War Tourism: Second World War France from Defeat and Occupation to the Creation of Heritage by Bertram M. Gordon (review)

In what may seem a surprising pairing, Gordon views Second World War France and tourism as related phenomena: tourism as it was experienced under the Occupation and, since the Liberation, the creation of heritage tourism by the postwar tourism industry. For centuries tourists have been attracted to France for its museums, gastronomy, fashion, and cabaret life. Tourism peaked during the Belle Époque and then suffered a decline during the war of 1914–1918, but it soon rebounded and flourished during the 1930s. The first tourists of the Occupation were German soldiers in Paris, following the lead of Hitler himself. Shortly after France signed the Armistice with Germany, Hitler and several of his officers traveled the streets of Paris in the early hours of 23 June 1940. Hitler was a well-informed visitor. When he stopped at the Paris Opéra, he showed himself to be familiar with its layout. It was his first and only visit to Paris. Subsequently, German authorities arranged for occupying soldiers to visit the sites of Paris. In allowing tourism, German authorities aimed to convey the subtle message that France possessed remarkable sites but could not compete with the modernity and dynamism of Germany. Imitating tourist behavior, German officers were lodged in excellent hotels and dined in the best restaurants. Translating tourist guidebooks into German was a thriving enterprise. As for the French population, tourism had been important since the paid holiday program of 1936, which remained in effect during the Occupation. The Pétain government encouraged the French to tour the regions of France, and some religious pilgrimages were permitted. After the Liberation, the tourist industry was quick to establish wartime sites as tourist destinations, beginning with the Normandy region. Competing interests tried to influence the choice of sites and the interpretation of wartime events. Tourism circuits were created around the heroism of General Charles de Gaulle, the courage of Resistance fighters, and the treatment of Jews. One small contingent even tried unsuccessfully to relocate the remains of Marshal Pétain to the First World War memorial at Douaumont. Since the Liberation, sites commemorating the Second World War have played a significant role in the French tourist economy. At present, they constitute 10% of most-visited cultural sites in France, and additional sites continue to be developed. In 1988, the Mémorial-Cité de l'Histoire pour la Paix opened at Caen, a city which suffered massive destruction during the war. It receives up to 500,000 visitors annually. On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Paris, 25 August 2019, a new Musée de la Libération de Paris opened to great acclaim. Such sites are often a new generation's main source of historical information about the war. Drawing from archives, historical guidebooks, publicity posters, and site-visit statistics, Gordon has written an impressive analysis of war tourism in France during the Second World War and its aftermath. To the present day, tourism is essential to the integration of wartime events into France's cultural heritage.