General Jacques Philippe Leclerc—formerly Philippe François Marie, vicomte de Hauteclocque—had made himself a promise having taken Koufra, Libya, and its Italian garrison: “We swear not to lay down our arms until our colors, our beautiful colors, again fly from the Strasbourg cathedral.” Doubtless the French 2nd Armored Division commander and staunch Catholic—he tried to receive the Eucharist daily if possible—felt Divine Providence favored him when his superior, U.S. XV Corps commander Major General Wade Haislip, informed him, “Beat the devil. Leclerc, this is your country. Strasbourg is yours.” Finally, at 1030 hours on November 23, 1944—Thanksgiving Day, as well as 70 years ago today—his tankers burst into the city amidst a downpour. When he saw the sacred tricolors flying from the cathedral spire, Leclerc was somewhat relieved: He mumbled, “Now we can die.” Symbolic importance aside, Strasbourg’s capture would be even more significant scientifically. A U.S. intelligence unit under the codename ALSOS had concluded from previous finds that the University of Strasbourg was an integral part of “the Y program”—Nazi Germany’s Manhattan Project. Based on the new evidence gathered there, which included scientific papers bunched up in a potbelly stove chimney, the Americans could safely say “that the Germans are now behind us.” #SecondWorldWar #militaryhistory
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 21:50:14 +0000
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