Everyone on the boards know Brecourt Manor. Of course. Who hasn’t visited the great page of our friend T. Carter http://www.brecourtassault.com/? But if the remarkable assault led by Major Winters has been discussed down to the last detail, I have never seen on the boards the story of the family living IN Brecourt Manor. The de Vallavieille family’s story is a very special one so I thought it was interesting to put it here.

I’ve dug on the boards – the search function is a fantastic tool- and I’ve only found three posts where Patrick Elie noted that Charles de Vallavieille was Sainte-Marie-du-Mont’s mayor + posts of Tony & Doug in the BoB Tour's reports.

So I think we can “go back” on D-day, around Brecourt Manor, without the fear of seeing a moderator ready to catch us… LOL

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The de Vallavieille family lives in Brecourt Manor. The father, Colonel de Vallavielle, is 71 and with Mrs. de Vallavieille, they have four children. The two older ones, Jean and Noël died in 1940. They served in the French army – the first one in an armoured division and the second one in an infantry division. Michel, 24, and Louis, 19, are with their parents in the Manor on the morning of the 6th June 1944.

The Germans occupying one part of the Manor and the fields all around are completley crazy this morning. Like the de Vallavieille family, they have heard the planes…

And on 5 PM, the whole family, fully dressed, is ready to follow the events…The Germans are running and screaming “Tommies, Tommies !”.

Michel de Vallavieille decides finally to go outside to see what happens really. When he comes back, he informs his parents and brother : it’s d-day, the landing ! There are boats everywhere on the sea, Americans have been dropped around Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, there are fights everywhere.

The fight comes all around the Manor. Colonel de Vallavieille understands quickly that the destruction of the cannons in the fields is the goal of the attack. He puts his own family (and a family of farmers which came in the manor to be safe) in a room with very thick walls. They will be safe. He fears that the Germans come back in the Manor to escape and bring the fights with them…But they stay outside and as the time goes by, the family can’t hear the cannons anymore. On 11 AM, through the window, they see a small group of 10 German soldiers led by two officers. They seem exhausted. The Colonel de Vallavieille recognizes men of the field battery. They are escaping ! It means the American troopers have won !

The family waits still before doing anything. Then the Manor is hit by mortar fire. Does that mean that a German enemy is still in the Manor ? But finally it stops and American soldiers can’t be heard in the path. The family is so happy ! Every cries “Frenchmen, Frenchmen, civilians !” to warn there are not enemies.

But a weapon crashes a window, ready to make fire. “Civilians, Frenchmen !”, they cry again. As the soldiers don’t seem to understand, young Michel de Vallavieille goes outside to show he’s well a good Norman guy. Two German soldiers, wounded and hands off, are there with 20 American troopers around them. They are all silent. With a suspicious eye, they say to Michel to go ahead? The young man doesn’t understand why but he does. He’s brought a bit further and then he’s shot. Michelle de Vallavieille falls on the ground.

All the de Vallavieille family arrives finally in front of the troopers (but they don’t see Michel’s body yet). They don’t understand the soldiers’ behaviour. Aren’t they the liberators ? The troopers try to take the Colonel and Louis but they refuse and are hit. They show identity papers, try to explain, show they are well civilians… The GI’s keep laughing and don’t care.

When they discover Michel’s body, the Colonel falls on his knees. One of the troopers, more serious, comes to him. He doesn’t understand : wasn’t this young man a German ? Finally, it becomes an evidence that they shot a Frenchman and that the de Vallavieille are well French.

The mom and Louis try to save Michel which loses all his blood. More GI’s come. One of them puts sulpha drugs on Michel’s wounds.

The Colonel is brought by the trooper (the one which understood they were French) somewhere on the road where he meets a General (the family will never now if it was Maj.Gen. Barton or Brig. Gen. Roosevelt). He explains the drama, says he’s a Colonel, that the Germans killed two of his sons and the Americans a third one. The General is very surprised and gives orders. Colonel de Vallavieille takes place in a jeep with a medic and four stretcher-bearers. Michel must be sent at the hospital or he’ll die, says the medic. The mom doesn’t want to lose him, but as it’s a question of life or death, her husband let his boy go away…

Michel is brought near the coast in a Red Cross’tent and then in the field hospital near Utah Beach. On June 10th, he is sent in England.

Michel de Vallavieille will come back in Brecourt in February 1945.

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On June 19 1947, a big car arrived in Brecourt Manor. Michel de Vallavieille welcomed the two American officers. They asked if he was there on d-day, spoke about an old Colonel and a young wounded man. When Michel said it was himself, they behaved stranglely and went away quickly.

