War

Resistance fighter honoured as part of 80-year Paris Liberation events

An avenue is being renamed in honour of Hubert Germain, while many other commemoration events are being held from August 20-25, ahead of the Paralympics

Villagers surprised by soldier invasion during French army exercise

Resident: ‘I opened my shutters and saw soldiers firing right in front of me’

US veteran, 100, to marry in Normandy on 80th commemoration of D-Day

The man, who participated in the 1944 landings, says ‘positivity and love’ are the secrets to his longevity

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182,000 march against antisemitism across France

This is the largest such demonstration for more than three decades

French sailors’ love letters in UK reveal messages 265 years on

The letters, which were never read by their intended recipients, offer rare insights into ‘normal’ 18th century people in France

Meet Frédéric Sommier, director of Normandy's D-Day museum

The Connexion spoke to the former military man about the museum’s newest improvement, but also about his role in maintaining the memory of WW2

Britons lay crosses at Commonwealth war graves in south-west France

They are aiming to put remembrance crosses on all graves across the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine this year

Dozens of executed WW2 German soldiers possibly found in France

Excavations at the site in Corrèze are set to begin next month

Unveiling the history of rugby in La Rochelle

Discover the inspiring history of Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle - a stadium that symbolises resilience

Massive military exercise to take place on beaches in south of France

7,000 soldiers to train based around a hypothetical invasion scenario

Five French civil wars - from Charlemagne to the Paris Commune

We look at five of the most important conflicts fought on French territory

The female French spy who saved more than a thousand British soldiers

In WW1, Louise de Bettignies worked undercover for the British secret service. We look at her heroic life

French man finds bracelet of American WWII soldier in a field

The bracelet has been loaned to D-Day Experience, an immersive museum that already had some of the soldier’s possessions in its collection

Why chrysanthemums are the French ‘flower of the dead’

As the festival of Toussaint and honouring the dead approaches, the chrysanthemum flower spikes in popularity. But why is this flower the French symbol of the dead?

France should ‘no longer need Russian gas within three to four years’

Ending reliance on EU imports from Russia will depend on the improvement of current infrastructure, the president of French giant Engie has said

‘Lack of humanity': France denounces UK government Ukraine response

The French Interior Minister called the response by his counterpart., UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, ‘totally unsuitable’ in the face of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian offensive

France sends iodine tablets to Ukraine amid ‘grave’ nuclear concern

The mineral pills protect against nuclear radiation. It comes amid growing international concern over the safety of the Zaporizhzhia power plant site

Can France be seen as at war with Russia as it gave guns to Ukraine?

French experts give their views on whether this makes the country part of the conflict

Inflation in France: what is under review to help households?

A ‘resilience plan’ for businesses impacted by the war in Ukraine is due to be outlined this week - we look at what could be done for the general public, facing food and fuel increases

How can I support Ukraine with donations or aid in France?

There are hundreds of different initiatives being organised at a local level around the country as well as international aid efforts. We outline three ways to find out how to help

We can host displaced Ukrainians at our French home, what do we do?

Over one million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia invaded on February 24, and around 800 have so far come to France

Faster ferries, new air routes and six other France travel updates

More countries join France’s green list and you may face traffic jams this weekend

France to take further action over record fuel prices

‘We will extend the cap on gas tariffs until the end of the year,’ Ecological Transition minister Barbara Pompili also announced today

Putin disagrees with Macron speech, threatens more demands on Ukraine

The two leaders spoke by telephone today following the French president’s televised speech last night

14 Foreign Legion soldiers stopped in Paris on way to Ukraine

It is not yet clear if the Ukrainians were travelling to fight or to help their families. Nine of them did not have permission to leave the country and another four were already considered ‘missing’

War in Ukraine: Rise in iodine tablet requests at French pharmacies

Iodine can be used to protect against the health effects of nuclear attacks. It comes after Russian leader Vladimir Putin placed his nuclear weapons forces on ‘high alert’

Ukraine war has rocked the balance of our continent, says Macron

The war in Europe no longer belongs in our history books or our school books. It is here, in front of our eyes, states president in a solemn televised speech

Coming days will be harder, Macron tells France in Ukraine speech

Refugees, energy independence, Putin’s lies: we summarise key points of president’s televised address tonight

Paris university Russian expert: ‘Putin’s regime is in survival mode’

Professor Marie Mendras, at Paris’ Sciences Po University, gives an insight into Vladimir Putin’s mindset and the consequences of the war in Ukraine

French man drives 3,000km to Ukrainian border to evacuate friends

‘It was my heart which guided me, not reason,’ said André Bouchet who crossed six countries to bring back a long-term friend’s family

President Macron to make TV address to nation on Ukraine war at 20:00

It follows a security meeting that he held with members of his cabinet this morning

Festival de Cannes bans Russian officials unless war in Ukraine ends

‘However modest as it is, we join our voices with those who oppose this unacceptable situation’, a statement from the festival reads

Why people in France should not worry if they hear sirens at midday

Due to the Ukraine conflict, authorities are reminding people that civil defence sirens are always tested on the first Wednesday of every month. Here’s how to tell the difference between a test and a real alert

Depardieu: French film star and friend of Putin criticises Ukraine war

The prolific actor was granted Russian citizenship in 2013 and has regularly expressed his admiration for its president

Macron-Putin talks, SNCF free trains: Four Ukraine-France updates

We also summarise statements from the French Finance Minister in which he says that France will wage an ‘all-out economic war against Russia’

The war is wrong but hate towards us hurts: Russian resident of Nice

A Russian woman who has been living in France for seven years tells how she opposes the war in Ukraine - and is saddened by anti-Russian comments on social media

Ukraine war: How French companies with Russian links may be affected

Auchan, Renault, Engie, Airbus, TotalEnergies: several French giants also operate in Russia

Conflict in Ukraine: Petrol prices hit record highs in France

We look at a mobile app which could help you to find the cheapest prices in your area

Ukraine crisis: Champions League football final moves to Paris

UEFA took the decision to strip Russia of the match

Angry, helpless: Ukraine supporters protest war in small French town

'Today it is Ukraine, tomorrow it could be any country'. Three protestors share their views and stories

Ukraine crisis will push up petrol prices in France by 10c a litre

The government is not expected to lower taxes after handing out €100 inflation bonuses to around 38 million people

Cyberattack risk, protests, military aid: Six France-Ukraine updates

President Macron has promised military aid and financial support after a wide-scale invasion on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Macron: France strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

France stands in solidarity with Ukraine and will act with allies so war ends, the French president added, as Russia launches military attacks on the country

Black US D-Day veteran awarded France’s highest honour aged 100

Osceola Fletcher, who was given a similar award in America last year, has spoken about how racism denied him from being recognised sooner for his efforts during the war

France's wartime tragedy still resonates

Dr Tim Blakemore, a former senior law lecturer at the University of Northampton who now lives in France, examines why the country places such emphasis on remembering the First and Second World Wars

France votes to rehabilitate memory of soldiers shot in World War One

More than 600 soldiers who were shot for desertion or self-harm will be remembered on war memorials after parliament voted to ‘close these memorial wounds’

What is the history behind Paris’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

The coffin containing the body was chosen by a 21-year-old soldier who had served at Verdun

Last surviving French liberation fighter dies aged 101

Hubert Germain was the last surviving person to have received General de Gaulle’s Ordre de la Liberation, after a life of duty to France. President Macron is among those to have paid tribute

213kg WWII British bomb defused safely in Normandy town

There are thought to be still thousands of bombs in France and it could take several centuries to clear them all safely

Heritage group director to receive MBE medal for Anglo-French services

The Allied Forces Heritage group helps promote the commemoration of allied services, covering not only the two World Wars, but also the Franco-Prussian wars and events going back to the Napoleonic era

Family of American GI welcomed to French town he helped to liberate

Catherine Whalen Purdy discovered the story of her uncle’s wartime service in Hauts-de-France after stumbling across his name in a novel by a local historical fiction writer

Professor at Kabul's American university relieved to be back in France

Victoria Fontan was evacuated following the Taliban’s takeover. “They won't kill everyone, they need educated people to govern but they're going to kill enough to make the others behave,” she said

Afghan evacuee in France given 10-month suspended prison sentence

The man was placed under police surveillance when he arrived in France due to suspected links to the Taliban. He was sentenced after breaking the rules by going to Paris

Memories of the French Resistance in south-west France

A British graduate who grew up in France speaks to a former Resistance fighter in his childhood home village about those who fought off the Nazis there in 1944; he says it is vital to keep these memories alive

Macron says Europe must ‘protect itself’ from wave of Afghan migrants

The president spoke last night (August, 16) following the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan. His comments on immigration have sparked criticism from the left

US war veteran’s 100th birthday marked by French town he liberated

D-Day paratrooper Tom Rice was honoured in Normandy at the weekend and already has plans for commemorative parachute jump on his next return visit in 2022

President Macron to speak today over Taliban control of Afghan capital

The French embassy has been moved to the airport in Kabul so as to help both French and vulnerable Afghans with repatriation and asylum procedures; air force planes have been mobilised to help

French historian honoured by Germany for Nazi bunker work

The 84-year-old spent over 20 years clearing out and commemorating the World War Two bunkers, a key defence position for the Nazis

Pro-Palestine marches take place across France

Protesters in France joined the international movement against the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza yesterday, with marches in Paris, Lille, Toulouse, Lyon, and beyond

Agent Orange Vietnam: French court rejects case against chemical firms

Lawyers for French-Vietnamese woman, 79, who brought case say court used ‘obsolete’ and overly strict legal interpretation

French-Vietnam woman in ‘fight of her life’ on war chemicals

Tran To Nga was poisoned with ‘agent orange’ during the Vietnam War, and her case against 26 multinational chemical companies starts in France today

Resistance fighter who forgave fiance's torturer dies

Noëlla Rouget successfully pleaded with President de Gaulle to commute the death penalty of the notorious collaborator who had her deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp

Six-year-old French Resistance fighter named on memorial

Marcel Pinte, thought to be France’s youngest Resistance fighter, will have his name inscribed on war memorial today

Grave of French WW1 soldier killed on Nov 11 has wrong date

Augustin Trébuchon's grave read November 10, but in fact he died just minutes before the bugles sounded on November 11, 1918

How to move forward post-Covid? France looks to post-war era

President Macron has revealed a €100billion plan to relaunch industry and regain control of France’s basic needs in the wake of Covid-19 – and has taken inspiration from the post-war years.

Iconic French singer Juliette Gréco dies age 93

Iconic French singer Juliette Gréco has died at the age of 93. We remember some of her most-loved songs from her 60-year career, and remarkable life, as President Emmanuel Macron pays tribute.

Found! French family of World War Two mystery Bible owner

The French family of the owner of a lost Bible that was found by an English soldier on the battlefields of World War Two has been traced via social media.

French veterans against ‘immersive’ D-Day tourism project

French veterans have come out against a planned project to launch an “immersive” tourist experience in France, that would recreate the 1944 Normandy embarkment and battle.

The story of De Gaulle's 18 June appeal 80 years on

On its 80th anniversary, Samantha David tells the story of one of the most famous speeches, and the importance of the medium in the Second World War.

President Macron to visit London in memory of wartime ‘call’

President Emmanuel Macron is to visit London tomorrow (June 18) for the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s 1940 “call”, as controversy surrounds Marine Le Pen’s attendance at a similar ceremony in France.

Camp trip was truly shocking

I read with interest the article on France’s only concentration camp ( Connexion, February issue ) as it awakened memories of an excursion to the Vosges mountains in 1956.

10, 50 and 100 years ago in France – March 2020

What happened in March 10, 50, and 100 years ago? Académie place for Veil, turbo boost for trains, German rehab plan agreed

Paris Scots Kirk honours Tartan Pimpernel

The life of a Church of Scotland minister, who rescued 2,000 soldiers and airmen during World War Two, is to be the subject of a play on Saturday, at the Scots Kirk in Paris.

French town with Australia link sends wildfire support

A French school with links to Australia dating back to World War One is raising money and organising events in solidarity as the country continues to be devastated by deadly wildfires.

New Paris show tells history of France...in Playmobil

More than 3,000 figures from children’s toy brand Playmobil are now on public display at the army museum at Les Invalides in Paris, arranged in scenes from French history.

War