Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the necropolis of Boulouris, Thursday, August 15 in Saint-Raphaël (Var), where 464 fighters of the French army rest. In the presence of other heads of state and government, notably African, the President of the Republic paid tribute to the “bravery” fighters of “the nation’s army”Before him, Cameroonian President Paul Biya gave a speech in which he explained that there would not have been “of Allied victory without the contribution of other peoples, without foreigners.” This ceremony was maintained, while theThe Var is on orange alert for thunderstorms. Follow our live feed.
Part of the events in Var cancelled due to the risk of storms. The reception of heads of state and government by President Emmanuel Macron on the amphibious helicopter carrier Dixmude, which was planned for Thursday afternoon, will not take place. “The evocation of the landing of Provence on the Lido beach at Mourillon in Toulon is cancelled this afternoon”, has also announced the prefect of Var.
Provence liberated in a fortnight. The military operation dubbed “Anvil Dragoon”, long remained in the shadow of the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944, mobilized 350,000 combatants, including 250 000 French. It began on the night of August 14-15, 1944. A naval assault was launched on 18 beaches on the Var coast, between Toulon and Cannes, facing a depleted German army, engaged on several other fronts. By the end of the month, the Allies had managed to liberate the region and its main towns, and were advancing as far as the Rhone Valley.
African countries in the spotlight. The President of the Republic will pay a warm tribute to the fighters of the former French colonies. More than 120,000 of them fought to liberate Provence. Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania are among the invited countries.. Six veterans will receive the Legion of Honor for their heroic participation during World War II.