CHEMIN DE LA MÉMOIRE 39-45 EN PAYS DE RETZ

The Chemin de la mémoire 39-45 en Pays de Retz is a remembrance tourism trail. Find out more about the route here >>>> The trail inscribes the memory of the key events of the Second World War into the landscape. Panels of enamelled lava stone bearing accounts and photos of each act of war are set up in the very places where they took place. Among the many testimonies of this historic period, take a look at the 3 documents you can download from this page… fascinating! There are 3 headstones in Saint-Père-en-Retz: The first, at La Pichonnais, recounts the crash of the RAF Lancaster MKL W4257 DX on 2 April 1943, in which 7 allied airmen lost their lives. A second plaque at Les Morandières relates the crash of the B-17F 42-5780 GN-N Black Swann, which was shot down by German fighters on 1 May 1943, killing 6 young American airmen. Finally, the third plaque is in Place de la Mairie, and pays tribute to the Periez resistance fighters deported to the camps. There are 2 headstones in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins: The first, on boulevard Padioleau, commemorates the crash of the B24 The Oklhoman, which was shot down by the German FLAK, killing 9 of the 10 airmen. The second, at 32 allée Yvonne, commemorates 15 local residents killed when more than 200 anti-tank mines exploded during a German requisition in what is known as the Catastrophe du Boivre. There are 2 headstones in Saint-Viaud: The first, at Les Bretesches, commemorates the crash of the Lockheed Hudson on 21 December 1941, in which 4 young aviators lost their lives. The second, at La Brosse, recalls the last tragic event of the Second World War, the explosion of an ammunition depot on 12 May 1945, which resulted in the deaths of 5 young FFI soldiers from the Limousin region and two civilians from the area. Don’t miss our podcast on the tragedy at La Brosse, here >>>>