"On 11 November 1942 the Germans crossed the Demarcation Line and entered the 'Free' Zone, without opposition from the French authorities. From then on, the whole of France was occupied.
Between 14 and 17 November 1942 the 32nd Infantry Regiment was demobilised -- a sign of the cooperation between the Vichy government and the Germans. The weapons and ammunition of the 32nd RI were supposed to be handed over to the Germans, but a portion was hidden and would come to be used by the Resistance.
From the beginning of 1943 opposition against Vichy grew and the Resistance was militarised. It was reinforced in February 1943 with the introduction of the Compulsory Work Service, which drafted young men born between 1920 and 1922 to be sent to Germany to work. Many man deserted and joined the Resistance.
The Resistance took different forms. Those who wished to take up arms joined the maquis. A hub of the Secret Army was set up in Loches, around Fernand Auclert and Raymond Mallet. Of note too are more personal activities, such as André Renard, who worked for the Town Hall, and specialised in forging documents.
The Loches Athletics Club, around its gymnastics intructor Emmanuel Marchenoir brought together a stronghold of the Resistance amongst the young sportsmen who were members. Denounced by one of the members, twelve youths and their instructor were arrested by the Gestapo during the nights of 30 June and 1 July 1943. Taken to prison in Tours, four were freed at the end of three months, but eight were deported. Five of them never returned."
***********************************************
Note: The 32nd Infantry Regiment was traditionally made up of men from the Touraine, so they were locals, who knew the geography and the people.
This poster is part of an exhibition in the Chancellerie on 'Loches in 1944' https://www.ville-loches.fr/expositions-article-3-10-56.html
No comments:
Post a Comment