Final post: Speech of the Mayor of Pretot on 04 June 2019 with a translation - not a work of art translation but good enough:
Mesdames et Messieurs
Lorsque jai t contact par Mr FRANCOIS au nom de Mrs WILLIAMS qui souhaitaient mettre en place une plaque en mmoire de leur pre, nous avons pens avec mes adjoints que cela pouvait tre lopportunit pour la commune dlgue de Prtot Sainte Suzanne de combler un vide et ainsi de procder la mise en place dune stle commmorative. En effet et mme si le Colonel Louis MENDEZ avait donn son nom il y a quelques annes et plus prcisment le 6 juin 2002 la place sur laquelle nous sommes prsents, aucun monument commmoratif ne permet de prendre conscience du sacrifice des hommes qui librrent notre pays et plus particulirement notre commune.
When I was contacted by Mr. Francois at the request of Mr.s Williams, who wanted to place a plaque in the memory of their father, we thought with our assistants that this might give an opportunity for the commune of Pretot Sainte Suzanne to complete a process - and thus we proceeded to put in place a commemorative stone. To this effect, and noting that Col. Luis Mendezs name had been given several years previously on 6 June 2002 to the square where we are gathered, we remarked that there was no commemorative monument which could allow one to understand the sacrifice of the men who liberated our country and more particularly our community. Ailleurs quen Normandie mais aussi peut tre parmi les plus jeunes on oublie souvent que la guerre ne sest pas gagne au soir du 6 juin 1944 mais que cest dans les chemins, sur les talus et derrire les haies de notre bocage dans de froces combats autrement appels la bataille des haies.
Furthermore in Normandy it would also perhaps allow the youngest, who often forget that the war was not won on the evening of 06 June 1944, but rather to understand that it was in the streets, the sides of the roads, and in the hedgerows of our brocage in the ferocious fighting also called The battle of the Hedgerows.A 48 heures du 75eme anniversaire du dbarquement alli linauguration de cette stle est donc loccasion pour nous de rendre un hommage solennel aux hommes du 3eme bataillon du 508eme rgiment de parachutistes de la 82eme division Air Borne qui sous le commandement du Colonel MENDEZ ont abord notre village le 20 juin 1944 et qui au prix du sacrifice de leur vie ont particip sa libration totale le 3 juillet.
At 48 hours from the 75th anniversary of the allied landing, the inauguration of this stone allows us the occasion to pay a solemn tribute to the men of the 3rd Bn, 508th PIR of the 82nd Airborne Division, which was commanded by Co. Mendez, who entered our village on 20 June 1944 and who, at the sacrifice of their lives, participated in its total liberation on 03 July. Ces hommes qui avaient fait le choix de se battre pour librer les peuples dEurope du joug nazi taient jeunes, souvent une vingtaine dannes, ils venaient dAmrique et navaient jamais entendu parler de Prtot. Malgr tout, ici comme dans tous les territoires librs ils ont accompli leur devoir avec abngation, courage et honneur.
These men who made the choice to fight to liberate the people of Europe from the Nazi yoke were young, often 20 years old, coming from America, and never having heard of Pretot. In spite of everything, here as in all the liberated territory, they accomplished their work with self-sacrifice, courage and honnor.Messieurs Gene et Jack Williams vous avez souhait rendre hommage votre papa, qui combattit sous les ordres du Colonel Mendez, disparu le 20 juin 1944 Prtot quelques jours aprs votre naissance. Cest pour moi un devoir et un honneur que daccder votre demande et la plaque que vous avez fait raliser trouve tout naturellement sa place sur cette stle.
Mr.s Gene and Jack Williams wanted to give homage to their Dad, who fought under the orders of Col. Mendez, who was killed on 20 June 1944 at Pretot several days after your birth. It is for me a pleasure and an honor to honor your request and the plaque that you have had made now finds its natural place on this stone, Votre pre Gene nat le 31 octobre 1922. Adolescent, il rejoint une cole denfants de Troupes Nashville. Il aime porter luniforme et rve daventures militaires. Toutes les gnrations de Williams ont servi sous les drapeaux et Gene veut perptuer la tradition.
Your father Gene was born 31 Oct 1922, As a young man he enrolled in a military school in Nashville. He loved to wear the uniform and dreamed of military adventure. All the generations of the Williams have served under the flag and Gene wanted to perpetuate the tradition,Suite lattaque de Pearl Harbor le 7 dcembre 1941, il quitte luniversit dAlabama en mars 1942 pour rejoindre larme Fort Wolters au Texas. Sennuyant dans ce rgiment le Lieutenant Williams se porte volontaire pour les troupes aroportes.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941, he left the University of Alabama in March 1942 to join the army at Fort Walters in Texas. As soon as he entered the regiment, Lt. Williams volunteered for Airborne.A Fort Benning o lon forme les parachutistes, il dcouvre une nouvelle race de soldats qui ont la fiert dappartenir une troupe dlite.
