The site of the archives of the ministries responsible for military affairs since records began, the Service Historique de la Défense (SHD) also has one of the most extensive specialist libraries in France. It also has the role of approving, cataloguing and gathering together the elements of military symbolism (emblems and insignias), as well as contributing to research into the history of defence.

Its collections, comprised of 450 km of archives dating back to the 17th century, totalling nearly one million works, represent a part of the French national memory, which the SHD’s archivists, librarians, historians and scientific and technical staff are engaged in preserving, transmitting and sharing. These first-class documentary resources belong to the French people.

Founded on 1 January 2005 through the merging of the former historical departments of the armed forces, the SHD is a branch of the Department for Remembrance, Heritage and Archives (DMPA), one of the departments of the Secretariat-General for Administration (SGA) of the Ministry of Defence.

It is comprised of three centres: the Centre Historique des Archives (located in Vincennes, Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, Toulon, Caen and Le Blanc), the Centre des Archives de l’Armement et du Personnel Civil (located in Châtellerault) and the Centre des Archives du Personnel Militaire (located in Pau).

Learn all about the SHD through the exhibition organised to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

The museum charts the history of the French volunteers who, thanks to Kieffer’s tenacity, were able to join the British commandos and take part in a number of operations alongside them. It focuses in particular on their training at the Achnacarry camp in Scotland and how they landed on the beach of Colleville-sur-Orne (present-day Colleville-Montgomery) with No 4 Commando, captured Ouistreham casino and liberated the town, joined up with British paratroopers at Pegasus Bridge, Bénouville, then installed themselves in Amfreville, all in the same day, 6 June 1944. They went on to fight in the Battle of Normandy until late August 1944, then in Belgium and the Netherlands.

All the pieces displayed in the museum are authentic, and most of the equipment and uniforms were donated by the families of the British and French commandos.

A scale model measuring 3.60 m x 1.10 m helps visitors to picture the landing at Colleville-sur-Orne and the capture of Ouistreham casino.

A 26-minute film (with English subtitles), comprised of documents and footage from the time, shows in particular the troops training at Achnacarry.

Exhibited in large display cases are many uniforms and weapons used in the conflict, including some very rare pieces.

Most of the objects and photographs are labelled in French, English and German.

This museum was founded in order to:

• explain what the commandos were and what they accomplished; and

• make sure their memory and example live on.

This poem says it all:

Tribute to the Kieffer Commando
(to the 177 commandos and their comrades-in-arms)
Commandos, an emblem of hope
flapping in the wind toward the sky of France,
You begin a hymn of deliverance
that echoes through the villages of France.
(...)

Claude Blin

The complete poem by Claude Blin is available at the No 4 Commando Museum

Sources : ©Musée N° 4 Commando

In a cinematographic setting inspired by poetic realism, a collection of more than 10 000 objects and documents evokes the daily lives of French people under the Occupation, while first-hand accounts from members of the Resistance in Vaucluse shed light on the profound motivations behind their actions, situated in the national context. Finally, a third section, “Freedom of the Spirit”, offers an in-depth look at “wartime intelligence” and Resistance ideals, what they meant and how they were taught. It comprises a series of underground editions, subject to censorship or sent from abroad, of militant magazines, manuscripts by René Char, Georges Rouault, André Breton, etc., and original works by Henri Matisse and Joan Miró, among others.

The museum also has: 

• a research and documentation centre (open to all by appointment), where information and archives in all media can be consulted and documents borrowed and copied.
• a bookshop selling a range of books on the period 1939-45 (general, thematic, new releases)
• an auditorium and a projection room, which can be booked for symposiums, seminars and exhibitions.

You can visit the museum unguided, and group bookings (minimum 10 people) are taken throughout the year.

Audioguides in English, French and German are available to visitors free of charge.

Guided tours, scripted booklets and educational workshops (art, writing, philosophy, etc.) mean school visits can be tailored to different age groups. Original trails around the museum’s collections or on the theme of this year’s “Concours National de la Résistance et de la Déportation” schools competition can be arranged with the museum’s education service.

