2023-06-08 00:21:08
Like the Bol d’Or a year ago, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is celebrating its centenary. And like the mythical motorcycle race, it will not be the 100th edition. Ten are missing in the final count, nine of which are due to the Second World War, between 1940 and 1948. Another, in 1936, was canceled due to major strikes in the automobile industry.
When the armistice was signed in June 1940 between the 3rd Reich and the government of Marshal Pétain, France found itself cut in two. Germany has just captured Le Mans during the Battle of France. An important strategic point, the city having a major marshalling yard and an airport since 1938.
The allies knew this well and began to bomb the Sarthe prefecture from April 1942. On March 14, 1944, 15 locomotives and 800 wagons, capable of transporting Hitler’s troops, as well as the neighboring factories which stored the fuel intended for the German navy, were destroyed. The city was finally liberated in 1944 during the Battle of Normandy by General Patton’s 3rd Army.
Even if Le Mans was rather spared from the bombardments (unlike Nantes or Angers, for example), the damage was substantial and the famous circuit did not escape it. We have to rebuild everything! “The State, which wants to relaunch the automotive industry, sees this very favorably. After a first attempt in 1947, the race returned two years later. A hundred million old francs (around €150,000) are needed for the renovation work.
Seven new brands are at the start, including Renault and Ferrari. It is also the 166MM, with an Englishman and an American on board, which gives the prancing horse brand the first victory. Thirteen years earlier, the race had not taken place due to the general protest movement and strikes which particularly affected car factories.
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