just one of many examples of the American way of making friends in France - 1944
Liberating Caen
The bombing of the city of Caen was considered a necessary means to rid the town of enemy troops, and to make its streets impassible, thus destroying its utility as a German centre of communication. But, it is arguable that the only real effect of the tremendous air strike on Caen was the death of thousands of French civilians. General Bradley's order was quite clear. "If it becomes necessary to save time, put 500 or even 1000 tons of air on the place and take the city apart." But after seeing the ultimate destruction of the town, and feeling the response of the people, he had only this to say: "For more than four years the people had awaited this moment of liberation. Now they stared accusingly at us from the ruins that covered their dead."
Donald Pearce, a captain of the North Nova Scotia regiment, remarks on his impressions of Caen:
"It's as though the place has been lifted bodily, a mile high in the air, turned over at that point, and allowed to fall back down to earth again. We passed other shelled towns and villages, all without signs of life, and wondered ironically, if this is what they meant by 'liberating' a town. Surely they must mean 'liquidating'" ( "Valour and Horror" script)
Levelling Caen
"A thousand years in the making, the medieval city was destroyed in 40 minutes." ("Valour and Horror" script )
Caen had been the original objective for Canadian and British forces on D-Day. Early on in the invasion, it had been a center of German communication and railway transport, and the high ground to the south of Caen was strategically vital to Allied attempts to break out from the beachhead. By the first week of July, the Allies still had not taken Caen. On July 7th, General Montgomery opted for the bluntest strategy available: organize an air-raid of 450 heavy bombers, drop 6,000 tons of explosives on the city, and drive ground forces through from the North. More than 5,000 French civilians died as a result. But, this plan was controversial for strategic, as well as moral, reasons. Montgomery's motivation behind organizing the raid is unclear. But it is clear that the bombing was far from being as beneficial as the Allies had hoped.
An Effective Attack?
"The leveling of Caen did not bring any military advantage to the Canadians. The German defense was still intact outside the city, and the Canadian army still had to crack it." ("Valour and Horror" script)