Hidden France: Memories of the Resistance in the Gers

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Hidden France: Memories of the Resistance in the Gers

More often than not I’ve found that detours can enrich our journeys, altering us in unexpected ways. I often take the roads less travelled, choosing the unpredictable instead of being tethered to a map. Such was the result recently after deciding to return home from a friend’s house in the southeastern corner of the Gers, along the green-carpeted hills of the Lannemezan plateau, which borders the foothills of the Pyrénées.

After manoeuvering a hairpin curve through an unexpected pocket forest, I noticed the glint of a small white sign in front of an open gate that read: Historic Monument – Maquis de Meilhan. Ahead of me, an elderly couple had left their parked car and were slowly making their way along a white-fenced footpath up a steep hill. Curious, I parked my car and discreetly followed them. The monument comprised two small farmhouses, a memorial tower, a cemetery and a sculpture commemorating the bravery of 76 men, ages 17-70, who died in a battle that took place on the nights of July 6th and 7th 1944 between a band of Maquis, the collective name given to French Resistance fighters of WWII, and a battalion of 200 Nazi soldiers. I was confused. I’d always thought the Gers was in the unoccupied zone during WWII. So I decided to ask my circle of local friends.

The Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon memorial

The Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon memorial. Photo: Sue Aran

Parachuting into France

Jacqueline Aranzasti, a retired Air France stewardess and member of the local historical society, recommended a book called Moondrop to Gascony, the riveting, first-person memoir of Anne-Marie Walters, then a 20-year-old British secret agent. Parachuting into southwest France in 1944 to work with the Resistance in preparation for the impending Allied Invasion, she acted as a courier for George Starr, then head of the Wheelwright Circuit, one of 54 networks of the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.), part of Britain’s nine wartime secret service agencies during WWII. Earlier, Winston Churchill had established the S.O.E. in order to wage a secret war on the Continent in an effort to thwart Hitler’s push across the English Channel. Over seven months, Anne-Marie traversed the region, carrying messages, delivering explosives, arranging the escape of downed airmen, and receiving parachute drops of arms and money in the dead of night. She lived in constant fear of capture by the Nazis.

Madame Lalanne, now aged 96: "I remember “I remember the Nazis coming to the door and pounding on it with the butts of their rifles." Photo: Sue Aran

Madame Lalanne, now aged 96: “I remember “I remember the Nazis coming to the door and pounding on it
with the butts of their rifles.” Photo: Sue Aran

The Liberation of France

Many of the villages I’ve frequented, marketed in and photographed over the last 10 years were mentioned in her book as being instrumental in the liberation of France. A much bigger picture of the area I now called home was emerging, as well as more questions.

Pierrette Lalanne is president of Agora, a small group of volunteers with whom I work to promote cultural events in the village of Estang. I asked if she knew anything about the Nazi occupation in this area. Overhearing us, her mother, beautifully elegant at 96 years of age, walked through the kitchen door with a folded, yellowed newspaper. Pierrette opened it gingerly and exclaimed, “Maman, I’ve never seen this! Where were you hiding it?” The newspaper recounted the deaths of nine local men, pillars of the Estang community, who were shot in reprisal for Nazis recently killed by the local Maquis.

Madame Lalanne shrugged and sat down. After a pause she said, “I have many memories. I remember the Nazis coming to the door and pounding on it with the butts of their rifles. My young son stood by the door when I opened it holding a toy riding crop. The Nazis took it from him and he was very upset. They searched the house looking for rifles. Fortunately, they didn’t find any, though some were hidden in the attic. After they left I ran to the vineyard to find my husband, but the Nazis arrested me. I was let go later in the day, but I never knew why. They started to burn houses at random but gave up after it began to rain.” Lost in memories, Mme. Lalanne became quiet. I thanked her for speaking with me.

newspaper account of the nine men from Estang who were executed in reprisal for the deaths of Nazis

newspaper account of the nine men from Estang who were executed in reprisal for the deaths of Nazis

Consulting history books about WWII, I learned that even though the Treaty of Versailles was signed between Germany and the Allied powers on June 28, 1919, bringing an official end to World War I, provisions in the Treaty led to a state of chaos within Germany that allowed the Nazi Party and Hitler to rise to power. By the autumn of 1939, Hitler had successfully intimidated his western neighbours and invaded Poland. In solidarity, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Subsequently, Philippe Pétain, the French military hero of WWI, became the authoritarian head of France, controversially signed an armistice with Germany and moved the capital to Vichy, dividing the country into occupied and unoccupied zones, with what would be dire consequences.

The War Memorial at Estang

The War Memorial at Estang. Photo: Sue Aran

By 1941, a collaborative faction of the French police, La Milice, had begun to round up and incarcerate thousands of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, intellectuals, immigrants, and political dissidents. All over France, resistance groups began to form. The people of the Gers were especially hostile to the Germans: too many of their young men had died in WWI defending France from Germany. Throughout history, the Gersois had been victims of fluid borders and royal chess games. Now they were uniquely ripe for the important role they would play the liberation of France. In 1942, the Nazis moved to occupy the remaining free parts of France. The following year, all resistance groups were organised under one umbrella organisation – which brings us back to Anne-Marie Walters, George Starr and my next conversation.

Vincente Carerre, wife of Guy Carrere, whose parents’ house was among those burned by the Nazis in the village of Estang, is an authority on the history of this area. Vincente suggested I speak to Jocelyne Sampietro. The following afternoon she and her husband, Jean-Jacques, welcomed me to their 300-year-old estate near the fortified medieval village of Larressingle, eager to share what they knew. Jocelyne’s parents were vital to the effectiveness of the local Resistance. Born in 1941, Jocelyne doesn’t remember much first-hand, but she had collected documents, photographs, books and newspaper clippings for her son, so that he would never forget what had happened.

Jocelyne Sampietro, whose parents fought in the Resistance

Jocelyne Sampietro, whose parents fought in the Resistance. Photo: Sue Aran

“After the occupation moved south we had very little to eat,” she explained. “The Nazis took everything for themselves. But my parents gave refuge to Jewish families trying to escape over the Pyrenees, as well as to two British pilots, whose plane was shot down nearby. They also hid local youths who refused conscription to the Nazi workforce. They knew Anne-Marie Walters and George Starr. In fact, they hid arms later used in the Wheelwrights’ battle at Castlenau-sur-l’Auvignon. After the war, Nazi prisoners were billeted to work on local farms. Years later, those who had worked for my parents came back to thank them for the kindnesses they’d been shown. The Resistance took its noblest form in the simple acts of good people, like my parents.”

Jocelyne Sampietro

some of the collection of documents belonging to Jocelyne Sampietro. Photo: Sue Aran

A few days later I drove to Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon, once the secret headquarters of George Starr. Flowers shimmered everywhere in the quiet hilltop village, itself a memorial to the aforementioned battle. Led by written explanations and photographs posted along the main street, I learned that a force of 150 Resistance fighters were confronted by some 2,000 Nazi troops. Fierce fighting ensued and the village was ultimately bombed into rubble. Starr and his fellow survivors dispersed and later regrouped some 60 kilometres southwest, in the village of Panjas, where I spoke with Christiane Couerbe, a gentle, elderly woman who carries the memories still. Shortly after my arrival we were joined by Michel Lafargue, a 90-year-old friend of hers, also a survivor, who interrupted occasionally to correct her. I listened intently as she recounted the story from notes she had carefully written.

Christiane Couerbe. Photo: Sue Aran

Christiane Couerbe. Photo: Sue Aran

“At that time all of the remaining Maquis in the Gers joined forces with Colonel Maurice Parisot, leader of the Panjas Armagnac Battalion. Col. Parisot learned that the Nazis had just arrested eight Jews in the village of Cazaubon, a few kilometres north of Estang. In retaliation he and his men carried out an attack. They fought fiercely for several hours and eventually scattered into the surrounding forests. That battle symbolized the beginning of the liberation of the Gers.”

