American War Memorial

The American monument

The Saint-Nazaire audio-guided tour stops with contemplation before the American monument, which commemorates the arrival of the troops of the United States on French soil during the First World War.

The gateway of the American reinforcements

After three years of a deadly conflict, the United States declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917 and came to support the exhausted Allies. The Atlantic seaboard was chosen for the landing, and Saint-Nazaire chosen as the main base of the operation. Between 1917 and 1919, nearly two hundred thousand men and hundreds of ships passed through, and the American soldiers undertook major works that durably modernised the port and the city. The monument, nicknamed the Sammy or the soldier of Liberty, was made in the 1920s by the artist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Destroyed during the Second World War, it was rebuilt after the conflict. Today dedicated to the memory of all those, soldiers, sailors and airmen, who landed here, it invites one to remember with gravity the commitment and the sacrifice of these men come from afar.

What there is to see

The monument stands facing the ocean, at the very place where the American troops landed, in a solemn posture turned towards the open sea. A place of memory of the First World War, it recalls the old link between Saint-Nazaire and the United States. It is a stop charged with history, conducive to contemplation facing the estuary.

Practical information

The American monument is on the seafront of Saint-Nazaire, facing the ocean. An open-air monument, it can be discovered freely at all hours, along the walk.

What does the American monument commemorate?

The arrival of the American troops in Saint-Nazaire in 1917 and the memory of the soldiers, sailors and airmen come to support the Allies.

Is the monument the original one?

The original monument, from the 1920s, was destroyed during the Second World War then rebuilt after the conflict.