The Cannes Awards

Posted by Pat Shannon November 01, 2022

The Cannes Awards

At the end of March 1945, when the Allied forces had just crossed over the Rhine river, Clem and five other frontline officers were picked by their commanders for a special R&R trip to Cannes, France.

Cannes is located in southern France, on the Mediterranean sea, and it is at the heart of what the English refer to as the "French Riviera". Clem rightly described it as the "vacation land of millionaires". The climate is warm and dry and it continues to be one of the favorite holiday locations in Europe (i.e. Cannes Film Festival is hosted there and St. Tropez is just down the road ).

Lt. Miller (Hartington, Nebraska) in front of the Miramar Hotel. The Miramar is now a Hotel & Spa and if you are lucky you can find a room at the hotel for around $500 a night.

The Germans had taken over Cannes during the war and now it was back in Allied hands. The US generals wanted to give the front line officers a real treat for their service over the last year and prepare them for what was considered their next task, the invasion of Japan.

The pictures below were taken by Clem and his buddies as they explored the vacation land of millionaires. During their week in Cannes, they took time to go up into the hills overlooking the city to get a view of the harbor, then they bordered a small boat to take a tour around the two islands just off the coast - the Island of Saint Marguerite and the smaller Island of Saint Honorat.

The first, large island of Marguerite had a German pillbox that was knocked out of service in short order when the Allies took over Cannes. The second smaller island of Saint Honorat is home to the Abbey Lerins. At the abbey the soldiers took pictures with Father Michal, the head monk, as well as individual shots on the walls above the abbey.

Below is an excerpt from "Letters to My Brothers"- dated April 14th, 1945:

I also received a letter from Clem this week and it was dated April 5th. It was written at Cannes, France where he was enjoying a 7 day leave from the battle front. He is one of the first six officers from the Division to get a 7 day leave to the Riviera along the Mediterranean in Southern France. They flew down in an Army transport (C-47) after a couple hours ride in a jeep from across the Rhine.

He said it was quite a sight to get a view of the trenches, fox holes and torn up towns from the air. They hedge-hopped over the mountains and then flew out over the beautiful green valleys of southern France. "It is the vacation land of millionaires and after spending 6 days and boucoup money, I quite agree with them. However, it has been a great rest from the usual rumble of the front, I had great hopes that the war would end while I was down here but am sure it is just wishful thinking," he said. He has also sent perfume for Margaret and me in a box to the folks, and he hoped "we would like the stink of it." !

Mom also enclosed a letter from Clem dated March 21st. He sent a box home, which contained a bottle of perfume and a bottle of champagne for the newly-weds - Elizabeth and Dave. Also, a Kraut camouflaged uniform for Arty, a German compass for Jerry, a combination corkscrew bottle opener for Elizabeth, a souvenir bracelet from Paris for me and he also sent 6 silver spoons from St. Lo , and a German flare parachute.

Here are some more photos that Clem kept :

Above Cannes

From the boat

At the Abbey on the island of Honorat, with Father Michal.

A German Bunker on the island of Saint Marguerite (Clem's photo)

It must have struck Clem to see the German bunker all the way down on the Mediterranean coast. He and his buddies saw their first German bunkers when they landed at Omaha beach in July 1944. They had fought their way through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and into Germany. The war was nearly over, and in the setting sun on a April day, they sailed past one more German bunker, a thousand kilometers away from Berlin. The immensity as well as the folly of Nazi Fortress Europe was on full display.

The Bunker as it is today - its at the "Pointe de dragon" on the island of Saint Marguerite.

The European War on April 5th, 1945 - Nearly 5 million Allied and 6 Million Russian troops are about to run over Germany (from YouTube: World War II Every Day with Army Sizes). Clem's 35th Division was on the front lines heading to Berlin. Men of the 35th would meet and shake hands with the Russian soldiers one month later after the fall of Berlin.

Below: The US Army Morning Reports with notes saying that the individuals had been on Temporary Duty (Temp Dy) at the Riviera, France: