![]() Illustration by Auguste Alexandre Guillaumot (c. The Pavilion Henri IV is the pavilion on the right. The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye can be seen in the background. ![]() ![]() Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Château Neuf, 1637. It is also a town with quite a bit of French history. It is a somewhat compact town and perfect for walking to the numerous bunkers built by the Germans as well as their command headquarters. Its strategic location was one of the reasons why Hitler chose Saint-Germain-en-Laye as headquarters for the Oberbefehlshaber West (Ob West), or German Commander-in-Chief in the West. It also sits on a hill overlooking the Seine. Today’s subject is in the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a suburb of Paris about seventeen miles (twenty kilometers) to the west. It has a very interesting history and the castle’s ruins are situated on a hill overlooking the Seine River and easily accessible by car. This is the castle built by King Richard the Lionheart after he was released from captivity in 1194 by Leopold V, Duke of Austria. For example, in volume two of the book, Where Did They Burn the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar? A Walking Tour of Medieval Paris, one of the Métro Walk stops is Château-Gaillard. Typically, I include four of these sites in each book. However, there are sites that are interesting, but I couldn’t fit them into any of the walks or they are stand-alone stops accessible by means other than the métro. For those of you who have read one or more of my prior books, you know that four walks are included along with a section called “Métro Walks.” Each of the four walks has multiple stops and you can walk from one stop to the next without having to jump on the métro. I thought perhaps you might like to read about a site I’ve decided to include in the first volume of our new book series, Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters? A Walking Tour of Nazi-Occupied Paris. Learn more about Operation Market Garden here. Other military cemeteries are located nearby for the British and Canadian men who did not survive the battle. ![]() Operation Market Garden was a failed Allied attempt to liberate Holland while on their march to Germany and Berlin. They were the casualties of Operation Market Garden (17–25 September 1944) and other battles aimed at liberating Holland. It is the final resting spot for 8,301 American soldiers and a memorial for 1,722 men missing in action. Netherlands American Cemetery (Margraten) So, please keep those e-mails coming! It’s critical to NEVER FORGET. We stay in contact with people who run non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving the memories of those who fought the Nazis. We’ve made friends with other authors from around the world as well as others who relay related stories and comments. We get correspondence saying how much they like the blogs as well as the occasional e-mails pointing out errors. We’d like to thank everyone who contacts us regarding our blogs. Two days later in Reims, Generaloberst Alfred Jodl signed the document for the unconditional surrender of the German armies. and Therese Baumgärtler, who were not yet married at the time of his birth. The Netherlands was one of the last European countries to be liberated. Jodl, Ferdinand Alfred Friedrich, born 23-11-1896 Landau, Pfalz, as Ferdinand Baumgärtler as son of Alfred Jodl Sr. This led to the complete German surrender and liberation of the country. Canadian forces along with other Allied forces were able to obtain the surrender of German forces in the small Dutch town of Wageningen. Liberation Day (also known as Freedom Day) for the Netherlands (Holland) was. Posting this blog on the fifth of each May has become a tradition for me. But the war in the West was over.Unknown Soldier Cross. Fighting would still go on in the East for almost another day. So with Russian General Ivan Susloparov and French General Francois Sevez signing as witnesses, and General Walter Bedell Smith, Ike’s chief of staff, signing for the Allied Expeditionary Force, Germany was-at least on paper-defeated. Jodl radioed Grand Admiral Karl Donitz, Hitler’s successor, with the terms. If this demand was not met, Eisenhower was prepared to seal off the Western front, preventing Germans from fleeing to the West in order to surrender, thereby leaving them in the hands of the enveloping Soviet forces. But General Dwight Eisenhower demanded complete surrender of all German forces, those fighting in the East as well as in the West. On May 7, 1945, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northeastern France.Īt first, General Jodl hoped to limit the terms of German surrender to only those forces still fighting the Western Allies.
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