This thesis integrates archaeological survey, aerial photographs and historical documents to undertake the first analysis of the conflict landscapes and military history of some of the most important German logistics facilities in northern France during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. Post-war survival of features has been remarkably good in this forested setting and this likely constitutes one of the best- preserved and most extensive examples of a non-hardened WWII archaeological landscape yet documented in northwest Europe. Over 900 discrete archaeological earthworks have been mapped and interpreted with the aid of primary source material from both Allied and German archives to characterise munitions, fuel and rations depots in the Forêt Domaniale des Andaines around Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, Orne Département, Basse-Normandie. These landscapes also preserve bomb craters associated with air raids on the facilities by the US Ninth Air Force and these have been mapped and analysed to show that despite 46 separate attacks by over 1000 aircraft, and the dropping in excess of 1100 tons of bombs in the forest during the spring and summer of 1944, the depots continued to function and to support German Army operations until the area was occupied by American forces in August 1944. In some areas of the forest it has been possible to link discrete arrays of bomb craters to individual air raids and even specific flights of aircraft. This work is yielding new perspectives on the character and operation of fixed depots in the German logistics system in Normandy both before and during the battles of 1944, while also permitting a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of Allied intelligence gathering, targeting and bombing operations against forest-based supply facilities. In doing so it is making a unique contribution to the newly-emerging record of WWII conflict archaeology to be found in the forests of northwest Europe.

Civil Affairs and its more robust sibling, Military Government, were military organisations designed to ensure that basic civil order and welfare were maintained in those allied and enemy states encountered on operations during the Second World War. In so doing, they enabled formation commanders to focus on defeating enemy forces without being distracted by possible civilian problems. Using the battle of Normandy as a case study, this research assesses the utility of Civil Affairs in supporting military needs during operations. This contrasts with previous studies that concentrate on aspects of social and diplomatic history. If the need for Civil Affairs was generally axiomatic, there was much debate as to the extent and method of delivery required. Civil Affairs quickly recognised that in dealing with direct problems such as “disorganisation, disease and unrest” it was necessary for seemingly indirect aspects of civilian life to be maintained. Various forms of bureaucratic friction resulted and several Civil Affairs approaches were used, before the model for the North West Europe campaign was agreed. Nevertheless, the organisation employed in Normandy was arguably the most extensive and best prepared of the war. However, it also had to deal with many different civilian problems and in trying military circumstances. Consequently, the battle is fertile ground for the examination of the extent and nature of the organisation’s operational utility. Using primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that Civil Affairs was militarily both useful and necessary. Furthermore, it was able to provide wider diplomatic and political benefits as well as serving core military needs. The research concludes by acknowledging that whilst mistakes were made, the various improvements made to Civil Affairs in preparation for, together with the lessons learnt during, Normandy stood the organisation in good stead for the significantly larger problems encountered later in the war.

Civil Affairs and its more robust sibling, Military Government, were military organisations designed to ensure that basic civil order and welfare were maintained in those allied and enemy states encountered on operations during the Second World War. In so doing, they enabled formation commanders to focus on defeating enemy forces without being distracted by possible civilian problems. Using the battle of Normandy as a case study, this research assesses the utility of Civil Affairs in supporting military needs during operations. This contrasts with previous studies that concentrate on aspects of social and diplomatic history. If the need for Civil Affairs was generally axiomatic, there was much debate as to the extent and method of delivery required. Civil Affairs quickly recognised that in dealing with direct problems such as “disorganisation, disease and unrest” it was necessary for seemingly indirect aspects of civilian life to be maintained. Various forms of bureaucratic friction resulted and several Civil Affairs approaches were used, before the model for the North West Europe campaign was agreed. Nevertheless, the organisation employed in Normandy was arguably the most extensive and best prepared of the war. However, it also had to deal with many different civilian problems and in trying military circumstances. Consequently, the battle is fertile ground for the examination of the extent and nature of the organisation’s operational utility. Using primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that Civil Affairs was militarily both useful and necessary. Furthermore, it was able to provide wider diplomatic and political benefits as well as serving core military needs. The research concludes by acknowledging that whilst mistakes were made, the various improvements made to Civil Affairs in preparation for, together with the lessons learnt during, Normandy stood the organisation in good stead for the significantly larger problems encountered later in the war.

