THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF THE FOREST OF FRETEVAL May- August 1944

FOREWORD

The present booklet aims to make known to the nation one of the most extraordinary adventures of the last war. The modesty of the numerous members of the Resistance of Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir who have participated in it has alone delayed until now the publication of this military exploit unique in the annals of the war.

It is unique in many ways. More than one hundred fifty allied aviators - American, English, Canadian, Australian, South-African, New Zealanders and Belgians - lived in camps, perfectly organized and in the middle of occupied France in the forest of Fréteval, between Vendôme and Cloyes for some months under the 'nose and the beard' of enemy troops.

These aviators, whose planes had been shot down over occupied territory, represented the equivalent of fourteen fighter squadrons. After their liberation they again took their places in the fighting units. This was without doubt a precious contribution to the final victory.

Unique also in the fact that this operation, which necessitated the cooperation of large numbers of members of the Resistance, remained absolutely secret so that the inhabitants of the villages surrounding the forest did not know, until the last days, of the presence of this truly allied army near them.

Unique finally, and how comforting for the people in charge to know, in that during the several months which elapsed until the successful ending of the mission, there was no loss of life was to be deplored among the ranks of the Resistance nor among the allied aviators. The succinct and factual story of this heroic adventure is set out in the following pages. All those who participated are mentioned under their true names in order that they may witness to it.

THE RETURN TO ENGLAND OF THE DOWNED AVIATORS

During the whole duration of the war, from 1941 when Allied raids above occupied territories and over Germany started to intensify, the big worry for the Staff was to be able to get back those indispensable specialists, the allied aviators shot down in the course of their mission, who succeeded in escaping capture.

A special service called "M.I. 9" (Military-Information 9) was created within the "Intelligence Service" and was asked to organize in conjunction with the local Resistance of different countries and agents sent from England, channels for escape and return to the British Isles.

One of these channels, whose members were all French and Belgian and which had the name "Comete" was the most important and it succeeded in leading back to combat hundreds of aviators. The process of returning the aviators was as follows: they were first welcomed by the inhabitants of the region who by their actions took enormous risks. Thanks to the network of information created by the line "Comete" these persons were soon known. "Comete" took then took charge of the package or packages (as the aviators thus found were called) and led them toward centres such as Liege, Brussels, Lille or Reims.

They were then regrouped in the Parisian region before being conducted to the Spanish border where specialized guides helped them cross. They thus reached Gibraltar or Lisbon. Transport planes of the R.A.F. finally completed the trip home. All these moves, so dangerous, were done almost all by train and under the guidance of dedicated French and Belgian escorts, many of whom paid with their liberty and often with their lives for the precious aid that they gave to the aviators.

In January 1944 however, when the date and the place of the invasion was known by a certain select group, "M.I. 9" had to face numerous problems. It was evident in fact that the attacks which were going to concentrate on means of communication in occupied France would completely disorganize the railroads, stopping the transportation of aviators toward the Spanish border.

No one knew what the behaviour of the German authorities at the time of the landing would be, but it was feared that there would be intensified surveillance by the police and even perhaps incarceration of able-bodied men. In addition, the members of the Resistance who, in great part formed the nucleus of the escorts, would have at that moment other vital tasks to accomplish. It was thus decided to place the recovered aviators fairly close to the Norman coast in a place where the losses in flying personnel would be heavy. The region determined by a triangle formed by the cities of Vendôme, Le Mans, and Chartres would serve as a terminal for different organized escape lines. The nearness of the landing beaches allowed hope that the Liberation would take place in the shortest time thus reducing the risks.

In order to lead this very delicate mission to a successful conclusion, a Belgian officer and aviator, Lucien Boussa alias "Cousine Lucienne", serving in the ranks of the R.A.F. since the beginning of the war, was sounded out by "M.I. 9". This choice had been dictated to the authorities of the "Intelligence Service" by the fact that this French speaking officer was perfectly up to date on matters concerning the R.A.F. and thus had the best chance of detecting those seeking to infiltrate the escape lines to cause the entire forseen plan to fail.