At Fort Benning where paratroopers were trained, he found a new race of soldiers which were proud to be part of the elite troops.A la fin de 1942, deux vnements vont marquer lexistence de Gene, lobtention de son brevet de parachutiste puis son affectation au 508me Rgiment de Parachutistes et le 1er novembre, son mariage avec Mary rencontre luniversit.
At the end of 1942 two events marked the life of Gene, the obtaining of his jump wings and by consequence his affection for the 508th PIR and on 1 November his marriage to Mary, whom he had met at the university.Aprs lcole de saut, le Lieutenant Williams est mut Camp Blanding en Floride o il doit intgrer ce nouveau rgiment en cours de formation.
After jump school, Lt. Williams was sent to Camp Blanding in Florida where he was integrated into his new regiment in training.En avril 1943, le rgiment est transfr Camp Mackall en Caroline du Nord. Les six semaines qui suivent servent aux jeunes paras voluer et sorienter dans les marais et les sables du Camp. Sans le savoir, les Diables rouges effectuent un entranement qui sera un avant-got des combats en Normandie.
In April 1943 the regiment was transferred to Camp MacCall in North Carolina. The six weeks which followed allowed the young paratroopers to evolve and to mature in the swamps and sand of the Camp. Without saying more, the Red Devils completed a training which would be an advance taste of coming combat in Normandy, En dcembre 1943, les cadres reoivent lordre de prparer le rgiment son dpart pour New York en vue de son embarquement pour lEurope. Lheure du combat approche.
In December 1943 the officers received orders to prepare the regiment for its depart for New York prior to its embarking for Europe. The hour of combat was approaching. Un mois plus tard, le 8 janvier 44, le rgiment dbarque Belfast aprs un voyage inconfortable puis est transfr deux mois plus tard en Angleterre Nottingham.
A la demande du Major Mendez, le Lieutenant Williams qui veut tre le premier toucher le sol franais est volontaire pour effectuer un stage dclaireur dont la mission sera de baliser les zones de saut, une heure avant le parachutage du rgiment. Cest une mission prilleuse, car ces petites quipes vont tre parachutes seules, sans aucun soutien au sol ou arien.
One month later on 8 January 1944 the regiment disembarked at Belfast after an uncomfortable voyage, then two months later transferred to Nottingham, England. At the request of Major Mendez, Lt. Williams, who want to be the first to touch the soil of France, volunteered to be trained as a Pathfinder, the mission of which was to mark the drop-zones an hour before the regiment jumped. It was a dangerous mission because the small teams would be parachuted in alone, with no support on the ground or in the air.Dans les semaines qui prcdent le Jour J, les hommes savent que laction est imminente. Ils ont t mis au secret et ne doivent plus quitter leur base. Le 508me a t reparti sur trois aroports, Folkingham, Saltby et North Witham pour les Pathfinders du Lieutenant Williams. Les derniers instants sont consacrs affter pour la nime fois le couteau, ou nettoyer le fusil, pour prier lors du service religieux qui se tient sous le hangar ou pour crire une dernire lettre la famille.
In the weeks which preceded D-Day, the men knew that action was imminent. They were held in isolation and could not leave their base. The 508th flew out of three airports Folkingham, Saltby and North Witham for the Pathfinders of Lt. Williams. The last minutes were spent sharpening knives or cleaning their guns, praying in religious services that were held under the hanger or writing a last letter to their families.En ces instants qui prcdent la confrontation de lhomme son destin, ce dernier aime se replier pour faire le point avec son me.
In the last minutes before the men confronted their destiny, they made peace with their souls.Le 5 Juin 21h30, Le Lieutenant Williams et les pathfinders des deux divisions qui vont sauter en Normandie, dcollent de North Witham, prs de Grantham.
On 5 June at 2130 hrs, Lt. Williams and the Pathfinders of two divisions who were going to jump into Normandy, took off from North Witham near Grantham.La grande croisade contre le nazisme vient de commencer avec ces hommes venus des quatre coins des Etats-Unis, fer de lance des dmocraties qui vont devoir affronter les soldats du Fhrer.
The great crusade against Nazism began with these men who came from the four corners of the USA, tip of the spear of the democracies, which were heading to take on the soldiers of the Fuhrer.Gene Williams la tte de ses claireurs du 508me, doit sauter dans le secteur de Picauville. Il est exactement 0h15, lorsque avec ses hommes ils se jettent dans le vide. Les parachutages ne se passent pas comme prvu et les hommes sont parpills sur une vaste zone.