In August, 1944, the Allies embarked on one of the "two supreme operations of 1944," Operation Anvil/Dragoon. It is an operation that almost did not happen. Envisioned as a direct supporting operation of Overlord, Anvil soon ran into troubles. Other operations taking away resources away from Anvil in addition to opposition from the highest levels of Allied command threatened Anvil. This thesis chronicles the evolution of this debate, as well as shed light on one of the most overlooked and successful operations the Allies embarked on in World War II.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-200).

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Nathan Stoltzfus, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains v, 67 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Cette étude vise à donner une description et une analyse de la structure de l’économie du territoire de l’actuel département de la Manche jusqu’au milieu du XIXe siècle. Une première partie reconstitue l’évolution de la population (pour chaque paroisse), des principaux prix agricoles et des salaires depuis le XIVe siècle, et elle procède à une comparaison systématique des prix et des salaires avec ceux des autres régions françaises. Elle met en évidence les cinq ou six grandes phases qu’a connues l’histoire économique de ce territoire. La seconde partie aborde successivement chacun des secteurs économiques (agriculture, industrie et artisanat, activités maritimes), depuis le début du XVIIe siècle (agriculture) ou du XVIIIe siècle (autres secteurs) jusque vers 1850. Une description aussi détaillée que possible des activités élémentaires, voire des entreprises individuelles, conduit à estimer l’évolution de la valeur de leur production, de leur valeur ajoutée (dans certains cas, de leur rentabilité) et des effectifs employés, en s’appuyant sur des modèles économétriques sectoriels simples. Une appréciation globale est enfin portée sur les forces et faiblesses de l’économie de ce territoire, dans la perspective de son insertion dans la France du XIXe siècle. / This study offers a description and analysis of the economic structure, until the mid 19th century, of the fraction of Occidental Normandy which is currently the department “La Manche”. The first part builds up the evolution of population (down to each parish or community), prices of the main agricultural products and salaries from the early 14th century; it offers detailed comparisons with corresponding elements in other French regions. It elaborates on the joint evolution of population and prices, and prices and salaries, in order to caracterise the five or six main stages of this territory’s economic history. The second part successively deals with each of the main branches of industry (agriculture, industry and craftsmanship, maritime trade), between the early 17th (agriculture) or 18th (other sectors) century and the 1850’s. A detailed description is given for each industry, or where appropriate individual companies, leading to estimated evolutions of revenues, added value (in some cases profitability) and staff over the course of the study period, with the help of simple industry-specific econometric models. The strengths and weaknesses of this economy are finally assessed, with the perspective in mind of its further integration into 19th century France.

This dissertation explores the development of an American D-Day tale. D-Day, the Allied invasion of northwestern France in June 1944, stood out to Americans because it seemed to promise a quick end to the Second World War in Europe. This lasting conception of the amphibious assault as a critical juncture has placed it in the forefront of American memories of the war's European phase. More than a turning point, however, American conceptions of the event have come to constitute a veritable morality tale. According to its narrative, D-Day demonstrated the military competence of a free republic that put its faith in citizen-soldiers. This tale has romanticized warfare by depicting it as an event populated by democratic heroes engaging clearly evil foes in decisive clashes fought for liberty, national redemption, and world salvation. The redemptive power of violence displayed on Norman beaches enjoyed divine blessing, and even, as sometimes claimed, outright assistance. Veterans and their family members, politicians, military leaders, honorific organizations, news media personalities, filmmakers, scholars and authors all have offered entries into a staggering field of American D-Day-related material. Their messages, largely similar in tone, transmitted to American audiences through museums, monuments, news stories, books, speeches, games, documentary films and Hollywood spectaculars. This dissertation will also evaluate the impact of their memory work on America. D-Day allegedly reaffirmed cherished American notions of democracy, fair play, moral order, and the militant (yet non-militaristic) use of power for divinely sanctioned and altruistic purposes. Such interpretations of clashing arms have exerted a powerful influence on American conceptions of patriotism, civic duty, and the efficacious use of military power. Feeding the militarization of American culture in the Cold War and beyond, the D-Day tale has pushed Americans to see war as a bloody yet noble clash, a veritable crusade used by the righteous for just purpose and decisive results. This story has cemented into place popular conceptions of the battle and an ideal-type of expectations for "good" wars. / History

No description available.