Sources : ©Musée d’Histoire Jean Garcin : 39-45 L’Appel de la Liberté

After visiting the battlefield of Verdun, whose scars still visible 100 years on remind us of the horrors of war, a visit to the World Centre for Peace is a must. A symbol of the Great War, Verdun as the “Capital of Peace” offers a better understanding of how a regional crisis can deteriorate into a major conflict, how Franco-German relations have succeeded in overcoming the horror and the hatred born of the conflicts, how day after day the protection of human rights and freedoms is the best defence against a crazy world capable of the worst acts of destruction and madness.

Visitors will appreciate the outstanding charm of Verdun’s Episcopal Palace, a listed building from the 18th century, which for the past 30 years has been home to the Centre Mondial de la Paix, des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme. In the 18th-century gardens, which can be visited free of charge, you can see a section of the Berlin Wall and discover its history, as well as enjoy one of the finest views of the town of Verdun.

The Centre presents a number of permanent exhibitions, on such varied themes as the First World War, Franco-German relations, contemporary conflicts and human rights.

Schoolchildren will enjoy the activity packs and workshops prepared by the education team and Canopé Meuse, while the scientifically inclined will be fascinated by the centre of excellence in First World War and Franco-German remembrance, which is the result of close cooperation between the different organisations housed in the Centre. 

Visitors will love the shop, with its more than 500 books to suit all ages.

Intended from the outset as a meeting place, the Centre Mondial de la Paix, founded in the presence of the UN Secretary-General, hosts a large number of events in its function rooms (which seat 20 to 300 people and include a film room). Conferences, film club, book fair... Not a week goes by without an event, usually with free admission to the public.

Since mid-April 2016, a group accommodation capacity of 56 beds means that parties visiting Verdun have somewhere to stay.

Sources: ©Centre Mondial de la Paix, des libertés et des droits de l’Homme

Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, entre Haute-Loire et Ardèche, le Chambon-sur-Lignon et les villages alentours ont accueilli et aidé de nombreux réfugiés, la plupart juifs pourchassés dans une Europe sous le joug nazi. C’est pour transmettre les valeurs d’humanité et d’engagement qui ont permis ce sauvetage à grande échelle que le Lieu de Mémoire a ouvert en juin 2013.

Un Lieu de mémoire, d’histoire et d’éducation :

Le parcours historique s’organise autour des différentes formes de résistances : civile, spirituelle et armée. Il est complété par une salle mémorielle où des écrans tactiles permettent de visionner des témoignages de sauveteurs, réfugiés et résistants. Les outils multimédias facilitent la compréhension des événements, même pour les plus jeunes.

Le Service éducatif du Lieu de Mémoire propose toute l’année des visites et des ateliers pédagogiques adaptés aux différents niveaux scolaires. Pour les élèves, c’est l’occasion d’aborder la Seconde Guerre mondiale sous un angle différent. ?Catalogue pédagogique en lien

Sources : ©Lieu de Mémoire au Chambon-sur-Lignon - ©Luc Olivier – MDDT43

* A slice of history

Devoted to the regional Resistance, the Musée de la Résistance in Bondues aspires to pass on the intellectual and moral heritage of Resistance fighters in the Nord region, and to recall the universal scope of their struggle.

The permanent exhibition, devised by a team of former Resistance members and teachers, aims to be as educational as possible. Comprising five rooms, structured around the Resistance values of memory, refusal, courage, engagement and sacrifice,

it introduces visitors to the motives, methods and organisation of the regional Resistance in 1940-44.

The museum also offers specific activities and temporary exhibitions exploring other aspects of the Resistance and occupation (e.g. war caricatures, virtual exhibition on racial persecution, exhibition on resistance during the First World War).

* A duty of care

For museum staff, preserving and respecting the spirit of these Resistance fighters also means perceiving the resonances with the contemporary world.   This duty of care is all the more important because, ever since its founding, the Musée de la Résistance has worked in partnership with Lille education authority and carries out educational outreach work with schoolchildren across the region. In this context, each year the museum receives more than 3 000 pupils, 70% of them from middle schools (ages 11 to 15).

* A concern for scientific rigour

The partnership with the education department found concrete expression in 1998, with the setting up of an education service run by a history teacher, which was assigned the task of helping middle and high-school pupils prepare for the Concours National de la Résistance et de la Déportation competition. The museum also works regularly with the IRHiS (Institute of Historical Research of the North - University of Lille III), organising biennial symposia on an agreed theme: Representations and memories of the Resistance (2012), The purge following the Second World War (2014), Culture, occupation and resistance in Belgium and northern France (2016).

The museum collections

* The paper archives:

These comprise posters (Vichy propaganda and orders of the regional authorities, notices of execution and prohibition issued by the German authorities), magazines and publications, letters from the German command, underground newspapers and pamphlets, identity papers, family photographs and personal documents of Resistance members, letters and certificates of Resistance membership.

* The objects:

The preserved objects include German, British, American and French weapons from the two world wars, German uniforms, wirelesses, printing equipment for underground newspapers, armbands of Resistance groups, everyday objects belonging to deportees, medals and flags.

The archive collection is open by arrangement to students, researchers and any individual visitors wishing to view it.

The museum also has a documentary collection comprising video footage and memoirs of people who lived through the war, and books and historical research published after the war. It is expanded every year with new acquisitions.

A large part of our collections is promoted via the website www.memoire14-45.eu

Sources: ©Musée de la Résistance de Bondues

The organisation

Founded in 1997, the organisation behind the project to set up an Arles and Area Resistance and Deportation Centre (CRDA) has three aims:

- Promote the research, collection and conservation of any documents concerning the period 1939-45 in the Arles area, and collect personal accounts from Resistance fighters and/or deportees.

- Share local history of the Second World War, through educational activities for school groups and cultural events for the general public.

- Through that history, encourage people to think about the republican values championed by the Resistance: liberty, democracy and human rights.

The project

Made accessible to the young by the very way it is presented, the project of the Arles Area Resistance and Deportation Centre demonstrates a desire to establish a link between past and present, by recalling that democracy should never be taken for granted and citizenship and human rights must be defended everywhere, every day.

The centre’s goal is to encourage people to reflect on the ideologies and ways of thinking that can lead to dictatorship, fascism and the stigmatisation of certain groups.

The future CRDA’s permanent exhibition will be structured around five themes, in addition to an introduction and conclusion: the Vichy regime and occupation; resistance; repression and deportation; liberation; and the legacy of the Resistance.

Resource centre

The CRDA’s collections comprise:

- over 3 000 books, classified by theme;

- archives (pamphlets, posters, administrative reports, extracts of correspondence, etc.) and a photographic collection obtained from private sources, which are concerned with the history of the Second World War in the Arles area (36 communes);

- documentation;

- audiovisual documents (eyewitness accounts, papers, songs, etc.);

- collections of objects relating to daily life (wireless sets, school materials, etc.), the Resistance (underground printers, radio equipment, containers for parachute drops, weapons), occupation (Nazi armbands, German helmets) and the battles of liberation (weapons, clothing, etc.).

Learning activities

Approved by the education ministry, the organisation offers a series of educational activities about the Second World War in the Arles area, for primary, middle and high-school students.

These activities mostly involve a local perspective and use a range of media (living eyewitnesses, collections and archives, guided tours, educational workshops).

Cultural programme

The future centre’s cultural programme is already structured around two main events:

- The Journées de la Mémoire. In February and March each year, the organisation puts on a temporary exhibition on the themes of resistance and deportation. This involves carrying out new research into local history, and enriching and developing the organisation’s collections.  The ‘Remembrance Days’ are brought to life by a whole series of cultural events (concerts, films, conferences, talks, etc.) for a varied audience, organised in partnership with the town’s different cultural organisations.

- The Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie. Since 2013, in the summer season, the future CRDA’s exhibition spaces have hosted photographic displays on themes relating to peace, freedom and human rights, with the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie.

Sources: © Centre de la Résistance et de la Déportation d’Arles et du pays d’Arles

Sur la plage où les Canadiens ont débarqué en juin 1944 aux côtés des autres forces alliées, le Centre Juno Beach présente le rôle joué par le Canada pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, notamment en Normandie.

L’exposition permanente raconte l’histoire des Canadiens qui ont volontairement porté l’uniforme ou qui, au pays, se sont mobilisés pour contribuer à l’effort de guerre. Bien qu’évoquant aussi les combats qui ont conduit les unités canadiennes de Sicile en Italie, de la Normandie aux Pays-Bas, le Centre Juno Beach n’est pas seulement un musée de la guerre : d’abord par la place faite aux témoignages et aux récits de vie, ensuite par la présentation de la société que ces combattants ont léguée à leurs enfants et qui forme le Canada d’aujourd’hui.

Après un court métrage introductif, le visiteur découvre 5 salles d’exposition permanente s’appuyant sur des textes, archives, photos, témoignages audiovisuels et sonores, multimédia, cartes, objets et un film de 12 mn « Dans leur pas », une immersion dans le vécu des Canadiens le Jour J et pendant la Bataille de Normandie.

En plus de son parcours permanent, le Centre Juno Beach propose un parcours jeune public et des animations pour les groupes scolaires et en 2016 l’exposition temporaire « Mamie, c’était comment pendant la guerre ? ».

Depuis la construction du Centre Juno Beach, le littoral à l’ouest de Courseulles-sur-Mer a été revalorisé par la Ville. Il s’agit d’un site exceptionnel par sa situation géographique, sa richesse naturelle et son caractère historique qui porte le nom de « Parc Juno ». Ce site est composé notamment d’un aménagement paysager et d’un circuit d’interprétation qui permettent de découvrir la mémoire des lieux.

Avec un jeune guide canadien, il est possible de suivre une visite commentée du Parc Juno et de ses vestiges du Mur de l’Atlantique, dont les bunkers situés face au musée.

Exposition temporaire : « Mamie, c’était comment pendant guerre ? » >31 décembre 2016

Exposition temporaire : « La Gendarmerie royale du Canada : Une tradition canadienne » >31 décembre 2016

Voir http://www.junobeach.org/fr/evenements/

Offre pédagogique

Animations avec un guide canadien dans le cadre de la visite

« L’histoire au bout des doigts » pour les 7-11 ans

« La course contre la pendule » pour les 11 ans et plus = Animation interactive sur tablettes

Voir http://www.junobeach.org/fr/pour-les-enseignants/

Sources: © Juno Beach Centre

Le musée de la Résistance en Argoat s’inscrit dans un lieu porteur de mémoire. C’est au cœur de la forêt voisine de Coatmallouen que se met en place, à partir du début du mois de juillet 1944, le maquis de Plésidy-St Connan-Coatmallouen. Fort de plusieurs centaines d’hommes, il affronte les troupes d’occupation lors des combats du 27 juillet 1944. Il participe ensuite à la libération de Guingamp et de sa région. Certains résistants du maquis partiront se battre sur le front de Lorient jusqu’au printemps 1945 tandis que d’autres prendront la route de l’est pour marcher jusqu’à Berlin.

The Museum of the Resistance in Argoat stands on a site steeped in memory. Deep in the nearby forest of Coatmallouen, the maquis (rural guerrilla group) of Plésidy-Saint Connan-Coatmallouen was set up in early July 1944. Formed of several hundred men, it took part in the fighting of 27 July 1944 against the occupying troops. It went on to participate in the liberation of Guingamp and the surrounding area. Some members of the maquis went off to fight on the Lorient front until spring 1945, while others marched east to Berlin.

The museum gives visitors an insight into the history of the Second World War and the Resistance in the Côtes-d’Armor, by means of five exhibition spaces, each identified by a different floor colour. To round off the visit, Guy Delattre’s film Les patriotes de Coatmallouen is shown continuously in the projection room. The occupation, the Resistance movement, the maquis and their allies, the maquis of Plésidy-Saint Connan, liberation: all these themes are covered by a lively exhibition that allows considerable space for audiovisual displays and first-hand accounts.