After having three months of special instruction, Lucien Boussa, who had been given a radio operator, Francois Toussaint as an assistant, left England by air from an RAF station near London and after several different episodes arrived in Paris on 13th of May, 1944. The invasion was near. There was no longer time to lose.

Upon his arrival in Paris and as his instructions envisaged, the Belgian officer was put in contact with one of the leaders of the "Comete" line, Baron Jean de Blommaert, who went underground in 1940. Still not caught, he operated under several borrowed names, which earned him from Germans the nickname of "Renard" (Fox). In April 1944, de Blommaert went to London where he finalized the escape network with the leaders of "M.I. 9".

Finally he returned to France, in order to assemble the aviators in the areas dominated by the woody, hilly landscape from which the fugitives could be led little by little toward Brittany, and from there to England by boat. It is at this moment that Lucien Boussa arrived in Paris from England, the carrier of an urgent counter order from the British Secret Service:

"The invasion is near; no longer evacuate the aviators. Hide them on site."

WHY THE FOREST OF FRÉTEVAL?

With the help of the leaders of the "Comete" line, Lucien Boussa contacted the departmental head of the French Forces for the Interior of Eure-et-Loir, "Sinclair" (Maurice Clavel). The latter had just taken command and was not aware of the possibilities offered by the resistance grouping placed under his orders. He asked for the advice of a leader of the office of "Air Operations", Andre Gagnon alias Legrand (elected Mayor of Chartres at the liberation) and of two heads of "Liberation Movement", Pierre Poitevan called "Bichat" and R. Dufour alias "Duvivier".

These two men advised "Sinclair" to speak to "Andre" (Omer Jubault), military leader of "Libe Nord" for the region of Chateaudun. This man was going to become known as the head of the organization created of all of the groups as well as a loyal and devoted collaborator. Gendarme at Cloyes for 8 years, on the verge of being arrested for his clandestine actions against the occupying group, he had left his brigade on 10th January 1944 with one of his colleagues, Robert Hakspille, called "Raoul".

Both had been warned of their forthcoming arrest by Jean-Felix Paulsen of Châteaudun, who was able to continue sending them their monthly pay until the Liberation. These military men, hunted for deserting, had succeeded over several months to group together numerous members of the resistance. They knew the region perfectly and the degree of patrotism of all the inhabitants. Changing their hiding place each day, they were lodged by numerous patriots.

Forseeing the operations that their groups would be asked to perform at the time of the Liberation, they had contacted all of the land­owners and the guards of the forest of Fréteval, located different sites in the woods, including places with water, hiding places for arms, which would be able to serve to organize the woody, hilly land, and asked the help of farmers, millers, and bakers of the area for provisions.

Also when Jubault was called to "Sinclair"'s command post at Boisville (Eure-et-Loir) and was informed of what was expected of him, he accepted the mission which was entrusted to him as a priority over the actions of harrassment planned against the enemy and, on the 18th of May 1944, the R.A.F., Lucien Boussa, his radio operator, Francois Toussaint, accompanied by "Sinclair" and by Sylvia Montfort, took the train to Chateaudun. At the station, a group of resistance members waited for them, composed of Omer Jubault, Maurice Serein, Lucien Bezault and Robert Poupard. The wait was long, the train was bombed in the course of the trip and was three hours late. The four named travellers descended from it.

It was around two p.m., under a sun with a leaden hue, that the little group, furnished with bicycles, left in the direction of the forest of Freteval twenty kilometers away. A stop had been planned in the woods of Montigny-le-Gannelon, where Joseph Neillier, restaurant owner in that area, would bring a lunch.

The meal finished and the little group gradually set off again. They arrived without problems at the home of Hallouin, gamekeeper of the Marquis de Levis de-Mirepoix, at the place called "Bellande", commune of Villebout (Loir-et-Cher). The lodge of the gamekeeper, hidden behind a little wood, was an ideal place to shelter a secret agent: Lucien Boussa set himself up there.

For security reasons, Jubault took the radio operator 10 kilometres away, to the home of Doctor Chauveau, at Moulineuf, commune of Romilly-sur-Aigre.

