Less well known is the fact that the Allies also invaded in Southern France. American and French forces came in the back door, so to speak, and swept up toward points north. The idea was to keep the Germans occupied in the south so they couldn't help defend the north.
There were casualties, of course. The American military gave the families of the deceased a choice: The dead could be buried in a military cemetery forever, or the remains could be sent home. But the decision had to be final; changes were not allowed.
A total of 868 dead servicemen are buried in the Rhone American Cemetery, located a handful of miles inland from the sea. These facilities are scattered around the world, and this is the smallest of them. The memorial also pays tribute to the 294 people who were missing in action.
During our hour-long visit, the commander of the cemetery told us stories about the people who are buried there while showing us the grounds. It's a first-class job by all concerned.
Everyone loved the story about the woman who had lost her boyfriend in the invasion. My friend Beth, who was part of tour group, told it this way on Facebook: "She went on to live a life when she came across her old diary and got grandchildren to her to find out what had happened to him. She called someone with that name and said she was an old friend of Wade, “You can’t be Christina?” How did you know, she said. "You were the only one he ever talked about in his letters," they told her, "but we didn’t ever know how to contact you." So now - in her 90s - Christina has come to the cemetery every year for the last several years, where she sits by the grave and talks to Wade. She plans to come again this August."
Yes, many would like to see more of this:
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