Mémorial 39-45 — Attraction in Saint-Malo

Must visit in Saint Malo. This was the ‘Citadel’, headquarters and main battle position for Saint Malo/Saint Servan German forces in WW2. You can see why with its elevated position with cannon range over all approaches into the harbour and across to Saint Malo citadel. This is where US forces won the surrender of the German Commander on 14 August 1944 after 10 days of intense battle. The battle continued for days to conquer Saint Malo and the fortress islands with Cezembre last to fall on 2 September 42. On this hill are Roman Empire era and medieval ruins. Likely a key military position for two thousand years.

Much of it you can visit and see any time as it is public space and park. To go into the labyrinth of German bunkers you will need to book a tour. You should book in advance or arrive early as the limited tours, 2-3 per day only accommodate 20 people.

I recommend that there be a fee and free passage through the bunkers so more...

All in all it was an interesting experience to see the old bunkers and the view from the old fortress. Still I think there’s a lot to do. The area outside is free for visitors, but you can only look at the old bunkers and enjoy the view. That’s it. I think there should be a bit more information about what is what and what happened back then. The information should be available in French, English and German not only in French. This place is important for many people and maybe also for the young generations who don’t understand French. Even just English would be enough for everyone to understand! The opening times to the museum (which you can only visit by booking a guided tour in French, just some printed text in English and German) should be longer. You visit the place and the museum is not open and you won’t come again. In a nutshell, there’s a lot of...

Visiting this site is a super reminder that there is definitely evil in this world and it needs to be destroyed. The 39-45 is in reference to the years during WWII the Nazi’s occupied France and this area. This site is very near Saint Malo and within walking distance if you so choose. I am standing in one of the bomb crater’s left behind as a sober reminder of the Allies attempt to eradicate this evil. The one picture is of a leftover German anti-aircraft gun emplacement while the structures with many holes in them are the gun emplacements used by the Germans to shoot at the approaching Allied war ships. Very tight quarters inside those, and I bet those young German soldiers were made deaf by the shells hitting these...