The liaison was to be maintained by Ginette Jubault and her brother Jean, child of the troop at the school of Tulle, that he had left in order to aid his parents; Mme Jubault served as a relay in her husband's clandestine organization.

THE DIFFICULTIES

In the course of the week which followed the arrival of Colonel Boussa, thirty recovered aviators were entrusted to the new organization. Lodged in Paris, at the home of patriots who could no longer nourish them, it was necessary to evacuate them immediately to the country where, with money, it was possible to procure milk, butter, eggs, meat, flour and vegetables from farmers.

It is difficult to imagine for those who have not known that period, what life was like in France under the German occupation. Everything was rationed in clearly insufficient quantities. To eat, keep warm, to clothe oneself, to travel - in a word each of the elements of daily life were an insoluble problem. One no longer had coffee, nor rice nor chocolate. Wine was distributed only to labourers. No fuel, no petrol. Imagine then the difficulties of welcoming an escaped stranger who is unable to speak French, an aviator falling by chance into the hands of an individual, on their own without the least notion of the network of the Resistance.

From the moment a patriot took in an allied aviator, the first job was to get rid of his military uniform and to dress him in civilian clothes, a fairly complicated job at that time. It was very difficult to get clothing. It was only given with tokens. The patriot was therefore obliged to dress his protege himself. The aviator and his rescuer were often of very different sizes; it was not unusual to see a big chap wearing a pair of pants coming to mid-calf and a short jacket of which the sleeves scarcely passed the elbow.

The problem of shoes was even more difficult. Some aviators were wearing boots that it was necessary to take off immediately in order to avoid detection. Others who had walked long distances were wearing very worn out shoes. In order to solve this difficulty, Daniel Lance, tanner at Vendome, secretly provided the necessary leather to a shoe maker at d'Amboise. The finished shoes were distributed to the aviators as quickly as possible.

THE ESCORTING OF THE AVIATORS

In the beginning, the aviators got off at the train at Chateaudun station, most often escorted by courageous escorts. From a relay set up in a little grocery store owned by M. and Mme Coeuret, it was necessary then to direct them by indirect roads to the area around Cloyes.

Daniel Cogneau, of Chateaudun, accepted the responsibility of the escorting. He accomplished this mission, without interruption, for three months with members of his family. He was helped in his job by:

Maurice Serein
Lucien Bezault
Robert Poupard
Abel Meret
Solange and Jean Meret
Len Thibault
Maurice Gaillard
Jean Gagnebien
Renee Paulsen and Louis Bellier, of Chateaudun
Pierre Dauphin
Marcel Huard
Jacques Couzy
Paul Roger and Charlette Marolles, of Bonneval
M. Penot of Saint-Martin;
the doctors, Doctors Dufour, of Chartres, and Renaudon of La Loupe;
Joseph Neillier, Andre Saillard and Eugene Legeay, of Montigny-le-Gannelon
Ginette and Jean Jubault, Robert Hakspille and Marius Villedieu, of Cloyes;
Pierre Van Bever, of Saint-Hilaire-sur­Yerre;
Emile Demouliere and Jules Gallet, of Saint-Jean-Froidmentel;
Gustave Barbier, of Moree;
Kleber Olivier, of Danze;
Henri Roger of Courtalain
and also the inhabitants of Combres and of Chassant where M. and Mme Bacchi provided temporary lodging.

In order to baffle the enemy surveillance, it was necessary in fact to constantly change escort, itinerary, and means of travel. All means were used, on foot the most often, bicycle, automobile, horse drawn carriage, especially after the destruction of the railroad. From that time the aviators were led on foot from Dourdan (Seine-et­Oise). A relay was installed at Montboissier (Eure-et-Loir) at the home of Gaston Duneau, who went to get them at the farm of Leroy at Sazeray, near Voves. He led them in little groups often across the fields, furnished with pitchforks and hoes in order to give the impression that they were farm workers. This patriot in this way evacuated a large number of escapees.

From Montboissier, Pierre Dauphin and Marcel Huard led them to a new relay located at Chenelong, near Gohory at the home of Fougereux. The escorts of Chateaudun intervened then with their means of transportation in order to cover as painlessly as possible the last fifteen kilometres by these exhausted men.

