The French Government had spent 60 million francs ($500,000) to eliminate the scars of war from Deauville. The streets were repaved, the palace-like hotels and sprawling white Casino refurbished and redecorated for the longed-for invasion of moneyed Americans and Britons.
After a publicity campaign that recalled the gilded '20s, northern France's No. 1 beach resort held its first summer opening in six years. The 10,000-odd visitors, including some 2,000 Britons and a scattering of Americans, saw the-Normandy coast playground as they had seen it on picture postcards—tree-shaded streets, restful, gaily decorated buildings and a placid, dull-green sea.
The Bastille Day vacation swelled...
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