Section 4. Liberation of Flers de L'Orne August 16, 1944

The success of "Operation Overlord" begun on June 6, 1944 saw the establishment of a toe-hold on the continent of Europe for the invading Allied forces and no matter how tantalizing it might have been to chase the Germans out of Normandy all the way back to the fatherland, it just would not be an overnight reality. The initial weeks following the D-Day landing successes saw a steady building of supplies, troops, and support personnel.

By August the of '44 the war went into high gear with the Nazis abandoning towns and villages throughout Normandy.  August 16 saw the Liberation of Flers de L'Orne by the British 11th Armoured Division.

Top: Allies Enter Flers (Source: unknown)
Middle: A British Churchill Tank enters Flers (Source: unknown)
Bottom: Town Crier Announces Flers Liberated! (Source: Tips Images, #RDA00108973)
Note the level of destruction in each of these images.

Section 3. And then comes Hitler

While the defeat and subsequent occupation of France by the Germans during the Second World War are a well documented set of events, it is noted here since it is an important part of the story of Flers.  After a month long blitzkrieg campaign ending in the defeat of France, Hitler made it his business to hold on to his new prize.

Hitler strolling through defeated Paris.
(Source:  Roger-Viollet / Rex Features)

The western coast of France became the Nazi's first line of defense against still undefeated Great Britain and its new ally the United States. With a series of interconnected heavy artillery batteries, machine gun nests, and bombproof observation stations Hitler's concrete emplacements became a formidable set of obstacles for the allies. With continued strengthening under the capable supervision of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel the west coast of France came to be known as "The Atlantic Wall".

Beaches of Normandy and The Atlantic Wall
 ( Source: Left http://www.bibliophilebooks.com/normandybreachingtheatlantic , Middle unknown)

For Normandy as a whole, the interior regions lying behind the beaches became strategic to the supply and command structure of this vital German defensive line. The rail centers, that had been for holiday goer's benefit before the war, became vitally important to the new German strategy. These railways made it possible to move men and materiel quickly and efficiently throughout the region.  Flers, a railroad hub, became central to Germany's hold over Normandy and by extension the rest of occupied Europe.

Flers as a rail center prior to the Second World War. (Source: Archives de Flers)

In the days and weeks leading up to the allied invasion of Europe, the Axis forces worked to secure their positions while the Allies did all they could to loosen the Nazi's grip.  Not wanting to telegraph the exact location of their intended landings, American and British bombing raids hit a wide range of targets with the intention of destroying their specific objectives but still keeping the Germans guessing where an amphibious assault might occur. Flers was right in the cross-hairs of the Allied bombing raids that came night after night. These "softening up" operations devastated the town. The bombs leveled 80% of Flers de L'Orne.

Just one of the many bombing missions for the town of Flers.  This one for June 6, 1944.

The following is a fairly accurate description of the bombing of Flers.

On the 5th of June the Mayor of Flers tried to keep some semblance of normality by distributing sewing patterns to the young people and the newspaper of Flers reported on the results of the judging of the agricultural show but everyone knew the invasion was eminent. 

"But on the next day, Flers wrote one of the most tragic pages in its history. On the night of 5 to 6, the Fouchard House on the street of the fountain was destroyed by an incendiary bomb. The men of the local civil defense, removed seven corpses. At the same time on the Normandy coast the aerial bombing took place as planned, and (many of) the Fleriens panicked and left the city for the neighboring hamlets. Others took refuge in the church of Saint-Germain. Between the hours of 6 and 8 p.m. the windows trembled, while a rumble of bombs fell on the city. For more than an hour, twelve U.S. squadrons and their two hundred "flying fortresses" pounded the city. On Charretiers Street those who still can take flight. In the city Messel Street, Ball Street, and Donfront Street are a huge blaze. Men and women lie under the rubble.  Everything is in ruins. One hundred civilians perished under the bombs. The fighting continued throughout the summer until August 16, 1944 when the 11th British Armored division troops free the city.

(Source: http://charmanetoverlord.skyrock.com/2866634628-LA-LIBERATION-DE-L-ORNE.html, translation by the author)

The bombs hit the railroad yard as well as the town. This is an early bombing mission focusing on Flers. Here, much of the town remains in tact but this would change. 

Section 2. Flers Before the Second World War

Normandy of the early 20th Century was a sleepy backwater of picturesque farms and hedge lined pastures. The few beach goers that came for the sun and surf of the short French summers only barely disturbed the rhythm of the region as their trains from Paris, Bordeaux, and farther afield trundled into the area's rail centers like Flers de L'Orne.

Pre-World War I Flers (Source: Archives de Flers)

Flers Station Track Side (Source: Wikipedia)

Normandy of the late 19th century had an exotic, far away feel to it for the citizens of Paris who set aside time for special excursions into what they previously had thought of as a remote section of France. Even though it was only a day's train ride from Notre Dame, it might as well have been in another world. The growth of the rail lines had made the farther reaches of France easily accessible only in the later decades of the 1800's but even then it was a trek that required no small amount of effort. None the less, Normandy provided the backdrop for the creation of the first beach resorts and Flers made them possible

Flers Train Station Street Side (Source: Wikipedia)

Flers train station, opened in 1866 and expanded into the 1870s, would have greeted these early travelers.
It's architecture reflected a mixture of both urban and rural design elements. Effectively presenting Flers as a place not so distant from the centers of Europe's major cities, arriving passengers stepping off of the trains would have immediately recognized that they were neither in Paris or Milan but not the wilderness either. While smaller in scale than stations in the capitals of Europe this facade stated that the vacationers were still in France.





The town's medieval origins in the 16th century are well documented as are the region's allegiance to the counter-revolutionary Chouans of Honore de Balzac fame. But, despite siding with the losing side during the French Revolution, the post-Revolutionary period saw the rise in the region's economic fortunes. Flers thrived as a economic hub resulting from it's being at the epicenter of Normandy and the flourishing towns of those parts like Caen, Bayeux, and Cherbourg.  Her relatively new chateau begun in 1661 her and expanding city boarders are testimony to the industrious nature if the Fleriens and the productivity of the surrounding lands.

Flers' textiles and artisan lace, much woven on hand-looms,
provided for a strong economy while it served the Spanish market. (Source: Unknown)

Chateau Flers (Source:Wikipedia)

The economy of the region had its ups and downs during the later stages of the French industrial revolution of the 1880's.  Despite its setbacks, by the mid-twentieth century Flers boasted a population of several thousand and a strong sense of faith in their future. 

Progression of  Fler's growth from the late 19th Century into the 20th Century. Note the prominence of the rail center on the most recent map on the right.  (Source: Archives de Flers)

Section 1. Introduction

This is the opening of a blog created with the intention of telling the story of two towns separated by space and history.

Having been raised as a fifth generation Charleston, South Carolinian, I thought I knew more than the average person about the history of my native city but I found that there is always more to learn.

As I was attending the funeral of my french wife's brother in Toulouse, France I was not completely surprised to be approached by a distant relation who started her conversation with the opening, "Are you not from Charleston caroline du sud?", in a very heavy french accent. Not completely surprised since the whole world has recently discovered my hometown as a top wedding destination and a number one pick by the "Conde' Nast Traveler" magazine as a top vacation spot, I thoroughly expected her to say that she had heard of its charm and beauty but no, that was not the case.

She went on to ask me if I knew that a section of her small hometown of Flers in Normandy was called Place Charleston? To that I could only reply no with a sense if hesitation and fascination. I was hooked.. Armed with a new history interest I returned to Charleston on a new quest.

Over the course of the next few months I started searching for the back-story to Place Charleston. 

Here is that story... 
Bill McSweeney 

(Source: Archives de Flers)