The first aviators received were led by Jubault to the homes of patriots who agreed to lodge them. Five of them were placed at the home of Armand Guet, farmer at Audrieres, commune of Cloyes, five others were lodged in an isolated house, lived in by Pierre Van Bever and the widow Tessier, at the place called "Le Rouilly", commune of Saint-Hilaire-sur-Yerre.

Doubouchage, bricklayer at Rameau, commune of Langey, as well took five, and two were lodged at the home of Chesneau, at Chanteloup, two at the home of Rene Jacques, at the level crossing 103, two at the home of Jeanne Demouliere, head of the train station at Saint-Jean-Froidmentel, while nine were taken care of by Gustave Barbier, Mmes Guerineau, and Martinnez Pedro, living at the Corbonniere, commune of Moree and finally, five at the home of Fouchard, farmer at Bellande.

These aviators stayed around fifteen days at the homes of these brave people. The latter knew however to what they exposed themselves since on 20th February, 1944 ten patriots of Vendome had been deported for having welcomed to their homes a crew of a shot down allied plane.

This became known throughout the region encouraging the resistance members to act with a very great carefulness and it was certainly an important factor in the success of the undertaking.

CREATION OF CAMP No. 1, AND LIFE IN IT

Because of the magnitude of the operation, Lucien Boussa, who was obliged daily to visit the aviators scattered in the region in order to assure himself of their conditions of lodging, risked being arrested in the course of his continual trips and so appealed to the directors of the network "Comete".

Two days later, Jean de Blommaert, accompanied by Philippe d'Albert Lake, arrived at Bellande in order to assist him.

In agreement with Jubault and the forester Hallouin, it was decided to group the "lodgers" in a camp in order to facilitate surveillance and the supplying of food. They went to a site situated eight hundred metres from the lodge. The location appeared to be perfectly suitable for the creation of a camp. The woods, relatively thick, were going to hide all activity which would take place under its foliage. A spring of pure water gushed up at just one hundred metres away. The slight slope leading up to the border of the woods would allow an easy surveillance of the immediate approaches.

Moreover, the farm of Bellande, situated near the home of Halloin, cultivated by the Fouchards and their daughters Micheline, Simone and Jacqueline, would be the point of convergence and would serve as a centre for slaughtering animals and a warehouse for the food supplies.

Each one set to work. While Lucien Boussa and his two friends, helped by the five aviators of the Fouchard farm furnished the new camp, Jubault visited the farmers to obtain tarpaulins in order to construct tents.

For their part, Jean-Felix Paulsen and Doctor Dufour, who were able to travel by car because of their profession, on several occasions brought material to the camp site, utensils for cooking, provisions and tobacco.

On 10th June 1944 all the aviators up to this time lodged at the homes of the patriots had come to the camp. Around fifteen tents were already pitched and life was organized by the inhabitants of this special type of village. Three sentinels posted at the edge of the woods watched the surroundings and warned of the approach of unidentified people by a rudimentary warning system.

Increasingly, the food supply of the aviator camps was a true nightmare for the partiots. One will see however that the network set up by Jubault for the underground forces was important. It had to function effectively until the Liberation.

Some farmers, members of the Resistance, brought living animals, fresh meal, vegetable, butter, eggs to the farm of Bellande, especially:

Armand Guet, farmer at Audrieres;
Maurice Tessier, farmer at the Durandiere;
Cornuau, farmer at Autheuil;
Duroc, manager at Convertiere;
Laubry, meat merchant at Mores;
Andre Barrault, farmer at Saint-Calais;
Croissant, farmer at la Flocherie;
Robert Guerineau, baker at Romilly­sur-Aigre;
Maxime Plateau, farmer at la Touche (in the farm where Emile Zola wrote his novel La Terre),
Henry Oudeyer, farmer at Cloyes
and Henri Beaujouan at Douy.

Thanks to the flour furnished by the flour dealer Etienne Viron, the bread made by Theophile Trecul de Fontaine-Raoul, was brought to the camp by Micheline Fouchard. With her horse and cart, this young girl covered four kilometres daily across the forest where she was on one occasion shot at by Allied planes.

