In 1999, my wife Anyta and I travelled to Normandy for a weekend to visit my parents, who were enjoying a two-week holiday there. During that weekend we visited a small local museum. Until that moment, I had no particular interest in the Second World War. I wasn't someone who studied military history or knew the details of battles, divisions or weapons.
That visit changed everything.
I realised that while countless books described the battles, military campaigns and equipment used during the war, very little was written about the ordinary men, women and children who had lived through it. What was it like to be an eighteen-year-old paratrooper jumping into Normandy in the middle of the night? What did it feel like to land on Omaha Beach under enemy fire? How did a concentration camp prisoner survive another day? What was life like for civilians living under occupation?
Those were the stories I wanted to read about, but in 1999 I simply couldn't find them online.
Giving them a voice
For almost a year that thought stayed with me. Then I started collecting email addresses from guestbooks on tourism websites in Normandy and other historic battlefield locations. Guestbooks were incredibly popular at the time and, after many evenings of searching, I had collected almost 2,000 email addresses. I wrote to every one of them with a simple request. I wanted to create a place where veterans, survivors and anyone else who had lived through the Second World War could share their memories in their own words. I knew many of those memories would be difficult to write down, but I also believed that if they were never recorded, they might disappear forever. Almost every email bounced back because the addresses no longer existed.
Then one reply arrived.
It was from Ray Aebisher, an American paratrooper of F Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
"But of course, Frank, I would be willing to share my story."
Ray's story became the very first story published on Normandy1944 in 2000. Without knowing it, he helped start everything that followed.
Around the same time, my father (1933–2006) loved the idea so much that he paid for the first year of web hosting. It was his way of helping me get the project started and I have never forgotten that gesture.
From Normandy to the Holocaust
As more veterans and civilians shared their memories, the website slowly grew. After publishing around 200 personal stories, I became increasingly interested in another side of the Second World War: the Holocaust. I wanted to understand it better, which meant visiting the places I was writing about. How else can you write about a concentration camp if you have never stood there yourself? Over the years I visited Auschwitz, Buchenwald (twice), Mittelbau-Dora (twice), Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Westerbork, Vught, Amersfoort, Ravensbrück and all the other camps and many other historic locations.
One meeting I will never forget was with Robert Cohen, a survivor of Auschwitz and Mittelbau-Dora. After seeing him in a television documentary, I found his contact details, drove to meet him and spent time listening to his story.
What started as a collection of personal memories gradually expanded into biographies, concentration camps, the Holocaust, Aktion T4, battles, cemeteries, maps, original historical photographs and many other aspects of the Second World War. Although the website has grown enormously since 2000, its purpose has never changed.
It exists to give a voice to the people who lived through the Second World War and to preserve their stories for future generations.
Research through remembrance
Today, Normandy1944 continues to grow through careful research and, whenever possible, with the help of veterans, survivors, descendants, historians, museums, memorial centres and archives. Every article is carefully researched and cross-referenced with reliable historical sources to ensure the highest possible level of historical accuracy. Whenever possible, I believe history is best understood through original photographs, original documents and original artefacts, helping to preserve not only the facts but also the people behind them.
Over the years I have also built a small collection of original Second World War artefacts, including badges, insignia and other personal items. They are not collected because of their rarity or value, but because they provide a tangible connection to the people whose stories this website exists to preserve.
A labour of love
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to this project by sharing memories, photographs, documents and knowledge. My sincere thanks go to the veterans, survivors, descendants, historians, museums, memorial centres and archives whose trust and generosity have helped shape Normandy1944. Finally, I want to thank my family. My children have always been a source of love and pride and, above all, I want to thank my wife, Anyta. From the very beginning she has supported every research trip, every new idea and every redesign of this website. She has always understood why I sometimes needed to return to Normandy, spend time in an archive or visit another concentration camp because I simply felt I needed to be there myself.
Without her encouragement, Normandy1944 would never have existed.
Looking ahead
The eyewitnesses are disappearing. Every year, more voices fall silent. As long as their memories continue to be preserved and shared, future generations will have the opportunity to understand not only what happened during the Second World War, but also what it meant for the people who lived through it.
Their stories live here.
Dedicated to the veterans, survivors, civilians and families who entrusted me with their memories.
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