Dans la Normandie médiévale, à partir de la fin du XIIIe siècle, le terme de métier peut désigner une catégorie d’institutions professionnelles reconnue par les contemporains. À partir de cette époque, les modalités d’application de la réglementation économique propre à ces métiers émergent dans la documentation. Elles se caractérisent notamment par le rôle de gardes désignés avec la participation du groupe professionnel régulé. Cette évolution accompagne la deuxième révolution de l’écrit, qui accentue la mise par écrit des normes. Les statuts de métiers, qui fixent le fonctionnement d’organisations professionnelles, s’intègrent dans le développement d’une réglementation plus détaillée, dont la diffusion géographique est corrélée à la hiérarchie urbaine. Le recoupement des sources normatives avec les archives judiciaires et comptables a permis de compléter le panorama des institutions de métiers normandes, qui inclut des bourgs comme Elbeuf ou Neufchâtel-en-Bray, voire des activités rurales comme la poterie ou la métallurgie. L’analyse quantitative d’un corpus couvrant 60 ressorts juridictionnels atteste sa représentativité et suggère une diversification des institutions de métiers, au-delà des biais documentaires qui ont parfois trompé l’historiographie, notamment à propos de la conflictualité. L’amélioration des sources disponibles autorise des études de cas sur Rouen, mais aussi sur la seigneurie de Louviers, sur les baronnies d’Elbeuf et de Roncheville et sur la minière de Beaumont à Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne. Les comparaisons révèlent les limites de l’autonomie des organisations de métiers dans la sanction des règles professionnelles, malgré quelques exceptions comme les juridictions corporatives du maître des férons de Normandie ou du prévôt des tanneurs de Rouen. Cependant, l’expertise sur la qualité et sur la qualification, tout comme les procédures d’entrée en apprentissage et de maîtrise, paraissent souvent échapper aux autorités jusqu’à la fin du XIVe siècle, et le recours aux juridictions supérieures reste fluctuant au XVe siècle. L’identité des organisations de métiers se polarise autour de leurs gardes, assermentés devant les autorités, plutôt que de se cristalliser dans des communautés dont les contours restent mouvants. De ce fait, l’action collective des groupes professionnels ne se formalise que très progressivement et sort souvent du cadre des institutions de métiers, même si la consultation des communautés est une étape importante dans la genèse de la réglementation professionnelle. La formalisation des institutions de métiers relève d’un développement du droit écrit, dont les usages par des associations professionnelles ou par les autorités varient en fonction des circonstances. / In medieval Normandy, from the end of the XIIIth century, the word métier (craft) could refer to a category of profession-based institutions that were clearly identified by the contemporary society. Dating from that period, the documentation also sheds a new light on the modes of enforcement of the economic rules which are particular to these craft institutions. Among their main characteristics was the role of craft officers (gardes du métier) who were appointed in agreement with the craft group. This evolution goes with the second "writing revolution" which developed the use of written norms. In this study, craft rules are therefore defined as a type of source which sets the structures of craft organisations. The development of this type of source was only part of the expansion of more detailed professional rules, whose geographic diffusion reflects the urban hierarchy. Judicial sources and accounts completed those normative sources and broadened the spectrum of craft institutions by including small towns like Elbeuf or Neufchâtel-en-Bray, as well as rural activities like pottery or metallurgy. The quantitative analysis of sources covering over 60 jurisdictions shows their representativity and a growth that does not entirely come from documentary biases. The diversity of places and activities ruled by craft institutions grew at the end of the Middle Ages. Better sources make case studies possible not only in Rouen but also in the jurisdictions of Louviers, of Elbeuf, of Roncheville and of the mine of Beaumont at Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne. The comparisons reveal how limited the autonomy of craft organisations concerning the enforcement of rules could be, despite a few exceptions like the master of the ironworkers of Normandy or the provost of the tanners of Rouen who had jurisdiction over their peers. However, until the end of the 14th century, the authorities seemed to lack control over the expertise on the quality of goods and on qualification, as well as over the formalities required for becoming an apprentice or a master. Even in the 15th century, the superior courts did not always intervene in such cases. The identity of craft organisations revolved more around their officers, who were sworn before higher authorities, than it depended on the shifting boundaries of the working communities. As a consequence, the collective action of workers very slowly took a formal aspect and often took place outside the craft institutions. Nevertheless, craft communities were consulted as a group about their rules. The development of formal craft institutions at the end of the Middle Ages can be linked to the growing use of written laws that were claimed by professional associations or by the authorities according to the context.