In order to vary the menu, night fishing parties were organized in the Loir, by Andre Saillard and Eugene Legeay, of Montigny-le-Gannelon.

Cooks improvised and very quickly became true "chefs".

In order to avoid all revealing smoke, the stoves were supplied with charcoal, made in the forest by Henri Lefevre of l'Estriverds and brought to Bellande by his wife.

The different duties inherent in all military life were organized and accepted with good humor. These duties included wake up at six o'clock in the morning, starting the fires for the first service of breakfast, water duty, cleaning up and putting tents and their surroundings in order. If the camp was difficult to detect from the road, it was however visible by planes flying over the region and in this case, Allied planes became as dangerous as those of the enemy. It was thus absolutely vital that every morning the tents be re-covered with fresh branches. The tables and seats were made of trunks and branches. The beds were made with trellis work spread out between four posts. The mattresses were made of dry grasses.

Free time was used according to interests. Some improved the comfort of their tents, others worked on wood sculptures, at sewing, others found a sunny spot in order to dream of their liberation which they believed to be very near.

In order to assure a certain comfort to the inhabitants of the camp, Albert Barillet, barber at Cloyes, came each week in order to exercise his art.

Extraordinary reunions took place. Thus almost complete crews would be re-united when new arrivals came. Such moments were always celebrated joyfully.

CREATION OF A NEW CAMP

Expecting the invasion and with it the number of aviators arriving at Bellande to increase. It soon became evident that the continued growth of the camp, which had at this time more than seventy people and twenty-five tents, was too big a risk.

In order to examine the problem, Lucien Boussa called Etienne Biron [?Viron] and the principal leaders to the home of the forester, Halloin. They decided to create a second center of lodging. Jubault suggested siting it at Richeray, commune of Busloup, on the edge of the forest, a spot that he had chosen previously for his underground headquarters. He went there accompanied by Jean de Blommaert.

Located ten kilometres from Bellande, the location was favorable, so much so that the Germans had made numerous munitions depots in the undergrowth guarded by a small detachment. From the standpoint of facilities there was a spring and a forester's house.

Commanded by Jean de Blommaert, the "Camp No. 2" was set up on the model of the first with which it remained in permanent contact. Food for the aviators was provided daily by the forest guard Rideau and his wife, helped by Rene Avrain, assisted by the Deryther couple.

In spite of the close presence of the enemy troops, not a single incident ever took place. It is true that the rules of calm and of silence were particularly severe: no attempts make your own way back to England; make the least noise possible. To raise one's voice even a little risked all.

The radio was one of the centres of interest in the life of the camps. Each time that important information was obtained, a bulletin was pinned on a tree, acting as a bulletin board. The most welcome messages were those which announced the parachute drops. Unfortunately, for various reasons, only one was done for the benefit of the aviators during their stay in the forest. That day, several men went into the fields at designated spots several kilometres from the camp, furnished with red flashlights whose beams formed a triangle indicating to the pilot the direction of the wind on the ground. They were thus ensuring the accurate drop of medical supplies, cigarettes and French money, things very important for the condition and the morale of the 'campers'.

After the parachute drop, the men went to clean up the fields and straighten the wheat flattened by the containers in order remove all trace of the operation.

THE WOUNDED AND THE SICK

Numerous wounded aviators, most often with burns, were lodged and cared for by members of the Resistance. M. and Mme Dubouchage, bricklayers of Rameau, assisted one of them for three weeks. Mme Despres, who owned a property at Villebout and was in her eighties but very alert for her age, could speak perfect English. She transformed her home into a hospital and with the help of her lady's companion, until the Liberation had an average of five "boarders" for treatment.

Doctor Teyssier of Cloyes and his son Louis went each day to visit the sick ones. In the camps field hospital tents were set up. The sick and wounded were cared for by fellow aviators who had some medical knowledge. Doctor Teyssier came regularly, providing his skills and bringing into the field hospital those that he judged needy of bed-care. For a while, transporting the sick was done at night time by a 16 year old girl, Ginette Jubault, accompanied by her brother Jean.

SECURITY MEASURES UPON ARRIVAL AT THE CAMPS

With the exception of the doctors and the barber, very few people were authorized to enter the camps. Very strict rules were applied and when new aviators were found, a welcoming committee presided over by well built man, furnished with an enormous club, made them stop in the woods at a distance of a kilometer from their destination. There, he made them submit to a terse interrogation - where they came down, their mission, technical details that an enemy agent seeking to infiltrate the network would not have known how to answer easily.

Very fortunately, the club in question never was used.

SOME INCIDENTS

However incidents and accidents were not lacking. One of them could have brought down the whole undertaking had it not been for the composure of an escort named "Virginia" [d'Albert Lake], American by birth, belonging to the "Comete" Line, who swallowed a compromising document (how to get to Bellande).

She had been leading a party of six aviators on foot to Dourdan (Seine-et-Oise) to the farm of Villentiere, commune of Civry-Saint-Cloud (Eure-et-Loir). One of these escapees, worn-out, stayed at the farm to rest. The five others went in a cart driven by Jean Meret in the direction of the camp. Robert Poupard stayed at the side of the driver, while Daniel Cogneau and "Virginia" went in front of the convoy at some distance one from the other.

Everything went normally until Marboue, where the female escort was questioned by German soldiers who asked her for information. Not knowing the region, she was not able to answer the question and was betrayed by her accent. Arrested, she was [finally] sent to Ravensbruck, where she almost died of hunger. She paid with her liberty for the work that she had done for the aviators.

As soon as they knew of the arrest of "Virginia", the occupants of the cart fled in all directions. As a precaution, Daniel Cogneau ordered Jean Meret to return rapidly with his cart then to go to Villentiere in order to evacuate immediately the aviator who remained there. The farmer's wife did not know him, but as soon as she was informed of what had happened, gave him a horse and a vehicle in order to transport the aviator to the camp.

The next day, Daniel returned the horse and vehicle to the brave woman, but the search to locate the five aviators who had fled was laborious. Two of them were discovered the same day by Maurice Serein, Lucien Bezault and Robert Poupard, who searched the region. Another was found by chance thirty kilometers from there, by M. Prieur at the market place in Bonneval: he conducted him to the Marolles family there. The latter took him to Jules Gouzy, whose son Jacques took him by bicycle via a circuitous route to Cloyes where Jubault was have taken him to Bellande. Jubault's wife was not home so the escort led the aviator to the Meret farm, which was the redezvous.

The two others were taken in by people considered as enemy agents. None dared to go to their home. The good mailman who was on his round suggested that he go. He learned that the supposed collaborators were really patriots watched by the enemy and that they had fed the aviator in a neighboring wood. The aviators were recovered with much difficulty and taken to rejoin their fellow aviators at the home of Abel Meret.

Finally the five escapees were led to Bellande by car by Lucian Thibault of Chateaudun, but the worst luck continued to pursue them. During the trip the overloaded springs gave way. The driver made his passengers get out, then returned to his garage where he changed cars. After all these problems, the trip ended without mishap.

Some time later, while checking on Camp 2, de Blommaert and Jubault got lost in the forest and passed close to a forest house occupied by the Germans. The soldier in charge, who spoke French, questioned them for nearly an hour. It was their borrowed clothing which saved them.

On July 22 1944, Maxime Plateau, who provided a large part of the food destined for the forest camps was arrested following a parachute drop of arms intended for the commune of Saint-Hilaire-la-Gravelle (Loir-et-Cher). Tortured, and sent to a concentration camp, he revealed nothing.

If the arrest of "Virginia" had caused concern to the escorts, it had also been very worrying at Bellande. First, it had been planned to go and free her, but taking account of all the difficulties, this idea was abandoned. In the camp the sentinels had been reinforced, and the aviators had prepared themselves to flee at the least alert. Madame Hallouin remembers that she was in charge of preparing a big fire in the chimney of her house and was to light it if the Germans arrived. The smoke which would come out of the chimney was the signal agreed upon in order to indicate danger. Mme Hallouin added: "We spent difficult moments, I prayed to the good Lord very often but we truly were lucky."

