Bitche France (pronounced sort of like beetch, but close enough) hides some tremendous World War II history. In particular, there’s one really epic ‘then and now’ photo op. I saw this iconic photo (below left) and knew I wanted to go to Bitche France and find that spot. I wondered what it looked like today. We parked the car in the first parking space we found on the street near the center of town. I got out, and I was literally standing right there. It gave me chills in a big way.
I had planned to show David the photo over lunch and go on a hunt for the location. But it landed right in our laps. I showed him the photo on my phone and held it up to our view of the street. His jaw dropped.
[Left is the photo in the National Archives, right is the photo I took]
The Story of the Flag
On March 16, 1945, after many months of seige and relentless shelling by American troops, only a smattering of small arms fire gave indicated any German presence in Bitche (which was known then with the German spelling Bitsch). The Americans had circled the entire town and were moving in.
The first troops entered the city center of Bitche in the early morning and residents soon realized that liberation was at hand. An innkeeper named George Oblinger came out into the street with an American flag that his wife Maria had made herself, and kept in secret inside a pillow case so the Germans wouldn’t find it. Oblinger presented it to Captain Thomas Garahan of the 100th Infantry Division.
Captain Garahan and others in his company took the precious flag to a second floor window above a store near the inn. A photographer snapped the photo and Stars and Stripes published it the next day. The following Sunday it appeared in newspapers across the United States. The photo now resides in the National Archives.
The Photograph
The text on the negative sleeve reads: “SC 202712, France, Capt. Thomas H. Garahan, raises an American flag as Bitche France, falls to the 100th Division, XV Corps, 7th U.S. Army, after a siege of many months. He was with the first troops to enter the town. 16 March 1945. Signal Corps.“
Garahan wrote to his wife in a letter:
“About all that publicity, I was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that the picture had been sent out. Evidently, it was printed all over the US because fellows from all parts of the country are receiving copies of it from hometown papers. Guess the shot of the flag made it newsworthy. That flag had been hidden in a pillowcase for two years under the noses of the Germans, awaiting the advent of the Americans. It was the first one to be flown in the town and was the signal for scores of French flags to be dug out of hiding and displayed. Being the first ones in that place was quite a thrill, especially because it had never been taken in the history of warfare.”
The Sons of Bitche France
The brave fighting force of the 100th Infantry Division who liberated the area adopted the affectionate nickname “The Sons of Bitche.”
What a difference 77 years can make, and how powerful standing in places of history can be. It’s off the beaten path, but if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and step back in history. The old inn still stands. You can book a room, or eat a meal and toast to the Sons of Bitche France!
*For another great place to visit on a day trip to Bitche, see my review of the MAUSA (Musée des Arts Urbaine et du Street Art).
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