Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 11 a.m., Villeneuve d'Ascq pays tribute to the fighters of the French First Army in front of the stele Rhine and Danube, at the crossroads of the Planche Épignoy.
This ceremony commemorates the Landing of Provence on 15 August 1944 and the journey of the men of the army of General de Lattre de Tassigny, who then participated in the fighting for the liberation of France until the victory of 1945.

Historical background

On 15 August 1944, Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing in Provence, began. "Army B" commanded by General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, composed largely of French soldiers from North Africa and the colonies, landed in turn and participated in particular in the liberation of Toulon and Marseille. This Army B officially became the 1st French Army in September 1944, then went up the Rhône valley, fought in the Vosges and Alsace, crossed the Rhine and continued to Germany.
The ceremony is of particular importance in Villeneuve d'Ascq: Michel "Mic" Delrue, to whom the city gave the name of a square, had himself participated in the Landing of Provence and then in the liberation of Alsace.