Gene Williams at the head of the Pathfinders of the 508th, jumped in the sector of Picauville. I was exactly 0015 hrs, when with his men he threw himself into the void. The jump did not go as planned and the men were scattered over a vast zone.Mais toute chose malheur est bon et si les stratges pensent au dbut que lopration Overlord est un chec, ils ne savent pas encore que les mauvais largages ont apport la confusion chez lennemi qui est incapable dvaluer limportance de la force engage, mais pire encore, il est dans limpossibilit dorganiser une contre-offensive efficace. Les amricains sont partout!
But all bad things have some good and if the strategists thought the beginning of operation Overlord was a setback, they did not yet know that the bad drops added to the confusion of the enemy, who were incapable of evaluating the size of the force engaged, but worse still, making it impossible to organize an efficient counter-attack. The Americans were everywhere!Le Lieutenant Williams rejoindra ensuite sa compagnie pour combattre autour de Picauville la dfense des ponts qui enjambent les rivires le Merderet et la Douve.
Lt. Williams rejoined his company in combat around Picauville in defense of the flooded causeways which crossed the rivers Merderet and Douve.Aprs avoir combattu Vindefontaine, le 3eme bataillon du 508eme arrive sur Prtot la tombe de la nuit. A laube du 20 juin il attaque et reprend possession du bourg, de lglise et du village de la Malasserie. Une forte rsistance des troupes allemandes maintient le front sur ces lieux durant une quinzaine de jours jusqu ce que lensemble de la commune soit libre aprs de violents combats le 3 juillet 1944.
After having fought at Videfontaine, the 3rd Bn of the 508th arrived near Pretot as night fell. At dawn of 20 June they attacked and took possession of the commune, the church and the village of Malasserie. A strong resistance of the German troops held the front in place during 15 days until the whole of the commune was liberated after violent combat on 3 July 1944.Malheureusement Prtot fut le lieu de la dernire bataille de Gene Williams et ce ds le premier jour de loffensive le 20 juin 1944 o il prit au champ dhonneur 21 ans alors que le Major Mendez venait de recevoir de ltat-major un message annonant que votre maman Mary venait de donner naissance des jumeaux, Gene et Jack.
Unfortunately, Pretot was the last battle for Gene Williams and was where during the first day of the offensive of 20 June 1944 he perished on the field of honor at 21 years old shortly before Major Mendez received a message from headquarters announcing that your mother Mary had just given birth to twins, Gene and Jack.Je ne peux occulter le tribu pay par la population civile puisque juste pour notre commune 16 civils furent tus lors de ces combats. Le sacrifice de la population qui avec courage et abngation a subi la destruction aux deux tiers de son village ft reconnu par lattribution de la croix de guerre le 11 novembre 1948.
I cannot hide the price paid by the civilian population which just for our village counted 16 civilians dead in the course of the combat. The sacrifice of the population which had the courage and self-sacrifice to withstand the destruction of two thirds of its village, was recognized by the awarding of the medal le Croix de Guerre on 11 November 1948.Le corps de votre pre repose aux cts de ses anctres dans le cimetire de West Frankfort dans lIllinois.
The body of your father rests at the side of his ancestors in the cemetery of West Frankfort, Illinois.Vous furent levs dans le culte de votre pre et du sacrifice suprme quil fit lors du dbarquement et en 1964 alors que de nouveau lAmrique sengageait dans une longue guerre au Vietnam, vous dcidrent de perptuer la tradition familiale en vous engageant dans lArme. Vous devinrent tous les deux parachutistes et avez intgr une nouvelle unit en cours de formation: les Forces Spciales, dont les membres sont connus sous le nom de Brets Verts.
You were raised in the memory of your father and of his supreme sacrifice which he made during the Landing and in 1964 when again America was engaged in a long war in Vietnam, you decided to perpetuate the family tradition and enlisted in the Army. You both became Airborne and were integrated into a new unit the Special Forces, which are known as The Green Berets.Je nabuserai pas plus longtemps de votre patience, mais sachez Messieurs ainsi que votre famille que je suis extrmement fire davoir uvr la russite de cette journe et que nous tous ici prsents sommes extrmement reconnaissants de lengagement de vos pres et concitoyens qui ont combattu avec acharnement et au pril de leur vie afin de librer notre population de loccupation ennemie.
I dont want to test your patience much longer, but please know Sirs as well as your family that I am extremely proud of having worked for the success of this day and that all of us here are extremely indebted to the involvement of your father and his compatriots, who fought with stubborn determination and at the peril of their lives to finally liberate our population from the enemy occupation.Notre reconnaissance va aussi aux combattants des autres nations allies parmi lesquelles le royaume uni dont la population eu subir les bombardements allemands durant de longues annes et dont le territoire servi la prparation du dbarquement.
Our recognition goes also to the soldiers of other allied nations such as those of the UK the population of which had to endure German bombardment during long years and the territory of which served to prepare for the landings.Je vous remercie.
French D-Day historian Dominique Francois, who helped us get this through, with author Gene and twin brother Jack:
