First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 29th June 1944

American paratroops patrol in the streets of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France, before pushing on toward Cherbourg. June 1944.Credit:AP

From Our War Correspondent, Harold Austin. CHERBOURG, June 27 1919. – British, American and French flags flew side by side at Cherbourg today, when the city was officially liberated.

Hardly had the firing of German guns ceased when the city was gaily festooned with red, white and blue bunting and in the words of the Commander of the U.S. forces, Lieutenant-General Bradley, "returned to the French"

The last of the enemy forces to cease fire was the arsenal, which surrendered early this morning.

Capture of Lieutenant General von Schlieben commander of the German forces, reduced resistance to small pockets and by noon the entire city was under American control.

The few thousand Frenchmen who had remained in their homes during the siege were not demonstrative. It was not that they were not pleased with their release from German overlordship-their expressions gave ample evidence of their delight-but merely that they were too busy bus cannily refurnishing their homes from the well furnished German living quarters.

SIMPLE CEREMONY

In the drab battle scarred Place dele Republique a simple but colourful ceremony was conducted officially to return Cherbourg to the French.

Men of the American divisions which captured the city were lined upon the square which was thronged with French civilians and representatives of the Allied naval land and air forces.

The ceremony was held on the steps of the town hall in a setting of German concrete strong points and over-looking sheets which only a few hours before had been the scene of bitter fighting.

It Is with heart felt emotion and intense joy that I bid welcome to our liberators

The battle-stained duty soldiers stood to attention and the civilians cheered as Major-General J. Collins Commander of the US 7th Corps, arrived in an armoured car with the elderly Mayor of Cherbourg Dr. Paul Reynaud.

Dr. Reynaud, tears streaming down his face, said: "It Is with heart felt emotion and intense joy that I bid welcome to our liberators. I am very happy because of the opportunity given me to tend you best wishes in the name of the population, who for more than four years have had to pu tup with the hardships of a very sever occupation. Our thanks go to the two great Democracies who have not failed to come and defend on our soil our hopes for the future and our precious liberties."

PARACHUTE FLAG

A French flag, made from red white and blue American parachutes was then presented to Dr Reynaud for the city.

Maior-General Collins said the Americans had been touched by the spontaneous reception from the people. It was the first great city of France to be set free of the German yoke. He was certain that the people spoke for France and that the welcome was meant, not only for the American corps which he commanded, but for all Allied forces whose combined operations had made the Cherbourg campaign possible.

Soldiers and civilians joined in singing "La Marseillaise," "God Save the King," and "The Star-Spangled Banner."

FRENCH GUIDE THROUGH DEFENCES

On the edge of the crowd at the ceremony was Louis, an 18-year-old French lad who immediately the Americans reached the outskirts of Cherbourg made his way out to meet them and guided patrols through the numerous pillboxes of the city.

He revealed the positions of the German fortifications to the divisional commander and during the days of the final assault led forward troops through the streets warning them of the final exact locations at which trouble might be expected.

Last night having completed his mission he returned home to see his 'mother. He found she had died a few hours previously from a shrapnel wound.

Louis was to-day dressed in an American uniform taking a sad but brave part in the liberation ceremony.

Among the last German strongpoints in Cherbourg to surrender was Gestapo headquarters on the corner of the Rue des Bastonse-a luxurious house with concrete underground quarters.

Gestapo headquarters produced 800 prisoners.

The streets were dotted with concrete pillboxes which in shape resembled Australian post-boxes.

Capable of accommodating two men they covered the approaches to corners and provided machine-gun fire against troops approaching from either direction.

Strongpoints were built into the sides of hotels and houses and could only be detected by the rectangular slits in the walls.

There was a strange end to enemy resistance at one of the largest strongpoints late last night.

A platoon of Americans advancing along one of the main streets was fired on from the direction of a statue. The men immediately took cover and saw that German soldiers were walking out from behind the statue but were being fired upon by their officers.

In this predicament the Germans returned inside their pillbox.

The [German] captain was seated at a table drinking cognac and smoking a cigarette. He said he would be ready to surrender in 30 minutes.

Lieutenant H. Ashkanasi of New York accompanied by a Red Cross man who had been a prisoner for two days decided to approach the fortification and demand surrender.

They were greeted by a German captain who was the worse for drink.

"The captain was seated at a table drinking cognac and smoking a cigarette," said Lieutenant Ashkanasi. He said he would be ready to surrender in 30 minutes. We sat down for a while.

"The captain rapidly getting drunk passed round the cognac and cigarettes. He remarked boastfully that he could shoot down the whole of my platoon if he liked. That was all boloney because we had the pillbox covered with tank destroyers.

"The German said he was going to surrender only because he had nothing better than French machine guns to use.

"At the end of 30 minutes the captain and about 500 men surrendered."

Throughout the day parties of German prisoners were marched through the city streets on the way to prison cages. Frenchmen ran beside the columns hissing oaths at their erst-while conquerors.

An old man who was pouting out a string of oaths at one party put it "You won't strut around for a long time".

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