Inaugurated on 5 August 1945 by minister René Pleven, in memory of the maquis, the Étang-Neuf stela remembers the fighting which pitted the maquisards against German troops in Coatmallouen on 27 July 1944. It bears the names of the 13 patriots killed in the fighting, as well as those of their comrades who died during the liberation of Guingamp and on the Lorient front.

The centre holds the disability-friendly label Tourisme et Handicap, for mental disability and motor impairment. The entire Étang-Neuf site is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Disabled people pay a concessionary rate for access to the museum, and their carers get in free.

Gift and book shop specialising in the Second World War.

Food/drink and accommodation are available on site at the Auberge de l’Étang-Neuf, adjacent to the Musée de la Résistance en Argoat.

Special offer for groups of eight people or more: guided tour of the museum + lunch at the restaurant for € 20 per person. Booking required.

School parties welcome throughout the year: guided tours with questionnaire, workshops and teaching materials available, meetings with veterans. Learning programme produced in conjunction with a representative of the national education service.

Sources : ©Musée de la Résistance en Argoat

Le musée de la Libération s’est installé au fort du Roule construit au sommet de la montagne du même nom qui domine la ville. Le fort, culminant à 117 mètres, a été reconstruit sous Napoléon III entre 1853 et 1857. Sa position stratégique, dominant la rade et formant un éperon central entre les deux seules voies de pénétration de l’intérieur des terres vers la ville (les vallées de la Divette et du Trottebecq), en faisait la clé de la défense de Cherbourg, d’où l’expression «qui tient le Roule, tient Cherbourg».

En juin 1940, il fut l’un des lieux phares de la Résistance française devant l’invasion allemande. Pris par les Allemands, le fort est transformé en véritable camp retranché et des souterrains sont creusés dans le roc. Cherbourg devient une forteresse. Le 26 juin 1944, après d’âpres combats, le fort est repris par les Américains, faisant de Cherbourg le premier port libéré de France. Pendant quelques mois, Cherbourg sera le plus important port du monde, avec 25 000 tonnes de matériel débarquées chaque jour !

En 1949, un historien local, M. Lemaresquier, lance l’idée de perpétuer sur ce  lieu les souvenirs du Débarquement et de la Libération de l’Europe. En 1954, avec l’appui de l’Ambassade des Etats-Unis, le musée de la Libération voit le jour avec un parcours retraçant l’histoire du port de Cherbourg depuis le Moyen-Âge et comprenant les salles militaires, plus spécifiquement dédiées à la commémoration de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

En 1994, à l’occasion du 50e anniversaire du Débarquement, le musée est entièrement rénové et sa muséographie revue. Aujourd’hui, les collections, riches d’environ 500 objets et documents, s’étendent sur 780 m² répartis sur deux niveaux.
Baigné dans la pénombre, le sous-sol évoque l’Occupation, entre 1940 et 1944. Six salles racontent l’exode et la Résistance, la propagande, le quotidien des civils et les préparatifs du Débarquement. L’étage retrace, en pleine lumière, le Débarquement et la Libération. Il permet de découvrir le rôle joué par Cherbourg, premier port libéré, dans l’avancée des troupes alliées. En effet, la prise de Cherbourg, seul port en eau profonde de la région, constitue un objectif stratégique vital pour les troupes américaines débarquées à Utah Beach. La ville est libérée le 26 juin 1944. Elle devient alors le centre d’un impressionnant effort logistique : le port permet le ravitaillement du front par la route, le rail et le Pipe Line Under the Ocean (PLUTO) qui alimente les troupes en pétrole. Cartes, photographies, enregistrements sonores, maquettes, objets et multimédia évoquent l’histoire de la ville.

• Service éducatif : Visites en classe

Vous êtes enseignant et souhaitez venir visiter les musées avec votre classe ? Le service éducatif se tient à votre disposition pour préparer votre visite (maternelle, primaire, collège, lycée). Un nouveau parcours pédagogique pour le musée de la Libération est disponible en couleur.

Contact : Yann Lautridou

02 33 23 39 54

yann.lautridou@ville-cherbourg.fr

Sources : ©Musée de la Libération de Cherbourg - Fort du Roule