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Maquis de Meilhan

Détail

  • Nom
    Maquis de Meilhan
  • Date
    1944-07-07
  • Lieu
    VILLEFRANCHE
  • Contribution
    Théo Corraze
  • ID
    1817.1930

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Memorials
Maquis de Meilhan
Maquis de Meilhan

The maquis de Meilhan was one of the sites of the résistance gersoise, during the Second World War. It counted 76 maquisards and was led by its creator Dr. Raynaud. It was the scene of a tragedy caused by German soldiers on July 7, 1944. Today, it is a place of commemoration.

The docteur Raynaud being threatened by the S.T.O. hides from farm to farm until someone informs him of the existence of the Priou and Larée farms which are free and close to a wood making this place the perfect maquis. He then created the maquis de Meilhan where he brought in, one after the other, all those who had told him they wanted to join his cause.
Dr. Raynaud led the maquis, with the help of Commandant Marcellin and Bouet, soldiers from the First World War who couldn't accept the turn of the Second and could only fight the Germans as the logical continuation of their existence. Every day, new recruits arrive, on the very eve of the maquis battle. Raynaud spends his time organizing the maquis and the fighting positions of the new recruits. Every day he listens to the radio for news of upcoming parachute drops, the last of which didn't reach the maquis until July 11, too late for them. Two brothers, the Laborie family, Xavier, a pastry chef and baker, and Paul, a bakery worker, look after the kitchens. Caussade is in charge of requisitioning vehicles, militia and fleet management.
The day before, a maquisard who has broken the rules is caught at a German roadblock at Lannemezan. He was then taken to the Pouy house, where he was manhandled, eventually revealing the location of the maquis. However, investigations reveal that the maquis is already the target of theGerman 116° grenadier battalion, at that time coming from Lannemezan. On July 7, the 116th battalion attacked the maquis, whose truck had been loaded for a maneuver the following day, causing it to explode in the first place, reducing the maquisards' capabilities by eliminating their ammunition reserve. In addition, their numbers were uneven: the maquis numbered around a hundred men, while the grenadier battalion numbered around a thousand. They arrive at night with their vehicles, which they stop a few kilometers from the two farms, and crawl across the fields to avoid detection. Then they moved into position and waited for daylight to attack. At 7 a.m., they were spotted by two maquisards as they were setting up an automatic weapon. The two young men reacted instinctively and gave the assault, a few minutes earlier Raynaud had been warned by a messenger of the impending attack, but had not yet had time to give orders. At the end of the battle the Germans linger to disfigure the maquisards and strip them so that they can no longer be identified. They fetch four hostages from neighboring farms and torture them before shooting them.

Source Wikipedia

Panel text:

On June 24, 1944, the maquis led by Doctor RAYNAUD, whose military advisor was commandant MARCELLIN, occupied this uninhabited farm known as the Priou, as well as the Larée farm further south.

It gathered around a hundred résistants, aged from 17 to 70, including a large group from Isle-en-Dodon (Haute-Garonne).

Having gathered various pieces of information, a battalion ofwell-armed German soldiers from Lannemezan (Hautes-Pyrénées) surrounded the maquis on the night of July 6-7. The Resistance fighters put up a fierce fight, but quickly became unequal after the ammunition truck exploded. The battle would last nearly three hours.

The wounded were finished off, disfigured; three prisoners executed in Lannemezan; four hostages, taken at random from nearby farms, savagely massacred right here. Seventy-six victims were counted, with around twenty fighters managing to escape the carnage.

IN 1948. THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED IN THEIR MEMORY LET US REMEMBER THEIR SACRIFICE SO THAT FRANCE MAY LIVE

 
Maquis de Meilhan
Crédit photo Théo Corraze.
Memoriaux
Maquis de Meilhan
Crédit photo Théo Corraze.
Memoriaux
Maquis de Meilhan
Crédit photo Théo Corraze.
Memoriaux
Maquis de Meilhan
Crédit photo Théo Corraze.
Memoriaux
Maquis de Meilhan
Crédit photo Théo Corraze.
Memoriaux

Maquis de Meilhan

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