Eleven months after landing on the beaches of Normandy, Allied forces scattered across Europe celebrate the surrender of Nazi Germany. A historic day, “V-E DAY” (or Victory in Europe Day) symbolizes the end of nearly six years of conflict and the return of peace for millions of Europeans. 80 years after this decisive victory, Monnaie de Paris celebrates this historic event by paying a new tribute to the great Allied nations who fought for the liberation of France and Europe.
James, an American officer in the 1st Infantry Division, landed on Omaha Beach. After D-Day, his unit continued the Battle of Normandy with the breakthrough at Avranches (Operation Cobra); it then took part in the closing of the Falaise pocket.
It then fought at Mons and Liège in Belgium, before crossing the Siegfried Line to attack Aix la Chapelle. It then took part in the Battle of the Bulge before crossing back into Germany. In April 1945, the unit entered Czechoslovakia, where it spent its final weeks of combat.
The reverse of this coin features all the Allied countries that officially took part in the Normandy landings, surrounded by the face value and the RF initials. Clockwise: France Libre, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Australia, USA, Norway, UK, Czechoslovakia, Canada, Belgium.
The stars under the flags are also a tribute to the Liberty Road, mile markers marking the route taken by the 3rd US Army in liberating France as far as Luxembourg.
