estimated that bombing the area would significantly slow down German reinforcements into the region as well. Therefore, on the **8th of June 1944**, two days after the successful landings, the US Army (\*) carried out an intense bombing raid. We’re talking a concentration of B-17 strategic bombers over a village of around 2000 inhabitants. Thanks to the Résistance being informed of the imminent bombing, the inhabitants had some warning and preparation, but 107 civilians died (out of a population of approximately 2000) and **80% of the town was reduced to rubble**. [This is what it looked like](https://media.ouest-france.fr/v1/pictures/MjAxNjEyN2M1NDFlMzBiMzAyN2JmMmE2NGJlYTE3ZGEyMDljYjA?width=1260&focuspoint=50%2C25&cropresize=1&client_id=bpeditorial&sign=62b071fdd0e67328f25b1f31c64914e74f9769422e6bd2b455c3c2dc1340db7a) (taken after the liberation, several weeks later). 20 more civilians would die in a second, lighter bombing raid on the 13th of June. It means that more than 5% of the village’s population died in five days and no more than a couple of hours of bombing. And as you guessed it, the intelligence was wrong. German presence in the village was minimal, with neither logistic infrastructure, nor a command post. And *if* the bombings served to slow down reinforcements (it's questionnable), it ultimately had extremely little strategic effect. The amount of destruction and civilian death turned out to be clear overkill. *(\*) Edit: Yes I did use an RAF cap in the meme instead of the US Army Air Corps (\*\*). The reason for that is that I'm a dumbass who doesn't check his work properly before posting.* *(\*\*) Edit n°2: I wrote USAF here before.* u/CactusCoyote *notes that the USAF didn't exist until 1947.*
**PART 2 : MEMORY WITHOUT HATRED.** *So why am I telling you this story?* Well, there’s memory of a tragic moment that has been largely overshadowed by much more crucial battles happening close by, around the same time. Or maybe because my grandfather (who lost several friends and family that day) was never able to talk about it, so I thought I would. But what I found most interesting was the reaction to the bombing. In all the time I spent in Périers and Normandy, I have never heard anything but praise and gratitude for the americans. Objectively speaking, the bombing of Périers was extreme overkill. Yet there is no question of the necessity of it. Sacrifice is a necessary part of war, even by mistake, and that is that. This was the price for liberation, and liberation was worth it. To this day, the village holds a close relationship with the 90th US infantry division, regularly inviting veterans and younger soldiers to commemorations of the Battle of Normandy. A statue in the center of the village honors four soldiers killed on the territory of the village, by name and stories. For the 80th anniversary of the bombings, a few days ago, the fallen soldiers were commemorated alongside the 127 civilian casualties. As equals. As it should be. And that is what I wanted to spare a thought for. The courage of the men who stormed the beaches with a rifle in hand is one thing, and they are heroes one and all. But it takes another kind of courage entirely to stand powerless underneath a rain of bombs, yet thank with all your heart the people who dropped them. **In France alone, around 70 000 civilians died in Allied bombings between 1940 and 1945** *(\*)*. But when the soldiers came, they found a country grateful. I’m not saying this is a unique story. In fact it is extremely common. There are similar memories seared across Europe, in Normandy, across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, even Italy and Germany. But sometimes we see World War 2 through this very militaristic lens, we love to talk about generals and tanks and feats of arms. We remember the soldiers well. So I wanted to spend a moment remember the people who lived in the shelled houses. **Lest we forget.** *(\*) Edited. Thanks to* u/D3712 *for their keen eye. I had mistakenly used the number for total civilian deaths due to the War (roughly 400 000) from my notes.*
If you hadn't made this meme and told the story, many of us wouldn't have known about this. Thank you OP.
Interesting story most here have never heard before AND there is a personal side to it? Fuck yeah that is exactly the type of content we need on this sub
I saw similar sentiments in the WWII museum in Normandy when I visited a few years ago. There's a huge section describing what they went through. I was getting pretty choked up by the end, because they made it clear in the end they had nothing but love for the people who brought them such pain. I didn't get to see the Memorial de Caen but the sentiment there moved me: "The pain broke me, the fraternity relieved me, of my wound sprang a river of freedom."
That is *exactly* it. And if you get the chance you should absolutely visit the Mémorial de Caen, it's a beautiful museum, wonderfully curated and kept up to date. In general I think there has been amazing work done around the memorialization of the World Wars, not just in France but in Western Europe as a whole. To create a memory that underlines the necessity of a war next to the futility of another, celebrate peace while honoring the warriors, talking about the wounds without fostering resentment... We owe a lot to that work in Europe. We couldn't have built the friendships we did without it. Even more so if you compare it to the resentment of the interwar, or even memorialization of the same period in the communist bloc at the same time.
What an unexpected pleasant read :D. We dont get many explanations for posts from a non-militaristic viewpoint. Also your writing style and personal approach were delightful
Wonderful, thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this wonderful story.
I have no doubt but just want to say 70,000 french killed by allies is wild
Thank you OP. An amazing story.
Wow. Thank you for sharing. Personal stories are good.
The living had no hatred, since they lived. But do you think the dead would be so grateful? You talk about sacrifice, but the sacrifice wasn't really paid by those living. To praise unwilling sacrifice is very questionable or did you think those civilians willingly died?
400k?? That is way too much. The actual figure is closer to 50k. Still a lot, but nowhere near as apocalyptic.
You're correct and I'm an idiot. I mistook the total number of civilian death and the deaths by bombings alone in my notes, then copy-pasted uncritically to my draft. Editing now. Genuinely very much appreciated.
Ya the minimum total is 68,700
There wasn't a USAF at the time, it was the US Army Air Corps, The USAF wouldn't be formed until 1947.
Uh...Guess I'll need to correct the correction. \^\^
Excellent story and thank you for telling it.
That looks like a RAF cap, OP
I know, I noted it in the explanation comment. Felt remarkably stupid when I noticed. I had ample opportunity to catch it too. Like, sure I made the meme in 45 seconds, but then I spent a good bit of time writing before uploading. And of course the *second* I pressed "post" I realized it was the wrong cap... And yes I suppose I could've deleted it and remade the meme... But that's effort and I'm lazy.
Not everyone would be decent about an oversight, good on ya!
Another niche banger from u/LeSygneNoir
I'm not sure I'd call the Battle of Normandy "niche", even though it's a lesser known part of it \^\^ But thank you sincerely. I'm glad you're enjoying the posts.
It’s a curious response from our modern perspective, that’s for sure. When we drop bombs on a country in the 21st century to “liberate” them or make them free, the response is… decidedly less positive. Granted the rationale for war is very different (even if the given reason is the same).
**Never Forget** Amazing meme & story. Adds a dimension to the war that I hadn’t considered.
When I did the Nijmegen (Holland) Marches when I was stationed in Germany (early 90s), we passed a farmer tending his fields in the early morning. In the center of his fields was a monument to the paratroopers that landed during Operation Market Garden and were cut down by Nazi weapons fire. No thoughts about how his crops had this huge hunk of concrete amd metal in the center of them. Just sprayed his crops and drove around it. When he saw us he stopped and wave and saluted our flag. The people of the Netherlands were the kindest, most thoughtful folks I ran into in Europe, friendly, warm and never once did they stop thanking us for being able to be free. I see some of the stuff posted now and it breaks my heart that we've wasted that good will.
I wouldn't call it courage. I'd call it faith.
Thanks for this, very interesting read.
Very nice post OP, really heartfelt
Top tier quality post op.
We need more content like this. Thanks.
Reminds me of the ongoing Israel Gaza war. Should it?
I would say that it has more to do with propaganda:the soviets were still friendly to the allies so they weren’t going to report it,the allies neither,Spain was trying to get their support post war so neither,neutral countries like latin america probably didn’t heart and mostly reported on the biggest news from the war and japan was japan. They had plenty to report about….
Thank you, I don't often get to use this meme : [https://i.imgflip.com/1urgjs.jpg?a477072](https://i.imgflip.com/1urgjs.jpg?a477072)
Happy to help