General Discussion

Thanks for that link. But I have heard stories of the events in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the plateau of Vivarais-Lignon. See also: https://time.com/5680342/french-village-rescued-jews/

I also heard stories -secondhand - about secondary students in Douvaine, a small commune on the French-Swiss border near Lake Geneva, who similarly were inspired by their parish priest to hide Jewish children and then smuggle them across the border into Switzerland during the Vichy Government era. Their parish priest was ultimately caught by the Nazis when they fully occupied France. He was sent to the death camps and killed there, without ever betraying his student helpers, who lived to pass the tales on.

Among the most impressive French survivors (ALL were impressive) of both the Vichy and Nazi Reich eras whom I met personally was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Brousse. I met her in 2006, when she must have been 85, but she had a mind and spirit as lively as ever and - surprisingly - looked MUCH younger than her age. She was a true role model and risked her life many times trying to help Jews and other targets of the Nazi Reich. This Wiki article gives a good overview of her life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Brousse

Her biography (in French) is called Les Armes de Jeanne 1940-1945 and I have a signed copy. Her activities and motivations are well described there, Having the privilege to meet and speak with her in person was one of the magical experiences of my life. I've long hoped to find an English translation for family members who neither speak nor read French. But I haven't found one yet. https://www.decitre.fr/livres/les-armes-de-jeanne-1940-1945-9782912008268.html

You can also find copies in French on Amazon, but this is probably not the best time to beat the drums for Amazon.

Best wishes to you! Despite our own troubled national psyche in the US, there are still heroes here. Some we all know well already. But others are and will remain unsung.