At the end of our conversation Michel asked me where I lived. When I answered him, he asked if I knew Maurice de Mandelaire, and I said I did. Maurice owns the Domaine de Saoubis, a renowned Armagnac distillery built by his parents, just across the main road from my house. Michel told me Maurice’s father was known in the Resistance as “Raoul le Belge”.

Michel Lafargue shares memories of WWII

Michel Lafargue shares memories of WWII. Photo: Sue Aran

Recruited by the Resistance

“My father came from Belgium and was fluent in German and French. He was very clever. When Belgium fell to Germany he fled south and was soon recruited by the Resistance. Acting as a liaison he often donned a Nazi uniform to secure supplies for the Maquis. All the Resistance fighters risked their lives for freedom and to restore the honour of France. It was here he met my mother and it was love at first sight.” Maurice’s eyes sparkled. “They married and took over this property where she was born. If not for the War, I wouldn’t be here!”

Until recently, I was unfamiliar with the history of the Resistance in the Gers. Having grown up in the United States I have enjoyed a life of relative peace and stability, free from despotism and authoritarian rule. But the world is changing and these fundamental rights are being challenged, both in the United States and abroad. We must therefore pay heed to the excesses of the past in order to avoid succumbing to the popular demagogic temptations of the present. Freedom is incredibly fragile.

The memorial at Panjas, home town of Christiane Couerbe and Michel Lafargue. Photo: Sue Aran

The memorial at Panjas, home town of Christiane Couerbe and Michel Lafargue. Photo: Sue Aran

Travel Essentials

Memorials of WWI and II dot the Gers countryside. For a comprehensive map please contact: The Department of Tourism for the Gers and The Auch Resistance and Deportation Museum

Books of Interest

A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead

Fighters in the Shadows: A New History of the French Resistance by Robert Gildea

Moondrop to Gascony by Anne-Marie Walters

Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorehead

From France Today magazine

The Memorial at Meilhan commemorates 76 men who died in a battle between a band of Maquis and a battalion of Nazis. Photo: Sue Aran

The Memorial at Meilhan commemorates 76 men who died in a battle between a band of Maquis and a battalion of Nazis. Photo: Sue Aran

"Moondrop to Gascony" by Anne-Marie Walters

“Moondrop to Gascony” by Anne-Marie Walters

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Sue Aran lives in the Gers départment of southwest France. She is the owner of French Country Adventures, private, personally guided, small group food & wine adventures into Gascony, the Pays Basque and Provence. She writes a monthly blog about her life in France and is a contributor to Bonjour Paris and France Today magazines.

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Comments

  • Simon Jarman
    2024-02-25 07:05:05
    Simon Jarman
    I was interested to read your investigations into the resistance movement in SW France. I have lived in Castelnau sur l’Auvignon for many years. An English friend gave me an original copy of Moondrop to Gascony. I read it with great interest, but did not give it much further thought as I did not know much about this history or the area at that time. About ten years later I reread the book and realised that I knew some of the families she wrote about and the house where she was welcomed during her six months in the Gers. I asked the owners about her and they produced the same edition of Anne-Marie Walters book she had given them after the war. They had been unable to read it not knowing any English. It has now been translated into French I think. I also knew the shopkeepers in Condom where she often liaised with other members of the resistance. The son invited me to his house and showed me a signed letter from General Eisenhower thanking them for their support in 1944. At this time of a renewed fight for freedom against a tyrannical power I though I would reference a recent YouTube about the importance of American support for our values. https://youtu.be/Eg49VcsWvd8 Simon

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  • John Thorne
    2023-11-24 05:34:53
    John Thorne
    Hello I was intrigued by your article on Gers during the Nazi occupation as I was recently given a bottle of 1942 Armagnac from Mailly Braconnier, from Gers by a farmer neighbour in Dorset. It came from his father who was a Lancaster Bomber pilot during the war. I have tried to find out more about this remarkable wine, but cannot trace anything about the producer and wondered if you could shed any light on this.

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  • 2023-04-19 02:54:35
    merci de cet article! I am from Estang and I now well the resistance drama i Estang the 3rd of July 1944 in retaliation against an skirnesh in the Maquis near by ( I was still in the Womb!) Gerard Louit

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  • Mélodie Minty
    2021-04-02 19:15:45
    Mélodie Minty
    Wow wow wow- loved reading this article and all the following comments. I do hope you do another article on this subject which I have been become a bit obsessed with after some of the novels I’ve been reading. I’m ashamed to say that although not too far from me I am yet to visit the village of Mielle. Do you still do your tours etc in Gers? We live near Castelnau Magnoac. Best wishes Mélodie

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  • Paul James
    2021-03-20 20:57:55
    Paul James
    Sue my father conducted some primary research ( interview etc..) into George Starr and when I find the material I will be sure to make a copy for you. He and my mother lived in Bezolles and the affinity between the French and the english in this region seems to run very deep.

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  • gordon
    2021-01-18 10:04:09
    gordon
    Readers might be interested in a more recent very comprehensive book : "They fought alone" by well known American writer & journalist Charles Glass. Published by Penguin Press New York USA 2018. This is .the true story of the Starr brothers, British SOE agents covering Wheelright Group in the Gers, Lot-et-Garonne Particularly interesting is the French Jewish SOE agent Denise BLOCH who operated, amongst other places Agen 47. She was murdered by the Nazis in 1944.

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    • Susan Aran
      2021-01-21 17:06:52
      Susan Aran
      Hello Gordon, Thank you for letting me know about the book. It's on my list. At some point I'd love to write another piece because since this article came out I've received some fascinating information about the Gers, local collaborators, more personal stories, and book recommendations like yours, that are worth exploring. Kind regards, Sue

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      • Phyllis Cohen
        2021-06-24 17:30:26
        Phyllis Cohen
        Thanks very much for this. I'd like to encourage you to write more on the subject. The history of resistance in this region is fascinating. One reason I moved from Paris to the Gers is to spend more time with a friend who was a maqui during the war.

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  • Sue Aran
    2020-11-13 10:52:05
    Sue Aran
    Hello Navyo, Thanks you so much for your comments. I am delighted to know you read my article almost 4 years later! So much has happened since then. Fascism and legalized cruelty are spreading at a much faster pace than democracy and kindness. I'm always hopeful that the pendulum will swing towards the light. Kindest regards, Sue

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  • Navyo Ericsen
    2020-11-08 12:36:26
    Navyo Ericsen
    Thank you, Sue, for such a well-researched account of the bravery of the Gers Resistance. I enjoyed reading it immensely, especially so since I am a frequent visitor to the Gers and have spent much time there. Also, having read Sebastian Faulks’ moving novel Charlotte Gray and his depictions of the Maquis and Vichy France, and the harrowing descriptions of the internment camp in Drancy. Your research gave me deeper understanding and appreciation for the men and women that fought for freedom in a dark time of fascism and legalized cruelty. A time I see rising once again on a global scale as I write. May their sacrifice and bravery be an inspiration and a warning for us all.

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  • Anne Bronner
    2019-06-23 14:56:29
    Anne Bronner
    Sue. I have just read your fascinating article about the Resistance in this corner of France. My husband and I and another couple plan to visit this region in early August and wonder if you are available to guide us through this region as well as Provence. I can be reached at [email protected] Many thanks Anne Bronner

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  • sue aran
    2018-08-25 07:42:24
    sue aran
    Thank you for commenting about this article. Where do you live in the Gers? There is still so much hidden history about the war. Kind regards, Sue

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  • Carina
    2018-08-20 15:08:00
    Carina
    Thank you so much for writing this. I have a deep respect and interest for anything SOE and Maquis. We have a house in the Gers region and I will reach out to learn more about this subject JN this region. Carina

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    • Sue Aran
      2021-04-06 13:09:03
      Sue Aran
      Thank you for commenting about this article. Where do you live in the Gers? There is still so much hidden history about the war. Kind regards, Sue Ps. FT has updated their reply system, so I'm just now reading your comments from 2 years ago!

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  • Hazel Smith
    2017-01-25 16:45:35
    Hazel Smith
    A great piece or writing - or should I say journalism. Thanks for telling us the stories of these brave elders. "96!" Heaven help me.

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    • Sue Aran
      2017-01-26 13:23:53
      Sue Aran
      Bonjour Hazel, Thanks for leaving a comment. 96 indeed and still going strong! Kind regards, Sue

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  • Charles Bergere
    2016-12-22 00:19:26
    Charles Bergere
    I joined the maquis FTPF in Dordogne in June 1944. Those stories are very familiar as I lived through them myself.

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  • Charles Bergere
    2016-12-22 00:16:09
    Charles Bergere
    I was touched reading this article. I joined the maquis ftpf in Dordogne in June 1944,took part in the liberation of Perigueux,Angouleme,Bordeaux et La Rochelle . Every year I fly to Dordogne for the annual reunion of my groupe Soleil.My chief Rene Coustellier is still alive but ailing in his home town of Arles. Charles Bergere

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    • Sue Aran
      2016-12-22 21:16:19
      Sue Aran
      Dear Charles, You note brought tears to my eyes. I was deeply moved while doing research for this article. Thank you so much for reaching out and writing - I am humbled by your extraordinary bravery. Je t'embrasse. Sue

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  • Claudia pettis
    2016-12-16 15:58:42
    Claudia pettis
    Oh Sue wonderful writing and research. The photos I could fall into reading the lives of these noble strong fearless people. One has to ask: what would I do given Frances situation at this time. It helps me understand why people remained silent and why often I do today. Anger and oppression will find cause Every where situations are ripe. But there are those faces and people you describe. Perhaps I can make one more call to a Senator or send more blankets to South Dakota resisters. I do not have to have my family hunted down to do so. Very nice writing. Thanks

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  • Sue Aran
    2016-12-15 15:13:03
    Sue Aran
    Thank you for taking the time to write. Your comments touch upon the true heart of the matter. Kind regards, Sue

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  • Alain Harvey
    2016-12-14 19:38:08
    Alain Harvey
    A fascinating account of the Resistance in this region of France. Recently I met with one of the few remaining Auschwitz concentration camp survivors. On his forearm was a tattoo. It certainly was not a glamorous. Watching the young boy hesitantly touching the tattoo reminded me of my own initial encounter. As a child growing up in West Africa, one day, upon entering my father's office, I noticed a faded blue numerical tattoo glimpsed on the forearm of one of several visiting businessmen. I was too polite to stare. That evening at dinner I asked my parents about the unusual tattoo and its meaning. Since that time long ago I have witnessed a stunning amount of death and destruction. As an adult I understand that the past does not exist independently from the present. Perhaps history would not have to repeat itself if we listened once in a while. We are not responsible for the past, but insofar as we do nothing, we are complicit in the present created by it.

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    • Sue Aran
      2016-12-15 15:10:56
      Sue Aran
      Thank you for taking the time to write such thoughtful comments. Voltaire once said, "History doesn't repeat itself, man does." I always thought this was a glib statement for a philosopher, but you have given it a much truer meaning and touch the very heart of the matter. Kind regards, Sue

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  • Thomas Kruse
    2016-12-14 18:31:21
    Thomas Kruse
    I was born in Chicago in 1939 and remember very little except coupons, gas rationing and blackouts. My wife and I were in France in 1994 at the time of the 50th anniversary of D-day. There were many veeterans and the village we were staying in had a parade and a remembrance ceremony. We were greatly touched. These men and women had gone through something that was unbelievably awful. But their pride and resilience showed through. When we planned the trip I wasn't thinking of the anniversary but I'm so glad that it coincided with it. France and the French are marvelous.

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  • Mike vowles
    2016-12-14 17:59:23
    Mike vowles
    Thank you for relating these tales of stubburn resistance and bravery

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