The Path of Freedom is a way to commemorate the Allied victory and the liberation of France, Belgium and Luxembourg during World War II. It is represented by a series of milestones along the road between Sainte-Mere-Eglise (terminal km 0), and Bastogne (km marker 1145) in Belgium, marking the road taken by the 3rd Army under General Patton.
Colonel Guy of Vasselais, former head of the French military mission of tactical liaison with the Twentieth Corps of the U.S. Third Army, conceived as early as June 1944, to make a great memory of the liberation of France. Back from a trip to the U.S. with the mayor of Metz, they decided to commemorate the progress of the Allied Armies in creating a “path of Liberty.” They choose one of the most glorious routes, the route of the triumphal American 3rd Army of General Patton’s Normandy invasion, penetration of the Cotentin, and his famous ride that will take him to 54 days of the Normandy to Moselle. She will be symbolized by the posts marking each km of travel of the Panzer Army. In March 1946, a Belgian-American Association proposes to the French to extend it until Bastogne and on July 5th, 1947, was held the official installation of the terminal ending the race in Belgium. On the 16th September the same year is the inauguration of the terminal 0 of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. The inauguration of this way of Liberty took place on September 18th, 1947 in Fontainebleau (France).
The milestone model was sculpted by Francois Cogne. Originally, it was a pink cement terminal about 1 meter in height, the terminals are a flame, symbol of freedom, out of the waves, symbol of the arrival by sea of the liberating troops.
