D-Day cafe refuses to service the English

[Pilot]

Basically its all positive and its the way it should be…
Just tried to explain it ..
Historical facts: France was an „ unreliable allied“…( according to most of the allied nations).
Mr. DeGaulle was not invited in Yalta nor Teheran during the share/cuts discussions for the post WWII Europe, the negotiations/ discussions, took place without him…furthermore was he was not informed of the D-Day happening…..only hours after its launch… he was getting ballistic about it…
…as a matter of facts, France was occupied but ruled and governed by Vichy and pro „ Nazeehhs“…. Hence totally unreliable for the allies.. Mr. DeGaulle was considered as unsure and not a legitimate representative of (collaborating) France…hence all bombing of France (and its victims
) was tolerated and written off in the „ collateral damage „ records..
Anyway, nowadays, France does its outmost to straighten up things and rightly thanks and honors the liberators.

France seeks personal accounts of liberation from the Nazis, 80 years after the D-Day landings

The French president is appealing to the public to collect photos, films, personal journals and testimony from witnesses to liberation from the Nazis, as the country prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in 1944.

apnews.com

 

[Dumpster D]

Not even NEARLY snobby as some of the trendy little joints in Vancouver.

 

[Blackboxr1200S]

It's very sad to see some educated people supporting an article of a well known "french bashers" newspaper, taking every bit of scum to ridiculize French and France.

Wherever you will go in Normandy, being polite, you'll be welcome.

The last 6 years, we spent every summer vacation in Normandy, working our way down from Dieppe to Mont Saint Michel. Most welcoming and hospitable region in France.

 

[mulceber]

I've been idly following this thread, and tbh, this news story sounds like a tabloid hit job to me.

 

[dav3469]

I've been idly following this thread, and tbh, this news story sounds like a tabloid hit job to me.

I tend to agree. Whilst I take much of what I see online with a grain of salt-media/social media/youtube and the like, I don’t recall ever hearing of negative experiences like this in Normandy, especially to service members. As matter of fact multiple coworkers over the years took time on multiday layovers to travel there. All spoke highly of the treatment they received from the “locals”.

Of course feelings and attitudes can and do exist as described in some of the previous posts. But my question is “Why now?” Certainly doesn’t sound like the norm, and a business that probably depends on tourism would seem one that might not want to bring such feelings to work with them.

 

[Kermit3D]

Let's not generalize.
If this story is true (I have my doubts), it's very sad indeed. But as a Frenchman, I can tell that on the whole, there's no negative resentment towards the Allies, especially the British. Even among the younger generation, who are in fact fairly well informed about the history of the Second World War (at least those I know).
Of course, there are idiots everywhere, but that's true of all countries.
Go to France and talk to French people. You'll see that, generally speaking, the French are grateful to the Allies.

As Brice said, I can understand the feelings of some French people who lost loved ones during the bombings (several thousand civilians), but that's not representative of what the French think.
I recently saw a documentary on the D-Day which mentioned that Churchill himself was worried about how the French would welcome the Allied troops, given the intensive bombing of France. The French resistance responded: “It's a necessary evil”.

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

 

[B-Man2]

I have been to Normandy and have had the opportunity to speak with several people who had family living there prior to the invasion and during the bombings. No one who I spoke with had any resentment towards any allied nations, British or American. At least one person I talked to had relatives in the French Navy which was located in the French Algers in 1940 at the time that Germany defeated France. Churchill made the decision to send the British Navy to the Algers and sink the French Navy rather than let the warships fall into the hands of Germany. Over one thousand French sailors were killed during that operation and still there seems to be no resentment towards the British .

 

[Shanghai-Mayne]

When I was visited Normandy (Merville and Pegasus bridge), it looks like only grown men have general interesting on the history. At Merville I saw a group of British teenagers make noises and playing on the old battlefields , where their ancestors have fought and die, perhaps they simply didn’t care.

 

[Micawber]

Let’s not get involved with using broad brushes here. There are careless and uncaring individuals on all continents. Let not this forum descend to the level of the unsavoury press and worst aspects of social media filter bubbles and echo chambers.

 

[Saint-ex]

I saw a group of British teenagers make noises and playing on the old battlefields , where their ancestors have fought and die

Adolescence, you say "awkward age", in France we say "Silly age".