Stele of the Liberation

This stele was erected in 1970 by the association of the French Remembrance on the site of the first divisional cemetery created after the liberation of La Londe les Maures.

On August 17th, 1944, the first American soldiers arrived by this road. They will be followed by the African commandos. An American destroyer tank was stopped by the German artillery in front of the castle of the Tour Saint Honoré.
From the top of the destroyed turret, Sergeant Stanley BENDER fixed enemy shootings and attacked the bridge before liberating the village. This bridge now bears his name.
The Marquis de LORDAT, who owned the land, acceded to the request of General Diégo BROSSET, who commanded the 1st DFL (1st Free French Division). He demanded to bury the 117 bodies out of the 298 officers, sub-officers and soldiers of his unit who had perished between La Londe and Le Pradet.
The graves were maintained by the children of the Jean Jaurès school for many years after the end of the war.
General de LATTRE de TASSIGNY, commander of the 1st French Army, Rhine and Danube, comes to pay tribute to the disappeared after the Liberation of Toulon.
General O'DANIEL, commander of the 3rd American Infantry Division (3rd DI.U.S.), stopped there before visiting the huge field hospital installed on the VALROSE site.
General de GAULLE came to pray there after the end of the War. He is welcomed by the mayor Mr. François de LEUSSE. This officer of the Foreign Legion integrated into the commandos of Africa under the name of Captain de Montgraham, landed on the beach of Le Canadel and liberated Cap Bénat and Fort de Brégançon. In November 1944, during the liberation of Belfort, at the head of the 3rd African Commando, he was one of the few survivors of this decimated unit at the Bois d'Arsot in Offemont where a crossroads bears his name.
Most of the bodies of the soldiers of the 1st DFL were returned to their families after the opening of the national necropolis of BOULOURIS near Saint Raphael, inaugurated on August 15th, 1964 by General De Gaulle.

On May 8th, 1981, the first flag was presented there to the French Remembrance local committee, created on May 2nd, 1980 on the initiative of M. PONEL, director of the Jean Jaurès school during the occupation and president of the French Remembrance of Hyères.