Welcoming a veteran back to the battlefields

[Jean-Loup]

A couple of months ago, Art Helmers, one of the veterans I interviewed several years ago for my book about the French Riviera, contacted me saying he would like to return to visit the battlefields of southern France.
I told him that that was perfect, as I would be on vacation in August, so he planned about ten days of revisiting the French Riviera, along with his son.
Art Helmers was in the 602nd Field Artillery Battalion, that landed in southern France in gliders on August 15th 1944, in the afternoon of the invasion of southern France. The unit had already been to Kiska (Alaska) and Italy, where they had usualy been attached to the First Special Service Force (as they were also in southern France).

Art Helmers is 90 years old, but still has a perfectly preserved mind and memmory , as well as a quite well preserved body (he drove up to Alaska on his own last year, and gave driving lessons untill about 5 years ago!)
As soon as he arrived in France after spending two days travelling, almost without sleep, he insisted on going to the ceremony for the Liberation of the town of Vence, on August 27th.

[Jean-Loup]

On the second day, Art was invited to the ceremonies for the Liberation of Nice, with VIP status. I have never been much of a fan of reenacting, but have to admit that driving through the town in a column of period vehicles headed by tanks, with all the roads specialy shut down, was quite an experience; and Art sure enjoyed every second of it.

I was almost moved to tears by the welcome he got whever we went, not just from reenactors, but also from random citizens who happened to be walking by. He almost enjoyed celebrity status and had lots of people ask to take photos with him, and was interviewed by the local press.
He also layed a wreath at the war monument in Nice and shook hands with the mayor and local hot shots.
Here is a newsreport of the liberation of Nice ceremony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2UNO2GyWKg
And a second video that I made myself of the parade through Nice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crJaxHdIxvk

The only negative point about Nice, was that no American flags were present at the war monument, as the official opinion of the town is that Nice liberated itself on its own, by partisan action. That is technicaly true, but they are forgetting the little detail that the only reason the partisans were able to act in the first place is because the Allied armies were closing in on the town
Many of the reenactors and people present were very upset about this issue, and the reenactors made sure to have plenty of US flags up. The mayor of Nice also said he would try to get this solved for next year.

[Jean-Loup]

Kissing more girls, and examining a 105mm cannon. Note the red camouflage paint on the cheek in the second photo.

[Jean-Loup]

The third day was rather intense emotionaly. Indeed, a meeting had been organised in Grasse with two former resistance men, one local civilian, and... the niece of an 18 year old German soldier who was killed in the area on August 15th 1944.
I spent the afternoon with the German family only, and had a former local kid tell them all about the circumstances in which their uncle had been killed: a German convoy was attacked by partisans and stopped, and shortly afterwards, was straffed by Allied fighters.
In the second photo below, Maria Krieger, the niece of the KIA German soldier, shakes hands with the local Frenchman who told her all the story of the day of August 15th, in front of the well where the German convoy was attacked by partisans.

[Jean-Loup]

The rest of Mr Helmers' visit was more relaxed, with less official meetings. Here MR Helmers visits the monument for the glider landings in the Le Muy area. Note that the remains of two gliders have been preserved by a local inhabitant, and now serve as a memorial of sorts.

[Jean-Loup]

Of course no battlefield tour is complete without a visit to the military cemeteries, in this case the US military Cemetery at Draguignan, France, where all the killed from Operation Dragoon were buried.
We found several graves of men from Art's unit, including in this photo, the grave of Clarence Olson, whose leg was torn of by shrapnel on September 29th 1944, and who died in the following hours.

[Jean-Loup]

Here, yet another random person from the street came to shake Art's hand during our lunch break, to thank him and congradulate him for his WWII service.

[Jean-Loup]

On the last day, we attended the ceremony for the Liberation of Monte Carlo. Once again, Art was talking and shaking hands with random visitors, in this case a German couple with their two children, who he talked to for a good ten minutes.
At Monte Carlo, the insult of not having the US flag at the Nice ceremony was avenged when the Prince of Monaco flew the American flag over his palace (even though in 1944 US troops were not let into Monaco, as it was a 'neutral country')!

[Jean-Loup]

To conclude, here are two articles that appeared in the local press about Art Helmers' visit.
Art was overwhelmed by the welcome he received, and one of the reenactors who is also an airline pilote, promissed him to bring him back to France for free next year, on his airplane!

[Jean-Loup]

Southern France, August 15th 1944...

[pauke]

article

Very nice ( pun intended) and thank you, Jean-Loup. Do the newspaper articles have any political slant to them as pro-American or anti? Just wondering.

[petopoint]

great pics.

Thanks for the tour, super photos and video. I'm glad to see Art get the Grand tour
and the reception he received. Much deserved.

Peto at point

[-Ray-]

Nice coverage Jean on such an interesting subject. Thanks for sharing.

That really must be something for the Vet's opening old doors and summoning ghosts from the past

My Father did the same. In 1989, for a month and a half he returned to some of the places he stood in during the war from England, France, Belgium, and Germany.

This time with my Mother. At the end of the tour they visited us in Stuttgart to a new family where my Duaghter was born the day before they arrived there. They also met my German wife for the first time.

-Ray-

[Jean-Loup]

"Do the newspaper articles have any political slant to them as pro-American or anti? Just wondering."

No, nothing particular. The only thing that was perhaps a bit out of place was that one article mentioned Art comes from Aurora CO, and then mentions the recent Batman shooting. Not sure that that detail was really necessery, nor had anything to do with the rest of the article.

[seebee1]

Superb Jean-Loup, many thanks for sharing