But what happened really ? Why didn’t the soldiers believe the family and shoot Michel de Vallavieille ?

Two solutions are brought :

- or the inhabitants of the village explained badly to the Americans soldiers that there were Krauts in the Manor. The old Norman didn’t speak English really well at this time, so there could be misunderstandings.

- Léon Jean, friend of Michel de Vallavieille, said it was someone of the village which slandered the de Vallavieille family and affirmed to the troopers that there was nothing in the manor but Germans.


Anyway, Michel de Vallavieille never held a grudge against American soldiers and he became friend with troopers which made the assault around Brecourt Manor.
He became mayor of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and created the museum.

It’s now his son, Charles de Vallavieille, which is mayor of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and manager of the museum of Utah Beach.

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I thought it was interesting to share with you this story. I’ve found the info in a book of Coquart & Huet not very well known because there are only stories of country men, families which report their own small stories, there are no tactics or stuff like that. It’s the civilians’ point of view. It’s probably one of the best books I’ve read about D-Day.


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To answer to Doug’s question :



I don’t think that one of them was Michel de Vallavieille. I’ve read he passed away in 1992, so ten years before your visit to Brecourt Manor.

BTW, I loved reading again your nice reports, and Tony’s too.

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I’ve also found back on this fantastic page a report from Don Malarkey where he speaks about Michel de Vallavieille.
http://www.normandy1944.info/index.html

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It’s a very long time I hadn’t posted such long post. As usual, I hope you’ll excuse my horrible mistakes.

All the best to you and thanks for your reading,

Morgane

I'm not sure I've posted the topic in the right place. Feel free to move it.

Morgy

Dear Morgy,

The topic is WW2 battlefields and Brecort is one of most notable ones of the war for airborne enthusiasts. You hit it one the spot. Very good report.

Thank you for the research.

Yowser!
Jiggersfromsphilly

Ah, yes! School's over for the summer and Morgy's back!

I would love to read an English translation of that book, but I don't suppose that will happen anytime soon. The British translate their books for us -- why can't the French!!! (Sorry, my Kiwi impersonation again ...)

I'm with you -- I love those personal stories as well. Terrific report, Morgy. Thanks very much.

Ah, Morgs, it is SO good to have you back. Superb report, as usual.

My apologies to the family for massacreing their name. It is, for some reason, more difficult for me to absorb than most French names.

Thanks for your research and that post, Doug

Morgy,

Such an interesting post, thank you!

I had done a little search before and I just checked, 2 de Valavieille can be found in the phone book: Michel and Charles.

Nathalie

Frenchie,

I've read in the book of Elizabeth Coquart and Phillipte Huet that Michelle de Vallavieille, maoyr of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont passed away in 1992.

I've also read a report of Henri Levaufre, president of the association Normandie 44, where it was written"y compris mon cher et regretté ami Michel de Vallavieille, Maire de Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (Utah-Beach). So it let me think that Michel de Vallavieille, present on d-day, passed away.

I don't doubt you've found Charles & Michel de Vallavieille in the phone book. Maybe is this Michel the son or the nephew or the godson or even the greatson or greatnephew of Michel de Vallavieille ?

Anyway, thanks for you reading & interest.

Tony, Bk and Doug, thanks also for your encouraging comments.

Morgs

Hello

Michel de Vallavieille, who was severly wounded by the paratroopers, is now passed away.
Michel de Vallavieille was the Mayor of Sainte Marie du Mont after the war and the creator of Utah-Beach Museum.
Charles de Vallavieille is the son of Michel de Vallavieille. (Charles was also mayor of Sainte Marie du Mont).
The other Michel de Vallavieille, you've found in the phone book is another member of the family.. But not the "Michel" who was wounded in 1944.

Hi Morgy:

Fantastic account! Regrading Brecourt itself, you are not the first to inquire about the lacking details of the Manor itself on Brecourtassault.com. This is something I am well aware of and hope to remedy for the next version of the site.

-t

Patrick, thanks for the information. That's well what I thought.

Tom,

your page is a fantastic one (like I said in my previous post). I was amazed to see your work. Everything is clear AND with lots of details. And your maps are really great.

That's what I would have written in your guestbook if I had found one.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks both for your reading & interest !

Morgy

I'm reading BoB one more time at the moment, and I've just seen today that S.Ambrose speaks about Michel de Vallavieille in the book. I didn't remember that.

It is said that when the Manor was under the E Company's control, Michelle de Vallavieille was shot by a paratrooper.

It proves that this ....th reading of the book is well needed.

A wonderful account of how people are affected by the interruptions of war (reminds me of the synopsis for the film 'Shenandoah'). While reading the story it is difficult to imagine one's self in the same predicament.

