The death of the young Frenchman

The death of the young Frenchman
Below the arcade, on the other side of the Ourthe, is a somewhat unusual monument because of the presence of the Lorraine Cross, the symbol of Free France. This monument was erected in memory of Michel Prioux, a young Frenchman in his twenties who joined the American troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. In September of the same year, he took part in the liberation of La Roche-en-Ardenne. Unaware of the presence of German snipers at the castle, Michel Prioux was shot and killed on the very spot where his monument now stands. After his death, he was honored as a true hero by the local population. A few months later, in December 1944, the Germans invaded La Roche again during the Battle of the Bulge. The town was completely destroyed by Allied air raids, with 114 civilian casualties. Although the town was razed to the ground, the 14-18 war memorial and the castle were not damaged.