23 November 1944: the Liberation of Strasbourg

On 6 June 1944, the Allies landed on the Normandy coastline and the liberation of France began.

On 1 August, the men and vehicles of the French 2nd Armoured Division (2nd DB), in turn, set foot on the Normandy soil. In the command of General Leclerc, but incorporated in General Patton’s Third US Army, the division played an active part in the fighting to liberate Normandy, before marching on Paris. If the Americans regarded the French capital as a secondary objective and initially wanted to go round it, the symbolic importance of its liberation by French soldiers was not lost on Leclerc and de Gaulle, who managed to convince Eisenhower and took the initiative of directing their tanks towards the city. With the arrival of Leclerc’s tanks, Paris was liberated on 25 August. The following day, de Gaulle and Leclerc rode down the Champs-Élysées to the cheers of a jubilant crowd.

The war was not yet over, however, and large areas of the country remained under enemy control. The Germans may have been beaten in the West, but the East was still under Nazi domination. Bolstered by his success, Leclerc and his tanks headed for Alsace. After crossing the Vosges mountains, the French engaged in fierce fighting to take out the last German defences and retake Strasbourg three months later, on 23 November. The “Oath of Kufra” had been honoured.

Watch a film on the Oath of Kufra and General Leclerc’s epic story

The liberated Alsatian population fraternise with the soldiers of the 2nd DB who liberated Strasbourg, on Rua Mercière, not far from Strasbourg cathedral. © Jacques Belin/Roland Lennad/ECPAD/Défense

Origin: the “Oath of Kufra”

With French Equatorial Africa rallying to its side, Free France was able to take up the fight alongside the Allies once again in late 1940. From Chad, Leclerc organised raids targeting Italian possessions in Libya. In one such raid, on 2 March 1941, French troops triumphed over the Italians at the oasis of Kufra. The then Colonel Leclerc had his men swear an oath with him, “not to lay down arms until our colours, our beautiful colours, are flying over Strasbourg Cathedral.”

An article from the Chemins de Mémoire website

Kufra, the beginning of an epic

Talks

Understand the victory at Kufra with a talk by General Jean-Paul Michel, chairman of the Association of Veterans of the 2nd DB and the Marshal Leclerc de Hauteclocque Foundation
Understand the repercussions and consequences of the victory at Kufra, with a talk by historian Christine Levisse-Touzé

Recorded testimonies

• Roger Le Neurès and Jean Pietri, two veterans of the 1st Infantry Regiment of Moroccan Spahis, describe their campaign and the liberation of Alsace

A medal

The “medal of Kufra”, awarded for “military service in the colonies resulting from participation in military operations, in a colony or protectorate”.

The liberation de Strasbourg

An article from the Chemins de Mémoire website

The liberation and defence of Strasbourg

An object

The flag of the Liberation of Strasbourg, raised atop the cathedral spire by the spahi Maurice Lebrun

Illustrations

Views a series of images put online by Réseau Canopé

An exhibition

Visit an exhibition of the City of Strasbourg archives, until 16 January 2022

From Kufra to Strasbourg: the 2nd DB, a legendary unit of Free France

A history article

Discover the history of the 2nd Armoured Division with the Marshal Leclerc de Hauteclocque Foundation

A remembrance trail

Remembrance trail - “The Way of the 2nd DB” follows the path taken by General Leclerc and his unit during the Liberation of France. It retraces their steps from their landing in Normandy, to the Liberation of Paris, to the fighting in Alsace and the capture of Strasbourg. All along the route, and in each of the French towns and villages liberated by the 2nd DB, marker posts commemorate the unit’s participation in the campaign. In most cases, information panels and a QR code located near the marker posts offer access to additional historical information.

A biography

• The creation of the 2nd DB and its successes on the battlefield were the result of the determination and charisma of General Leclerc de Hauteclocque. A great soldier and servant of Free France, he was made a Companion of Liberation by General de Gaulle and was posthumously promoted to the rank of Marshal of France in 1952. Find an article by Géraud Létang (SHD), plus Leclerc's biography ont the Chemins de mémoire and website and Ordre de la Libération website

Photographs to illustrate an epic tale

Inside the Fort of Kufra. © Ordre de la Libération

Captain Combes presents Commander Hous and Colonel Leclerc with the flag of the Compagnia Sahariana di Cufra, captured from the enemy in February 1941. © Fondation de la France Libre

General Leclerc, commander of the 2nd Armoured Division (2nd DB), arrives on Utah Beach, 1 August 1944. © Photographer unknown/ECPAD/Défense

An M7 Priest Howitzer Motor Carriage of the 2nd DB passes through Clamart on its way to Paris, 24 August 1944. © Anonymous, ECPAD

General Leclerc, commander of the 2nd DB, has General Von Choltitz, the German military commander for Paris, climb into his scout car to be taken to the police headquarters at Montparnasse station to sign the act of surrender, 25 August 1944. © Anonymous, ECPAD

General Leclerc, commander of the 2nd DB, followed by his aide-de-camp, Captain Christian Girard, in Baccarat. © Francis Mac Connel/ECPAD/Défense

Place Kleber, Strasbourg: during a ceremony to celebrate the liberation of the capital of Alsace by the 2nd DB, a military band of the 12th Regiment of Cuirassiers parades before the crowds gathered to cheer the liberators. © Jacques Belin/Roland Lennad/ECPAD/Défense

In Strasbourg, soldiers of the 2nd DB attach a trophy to the front of their tank – a sign, “Adolf Hitler Strasse”, from the time of the German occupation, taken down when the city was liberated. © Jacques Belin/Roland Lennad/ECPAD/Défense

A Strasbourg resident offers a drink to a soldier of the 501st RCC in the liberated city. © Jacques Belin/Roland Lennad/ECPAD/Défense