Description:

The town of Mayenne is situated on the river of the same name. A number of bridges traverse the river Mayenne and it's so easy to admire the river as it flows past the chateau and be unaware of an historic event which took place in the town of Mayenne on the night of 5th August 1944.

 

The story begins on 1st June 1916 when James Dougal McRacken (often referred to as Mac Racken in France and Mayenne) was born in Red Springs, North Carolina. At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, little could James have known that just five short years later, his actions were to prove pivotal in the liberation of Mayenne.

 

Less than two months after the D-day landings, the Allies had secured a bridgehead at Cherbourg and were pushing south, town by town, village by village and gradually extricating the German occupying forces. Mayenne became a strategic battle since as the American forces pushed south into the town, only one bridge over the river Mayenne remained. To maintain the impetus of the Allied advance, it was essential that this bridge, which was then known as the “Pont de la Caisse d’Epargne” (the Savings Bank Bridge) was taken.

 

Before American forces arrived on the scene, the Germans had placed explosives in readiness for the bridge being blown in order to stem the advance by Allied forces. Sheltering behind an advancing American tank, 28 year old James MacRacken along with eleven of his men could see the explosive device which comprised a 125 lb. bomb and 15 cases of dynamite.  To avoid the bridge being destroyed it was apparent to James MacRacken that the only solution was to defuse the explosives. The problem was that German machine guns on the opposite side of the river Mayenne were all trained on the bridge.

 

In the face of seemingly impossible odds, James MacRacken decided to act and, without alerting his comrades, he suddenly sprinted from behind the tank and on to the bridge. In what must have seemed an eternity to onlookers he ran the length of the bridge in the face of enemy fire before throwing himself towards the fuse wires connected to the bomb. Somehow, James MacRacken managed to cut the wires but enemy fire proved to be overwhelming.

 

James MacRacken, a brave young man, had made the ultimate sacrifice. No-one had given him orders. He had acted voluntarily, on his own initiative but he must have known he faced almost certain death. It is impossible to calculate how many Allied soldiers lives may have been saved as a result of the bridge in Mayenne being secured. What is certain is that as a result of the bridge being captured intact, the Allies were able to liberate Mayenne without calling in a heavy artillery and air bombardment which would have caused untold civilian casualties and destruction.

 

Today, the same bridge remains – except it is no longer the ‘Savings Bank Bridge’ but is now the ‘Pont James MacRacken’ and this young American’s bravery and self-sacrifice has, rightly, been remembered by the people of Mayenne each year since Liberation.

 

After his death, James Macracken’s remains were repatriated to his home town, Red Springs, North Carolina, where he is buried. His bravery is also remembered on the other side of the Atlantic where a monument in his honour commemorates the ‘Saviour of Mayenne’.

 

If you happen to be in Mayenne, the commemorative plaque can be easily missed but do take time to seek it out and read the simple inscription: “Ici pour sauver ce pont, James Mac Racken, 315ème bataillon, USA, se sacrifia le 5 août 1944.″ (“Here, to save the bridge, James MacRacken of the 315th Battalion USA, gave his life on 5th August 1944.”)