The story
Fifteen kilometres north of Bergerac in the Dordogne region of France, lies the village of Saint-Julien-de-Crempse. The surrounding forested area was a hiding place for many French Resistance groups.
On Wednesday, August 9, a unit of German troops surrounded the village. (These troops were actually Soviet horse-mounted Cossacks collaborating with the Germans).
They proceeded to round up all male residents and assembled them in the grounds of the village school.
After questioning, some were released but the others, seventeen in all, were summarily shot leaving many families grief stricken. Two weeks later, during an action 50 kilometres west of Bergerac, a group of German soldiers, 82 in number, gave themselves up to the Maquis. They were transported to the Davoust Military Barracks in Bergerac.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.