A Cajun paratrooper from south Louisiana is still remembered in a small village in Normandy, France, where a tragic D-Day battle ended in massacre, heartbreak, and a wartime love story that remained hidden for decades.
(This story is based on interviews conducted in June, 2014)
On a hilltop in the tiny village of Graignes stands the tower of a 12th century church, all that remains after fierce fighting destroyed much of the village during World War II. The tower now serves as a memorial to nearly 50 American soldiers and 32 villagers who were killed there. Among them was Sgt. Benton Broussard, a French-speaking Cajun soldier from near Crowley, Louisiana.
D-day paratrooper lands far from target
Just after midnight on D-Day, more than 100 American paratroopers dropped into flooded lowlands around Graignes. The soldiers had missed their intended drop zone by nearly 15 miles in what was described as one of the worst mis-drops of D-Day.
Danielle His Peros translates for her mother, Marthe Rigaut, who recalls her encounter with the first American soldier at their family home. “Around one o-clock in the morning, somebody knocked at their door and it was the first American who arrived,” Peros said.
That soldier was Sgt. Benton Broussard. Because he spoke French, he quickly formed a connection with the villagers. “He was the only one who spoke French. So it was wonderful to hear someone speak French,” Peros explained.
d-day paratrooper makes a french connection
The family farm became a gathering place for paratroopers who struggled out of the surrounding swamps. Marthe, her sister Odette, and their father used a boat to recover parachutes, ammunition, and equipment from the flooded fields and hide them in the barn, despite the danger from German forces.
a tragic ending for some paratroopers and villagers
Five days later, German troops attacked Graignes. Villagers and American soldiers had gathered inside the Catholic church for Sunday Mass when they learned the Germans were approaching. “A lady came in there and screamed that the Germans were coming,” said Peros. The battle lasted throughout the day. Odette later remembered peeking through a church keyhole and watching an American soldier fall dead during the fighting. Sgt. Broussard was one of the paratroopers killed by an artillery shell just steps away from the church.
The surviving paratroopers eventually withdrew after running low on ammunition. German troops then entered the village and massacred wounded and captured American soldiers who remained behind. Some villagers and two priests were also executed, and much of Graignes was destroyed.
a lost love revealed after the war
Two months later, Broussard’s mother received a telegram at her home near Crowley informing her that her son had died. His niece, Deanna Richard Spell, says the loss changed her grandmother forever. “I don’t know if she ever got over it,” Spell said.
Years later, Broussard’s family learned another part of the story. Eighteen-year-old Odette Rigault had fallen in love with the Cajun soldier during the final eight days of his life. Peros translated Odette’s memory of Broussard’s promise, “He told her after the war I come back to take you.”
After the war, Odette married a Frenchman. Her wedding dress was stitched from the white silk of an American parachute that floated into her village on D-Day.
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