Lecture: "The Liberation and the American presence on the French Riviera, 1944–1946"

Eighty years ago, American troops and the North African battalions of the Free French Army landed on the Var coast. The region was gradually liberated. On 3 September, the Principality of Monaco, which had, despite its neutral status, been occupied, was liberated. Soon after landing, the Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT), the American military administration, established its headquarters in the Alpes-Maritimes, to enable it to administer the territory until new French authorities could be put in place. The presence of GIs fighting in the South of France, soldiers on leave taking a break from other fronts and the establishment of AMGOT from August 1944 to late 1945 had a significant impact on local people. This began a lasting fascination with the American way of life, shown in film and in some of the media. But the feeling was reciprocal: the French Riviera captivated the American soldiers, who would go on to return as tourists in subsequent decades.

Two academics specialising in the Second World War and the immediate postwar period on the French Riviera will each give a lecture: Pierre-Emmanuel Klingbeil will discuss the military operations of the Liberation and Nathalie Ubeda will talk about the various aspects of American influence in the Alpes-Maritimes during the period 1944–1946.

Open to all and admission free. 
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