Morgy, you sure have been missed as well the information you share. Keep it up!

Paul

Thanks Paul.

Thanks Patrick for the explanation. Now we know.

Nathalie

Thanks for the explanation Paul.

I'm "bumping" this topic because a member of the boards (David?) sent me an e-mail to have more info about the great book I spoke about two years ago (God...).

COQUART (É.), HUET (Ph.), Le jour le plus fou. 6 juin 1944. Les civils dans la tourmente, Paris, Albin Michel éd., 1994 (p. 168-179 for the text about Michel de Vallavieille being shot by a para).

http://www.amazon.fr/Jour-plus-fou-Civils-...5720015-3585036

Charles now lives in the newer house beside the original "Brecourt Manor". But his mother (the original Michel's wife) still lives in the manor itself.

Charles is no longer Mayor of Sainte Marie du Mont, but still serves on the town council. I know Charles well and despite his affection for the Americans who liberated the Cotentin, and his deep interest in the events that happened in his field, his real love is his farm. His dairy cattle are prize-winning and he also makes a wonderful calvados. But it's his horses that he is proudest of, he himself was a champion show-jumper and most of his family are competition-level riders. His stables are covered with rosettes and awards, which sit just a few inches away from the damage to the stonework caused by a certain Cpl Malarkey with his mortar!!

The subject of his father's wounds on D-Day is something that understandably he finds difficult to discuss, although he has a firm idea of what happened and indeed who is responsible. don't ask me to divulge what his opinion is, but for those who really know the Brecourt battle inside-out, his theory is not particularly surprising. However despite what happened to his father Charles flies the Stars and Stripes throughout the summer months and welcomes all 101st Airborne vets and families to his property.

Charles is still director of the Utah beach museum, which was founded by his father Michel. Inside the museum is a plaque in honor of his father unveiled in the 1990s when Michel passed away.

Paul Woodadge

Paul, thanks much for filling out the story. I have been eager for more details about the family since Charles met us on the BOB tour in 2002. The absence of a common language kept me from getting those details directly.

Morgs, great to hear from you. y.o.s., Doog

Hi Morgane,
Thanks for providing more information about the book.
Did you translate the book information you posted at the beginning of this topic yourself?

Also, an open question to anyone who knows ... who was the trooper that shot Michelle de Vallavieille? and what were the circumstances leading up to the shooting?

And who were the officers referred to in this text?
"On June 19 1947, a big car arrived in Brecourt Manor. Michel de Vallavieille welcomed the two American officers. They asked if he was there on d-day, spoke about an old Colonel and a young wounded man. When Michel said it was himself, they behaved stranglely and went away quickly."


Thanks

David

I did translate a summary of the text I made by myself. Everything I wrote in this topic is probably not a "good" translation of the book, as I don't really speak a good English and I didn't want to copy every sentence of the book because it would have been to long. But the information comes from the book, of course, with no more details about it.

David,

I don't know who the officers were that were supposed to have visited in 1947, indeed I don't know if it even happened. But 1947 was the year the 101st monument was unveiled in Carentan, various senior officers including Maxwell Taylor visited the area.

As to which trooper shot Michel, the family has a theory, and have shared with me the name. Of course it's only the families theory, not evidence, and the trooper in question is still alive. The E/506th guys I have spoken to have confided that they think they know who it was too. Because of the sensitive nature of the event, I am not going to go "public" with the information until at least the trooper in question has passed. And even then unless the family were to make a statement I would probably not do so anyway.

Please understand, that the family do not hold any sort of grudge, neither do they blame the trooper. There is confusion surrounding the exact circumstances of the wounding as discussed in this thread. From my research and understanding, it appears that during the last attack on the manor with Sherman tanks led by Winters coming from the north around the back of the machine guns, the incident occurred. The tanks were supported by some 4th Infantry men, and some misc D, E and F Co. 506th guys coming down the lane. Incidentally most of of the participants in the taking of the 105mm guns did not take part in this assault - certainly Bill Guarnere said that he was back at the Grand Chemin when this happened. During the assault a group of men exited from under the main gateway of the farm, some were armed but were possibly/probably surrendering. In the group of 2 or 3 Germans was Michel. Some say he was "with" the Germans and showing signs of resisting the Americans. This is highly unlikely, given the colonel's anit-German hatred. Anyway shots were fired by the Americans and Michel was wounded several times in the back near the spine.

Paul Woodadge

Hi Morgane,

Thanks for translating this information for us all to see. I would never have know about this book and its reference to Brecourt unless you took the time to post it here.

David


Hi Paul,
Thank you once again for sharing your research with us ... much appreciated.

David