Here at Batterie annexe de 95 mm, imagine a city scarred by war. Marseille, a strategic port city in France, played a crucial role during World War II. However, its liberation came at a great cost.
The city had a strategically important situation. It had a port capacity facilitating the landing of Allied reinforcing divisions. It offered a large discharge capacity that could support an entire army group. Connecting the port to the Ruhr Valley was a series of roads, rail linkages, and canals.
Marseille was heavily damaged by the German army and Allied bombings. The American Army and Navy engineers began clearing the port and repairing facilities. From September 8, 1944, until January 25, 1945, the port discharged over two million tons of materials. It employed over 11000 workers.
The southern route became a significant source of supplies. It helped the Allied advance into Germany. It provided about one-third of the total Allied requirement. Approximately 20 km from Marseille, an American military camp was built. It was called The Delta Base Section. It had a capacity of 100000 men, to receive American soldiers in transit. The last group of soldiers left Marseille for the USA in January 1946.
The history of Marseille is deeply intertwined with World War II. The city was bombed by German and Italian forces in 1940. It was occupied by the Germans from November 1942 to August 1944. In January 1943, over 4000 Jews were seized in Marseille as part of Action Tiger. They were held in detention camps before being deported to Poland occupied by Nazi Germany to be murdered. The Old Port was destroyed in January 1943 by the Germans.
But Marseille’s spirit endured. The city was liberated by the Allies on August 28, 1944. General Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert led roughly 130000 French troops to liberate the city. The local German garrison was defeated by mainly French forces, with limited American support.
After the war, much of the city was rebuilt during the 1950s. Marseille has become a major center for immigrant communities. These immigrants came from former French colonies, such as French Algeria.
The documentary Marseille & Les Américains tells about daily and cultural life of people in Marseille. It shows the importance of the military and civilian presence of Americans, told through people who were children or young adults during that particular time. These people still remember vividly about surviving in a city where food was scarce, where part of the city was bombed, about meeting an American soldier and learning how to play baseball. Other stories are about the many marriages between American soldiers and French women. Many still remember the joy of American movies and music, which they were able to watch and listen to after the Liberation.
As you stand here at the Batterie annexe de 95 mm, remember the resilience of Marseille. A city that rose from the ashes of war. It became a symbol of hope and rebirth. A testament to the enduring human spirit.