Armistice Day is Meaningful for France but even more so for Alsace

November 11^th was Armistice Day in France, a national holiday created to remember the signing of the peace treaties of 1918 following the end of World War I.  The holiday was also called Armistice day in the United States until the end of World War II when the name was changed to Veterans Day.     

The signing of the truce in 1918 signaled the turning of another page in history for France and the beginning of another chapter of history for the region of Alsace.  The Germans annexed Alsace in 1871 following their victories over the Kingdom of France during the Franco-Prussian War.  The official language of Alsace was made German, which was taught in the schools.  Speaking French was strictly forbidden.  The German occupation lasted until the end of World War I in 1918 at which time Alsace was turned over to France.  The Germans again occupied Alsace during World War II, but this time for only four years.  At the end of World War II, Alsace was again turned over to France.  

Due to the length of time Alsace was occupied by Germany, there is a strong German influence on the architecture, language, and food of this region that makes Alsace quite unique.  But, the roots of Alsatian culture go much deeper than the last 150 years, in fact, the culture was partially shaped by the Romans who occupied this region during the time of Christ.  Since the Roman occupation, the Gallics, Franks, Germans, and French have all had a hand in forming the present day Alsace.  Their diverse heritage is also why Alsatians have a strong sense of regional identity that they often put ahead of their French identity. 

There were many battles fought in World War I on the hills and valleys next to where I am currently living in Alsace.  World War I was fought in the trenches with each side dug-in sometimes just 30 yards apart from each other.  Some of the battlefield trenches and fortifications in this area were preserved and turned into memorial sites.  I visited one today called Fort Mutzig.  Oddly enough, the inside of the fort was closed to visitors on Armistice Day but I was able to get a few pictures of one of the imposing entrances to the fort.

The fort was built in the form of a triangle with the bulk of the structures built underground to conceal the fort’s presence and to protect the resident soldiers.  It took more than two decades to build so you can imagine how much concrete and steel went into the construction of the 600 acre fort.  The fort was perched on top of one of the tallest peaks in the Vosges mountain range and was designed to block any eastward advance by the French into Alsace.  The fort supported as many as 7,000 men during the war and functioned like a small city equipped with a power plant, bakery, barracks, water wells, etc.

Armistice Day provided an opportunity to reflect upon the 16 million deaths and 21 million wounded during World War I.  It also reminded me of one of the poems that I memorized in high school that is one of the most well-known poems written during World War I.  It was written by a Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in 1915 after he witnessed the death of one of his friends.  Flanders Fields refers to the battlefields where McCrae fought, which are in the northeastern part of France and the adjacent part of Belgium. 

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields