A War in His Own Backyard: Michel De Vallavieille

Michel De Vallavieille and The Role of Paratroopers on D-Day

Michel de Vallavieille was the first person to be evacuated from Utah beach, but he was not in the Allied army, neither was he in the German army. So who was he, and what happened to him?

On the night of June 5th, 1944, American paratroopers landed behind enemy lines with the objective of clearing the way for the troops landing at the beaches the next morning. The planes carrying the paratroopers got lost and dropped them much to low and at the wrong spots. As a result, they landed unorganized and formed small bands that experienced a little bit of scattered firefights, but most of the fighting would come the next day. The next morning, a small group of paratroopers from the 506th PIR had formed into what was supposed to be Easy Company. There were only about fourteen of them. The group was told to attack a group of four 106mm cannons at a small farm called Brecourt Manor.

Brecourt Manor was owned by the Vallavieille family, including a respected WWI veteran. When Germany took France, they allowed the WW1 veterans and their families to keep their property, as long as they agreed to hold German troops in their homes. The family knew something was wrong by the way the German troops were on edge, so they hid where they could be safe. Easy Company attacked the cannons and destroyed three of them when they took a small break for reinforcements to arrive. After this, the fourth cannon was destroyed with less resistance and the remaining German soldiers left.

That was when Michel walked out of the house, with a few German soldiers who wished to surrender. The soldiers did not recognize him as friendly, or see the white flag, and assumed he was an enemy. Michel was shot five times by an American soldier. Soon, the French family communicated to the paratroopers that their son had been seriously wounded. Michel was evacuated from Utah Beach to London. His family had no way of knowing whether or not he made it. When he finally returned home, his life was greatly changed, as he couldn't do any kind of work he used to do on his family's farm.

After the incident, the paratroopers moved on to take a causeway at Carentan, where their true skill and guts would be tested. They emerged victorious and remained on the defensive side of the battle until they were finally evacuated. The 101st had been terribly battered and, in fact, their 506th regiment took about 50% casualties, or 983 men, which was the highest for the entire Normandy campaign. Easy Company itself, which assaulted Brecourt Manor had about 65 men killed, wounded, or taken prisoner in the entire campaign. Very few of those casualties came from the assault.

The man who led the attack, Lt. Dick Winters, was promoted to captain and became a very qualified leader of the company. Winters organized and carried out the assault in the most efficient and effective way possible. Few were wounded and only one soldier under his command was killed. In the end, the Normandy campaign would show the paratroopers how truly horrible the second world war was going to be. They continued on to fight in the muddy killing field of Holland, and the frozen forests of Bastogne. The casualties and danger became second nature to the paratroopers. However, the few who had participated in the attack on Becourt Manor generally managed to survive the war and made it home to their families. The well organized attack made them all battle-smart, and made some of the most heroic soldiers the company had seen. To the soldiers who fought the battle at Brecourt Manor, it was the beginning of their journey that never quite ended.

Sgt. Donald Malarkey, a soldier of Easy Company who saw the entire war, would return to the Vallavieille house after the war on a tour of France. There, he explained to the family the story of why American soldiers were in France and fighting in their backyard. His story inspired them to find out more about the war that they had spent their lives trying to forget. Malarkey also learned Michel's story of being shot by an American soldier. Malarkey's first person description of the battle and his meeting with the Vallavieille family can be found in his autobiography, Easy Company Soldier. His life was filled with every type of experience and has a lasting effect on many others. The paratroopers who fought in WW2 have very similar, yet entirely different stories. Their adventures and life experiences can inspire people to try something new to change the world for the better.

After the war, Michel was inspired by Malarkey's visit and founded the Utah Beach Museum. He worked on preserving the historical parts Normandy from WW2. At the time, this was a challenge, as the French people simply wanted to forget about the war and its many invasions and consequences. The idea of preserving the memory and artifacts of the war seemed absurd. However, the museum managed to break through these set backs and is now one of the most successful museums in western France. The success of the museum had influence on his people, who now honor the hard work and sacrifice of the soldiers who landed in Normandy. They celebrate all the nations who helped liberate their land and fly the flags of England, Canada, and the US next to their own. Michel kept his dream of preserving history and preserving the story of the liberation of his country. Today, his son, Charles de Vallavieille runs the museum with the same goal in mind as his father did many years before.

-Caleb Frank

Note: This is a tertiary/secondary source, simply to inform people about the content, rather than to be a source for a research paper. It can be used to get general information and as a window to better sources, which are highly recommended.

Vallavieille, Charles. Interview. By Tropo Guripa. 2 Mar. 2017.

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Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers E Company, 101st Airborne, 506 PIR from
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Malarkey, Donald, and Robert Welch. Easy Company Soldier. St. Martin's Press,
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