From our special envoy to Sainte-Mère-Eglise and Saint-Côme-du-Mont (Manche),
Don’t tell him he’s wearing a uniform because he’s “not military.” And even less a costume, because he doesn’t do “theatre”. It is therefore in an American soldier’s outfit that Loïc provides service in the Géronimo reenactment camp, organized by the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise (Manche). A few kilometers from the legendary Utah Beach, where more than 23,000 GIs disembarked at the end of the day on June 6, 1944, we are here in the heart of American territory. The “Stars and Stripes” is embroidered on all outfits and hung on all the facades of the Norman town, known throughout the world thanks to the paratrooper John Marvin Steele, who remained clinging to the church tower after his release on the night of 5 to 6.
In Géronimo, the largest reconstructed camp in Europe, Loïc is also responsible for explaining to the many visitors what the equipment of the American paratroopers looked like when they were dropped into the Normandy sky. “But what interests me above all is the human story of these soldiers who paid with their lives for our freedom,” assures the president of the V for Victory association, whose grandfather was a resistance fighter and went underground in Corrèze. With his friends from Île-de-France, all passionate about the Second World War, Loïc could not imagine for a second missing the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. “We come here every year,” he says. And as soon as it’s finished, we schedule leave for the following year. »
All unbeatable, but each has their own specialty
Such is the life of the reenactors, a community of gentle crazy people who take us back to the darkest hours of History and bring to life the daily life of these soldiers called to the front to liberate France and Europe from the Nazi yoke. “But we are not nostalgic for the war and we are not here to replay it,” emphasizes Eric, who traveled from Reims to present his vintage jeep. We are here to pass on the memory and show, especially to the youngest, what the reality of the war was. »
In his group of friends who come from the four corners of France, and who participate in “seven or eight reenactments” every year, some are knowledgeable about the uniforms, helmets or insignia worn by American soldiers. Others on the mechanics of armored vehicles, cannons or machine guns. “We are all encyclopedias in our field, but everyone has their own specialty,” smiles Jonathan. He came from Rouen and “caught the bug” of military vehicles at a very young age, with his father.
Tribute to the paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne
A few kilometers from Camp Géronimo, other fake American soldiers have set up their tent in a field near the D-Day Experience museum in Saint-Côme-du-Mont. Here we pay tribute to the paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne. With an airsoft machine gun replica in hand, Joslain holds the German gatehouse which serves as a checkpoint at the entrance to the Kil Roy camp. A reference to the graffiti “Kilroy was here”, which appeared during the Second World War to maintain the legend of a mysterious GI named Kilroy.
The reconstitution of the American camp is certainly much more confidential than at Géronimo. But its participants no less passionate. “We reconstructed the camp identically with real equipment and period decor, nothing is left to chance,” says Arnaud Chargé. The president of the Les Passeurs de memoire association, based in Dordogne, embarked on the reconstruction after seeing the film We have to save the soldier Ryan. “A real slap in the face!” », assures the man who has since seen it nearly 35 times and knows every scene down to the smallest detail.
“Take up the torch” from these American soldiers
Around this camp “leader”, comrades sharing the same passion and the same spirit of brotherhood have become “a real family” over the years. “I started by visiting a camp, then I bought an outfit and got into the game,” says Joslain, a 29-year-old truck driver. A history buff, he now finds himself “taking up the torch” of these American soldiers. With respect and honor. “There are not many veterans left, so we must pass on the memory of all these young men who fell in combat so that it endures and is not lost in the twists and turns of History. »
OUR FILE ON THE LANDING Camp Géronimo in Sainte-Mère-Eglise is the largest reconstituted military camp in Europe.ttps://www.20minutes.fr/dossier/le_debarquement
A mission all the more symbolic for the re-enactors in this year marked by the wars in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. “Recent events show us that the task is arduous,” assures Loïc. But more necessary than ever.”