Caen Memorial Museum

Sunday, October 12, 2012

All weather forecasts for today predicted rain, so we decided to spend at least the first part of the day in Caen, at the Memorial Museum there.  Little did we anticipate that we would not emerge until seven hours after arriving!

We've learned that there are many World War II museums throughout Normandy, with varying concentrations and focus, but we'd read that the Memorial Museum is a standout among them; for us, it was well worth an entire day.

The initial presentation begins with the aftermath of the first World War and the events of the two decades following; the rise of fascism is described in that context.  Hitler's ascent to power, his push to regain lands lost to Germany, and his astonishingly swift occupation of The Netherlands, Belgium, and France are well detailed.  Policies of appeasement, resistance movements, the Vichy government, the Free French Liberation fighters,  the flight of citizens in advance of the occupiers, and the progressively harsh treatment and genocide of Jews, Gypsies, and the disabled are all presented in detail.  Documents, first-person accounts, and physical memorabilia provide vivid testimony to the events and experiences described.

The Normandy landings of June, 1944, as well as the months-longer Battle of Normandy are documented in a separate section of the museum, which does not ignore the enormous hardship and suffering of the local people as a result of the strategically important Allied bombing of many of their town and cities.  This part of the museum includes an excellent film, which uses archival footage to depict the events of the D-Day landings from both Allied and German perspectives on a split screen; it was a moving and effective presentation.

The museum also included a visit to the underground bunker of the German General Richter, who controlled the response to the Allies' invasion.

Special exhibits presented 100 objects representative of the Battle of Normandy, ranging from clothing to vehicles to weaponry and 100 photographs taken by the America GI Tony Vaccaro as he advanced with his unit from Normandy to Berlin.  In different ways, both exhibits brought added dimensions to our understanding of a time that was both heroic and horrendous.

In addition to the war in Europe, the Pacific campaign is also covered, as well as the ongoing and seemingly never-ending conflicts throughout the world since that time.

I could go on and on, but most of you have probably already tuned out, so I will, too.  Suffice it to say that we were amazed to realize that we'd spent the entire day inside the museum; we were totally absorbed and the hours just flew by!