It is worth pointing out that not all the escorted groups had the same difficulty. One day, Mme Furet who was the railroad crossing guard between Chateaudun and Cloyes, wanted to keep young Jean Jubault (who was leading a group of aviators) at her house. She thought that he was being followed by suspicious looking people [actually, these were the aviators!]. In order to reveal nothing to the good lady, the little boy just insisted on getting back on his bicycle and continuing on his way.

Later Robert Poupard, who was taking a group of people between Chateaudun and Douy, noticed after the turn situated at the top of the hill of Thoreau, that his "packages" were not following him any longer. So he did a little half-turn and noticed that they were in the process of going into the drive of a chateau that was occupied by the Germans. He was able to get to them them just as they were at the gates before they entered the drive and hadn't yet attracted the attention of the occupants.

During July, Doctor Dufour went to the cafe-restaurant of Crucey (Eure-et-Loir) to take into his charge four aviators, of which one had a horribly burned face. He put them in his little Simca 5 CV [5 horsepower]. Upon arriving at Lugny, he noticed an enemy patrol parked in front of the monument to the dead. Not losing his composure, the driver stopped his car on the edge of a wheat field of wheat where he hid the aviators and started to repair a tyre. Several moments later, the Germans passed by without even paying any attention to him.

At Illiers, another new emotion. Some Allied planes flew over the city and the occupants ran out and all made signs to Dufour to stop. However he didn't want to stop because he was afraid that maybe his passengers wouldn't be controlled. The rest of the trip took place without any incident, but he had come close to catastrophe.

Finally Daniel Cogneau and Lucien Bezault, without intending to, led five aviators that they were accompanying on foot, in front of a German musical group that had started to play inopportunely in the square at Saint-Denis-les-Ponts. The string of aviators, spread out a hundred meters one from the other, seemed interminable to the escort who kept wondering if the enemy was not going to intervene. They didn't do anything, fortunately. But certainly the heroes of this adventure will always remember it.

Touching scenes also occurred. One aviator was lodged for some time at the home of two elderly people who had discovered him in a field eating raw potatoes. They cared for him so well and so much that when Daniel Cogneau came to take him to the camp, they asked Daniel where he was taking him, and made thousands of recommendations to him. It was finally with regret that they allowed this aviator to leave; one would have believed that he was their son. And just when the aviator was about to depart, the elderly gentleman took his package of rationed tobacco and gave him half.

THE COMMAND POST OF COLONEL BOUSSA
AT THE RAILWAY STATION OF SAINT-JEAN-FROIDMENTEL

From the first two weeks of July, for supplementary security, because of the traffic that was bringing food for the camps to the Bellande farm, Jubault advised Lucien Boussa to site his command post at the railway station of Saint-Jean-Froidmentel. It was there that he composed the messages transmitted to London by his radio operator.

Jeanne Demouliere, who was the acting head of the station, and her husband, who was a wounded veteran from the war of 1914-1918, were definite patriots. They had several times lodged aviators before passing them to the escape line. Besides, Saint-Jean station, located on the Bretigny-Vendome line, was at this time used a great deal by people coming to get food in the surrounding countryside, and this resulted in a continual comings and goings which fortunately masked the arrivals and departures related to the command post of the allied officer. However the danger was great because on one side of the track the Germans were occupying the chateau of Rougemont.

The radio operator, Francois Toussaint, changed his place of operation several times. After having spent around a month in the home of Doctor Chaveau at Moulineuf, he went to live with Robert Guerineau, who was a baker at Romilly-sur-Aigre. Roberte, the daughter of the baker, was in charge of carrying messages during this period.

The radio operator was next lodged at the home of M. Houmaire, from where he was able to send his transmissions to the patriots of the region, notably to Gustave Barbier and Jules Gallet and even as far as the farm of Andre Barrault at Saint-Calais. (These latter had three Russian escaped prisoners in their charge for a month.)

Georges Blin, the miller at Vetille and Maxime Fouchet, also lodged Francois Toussaint and M. Dauvilliers, electrical engineer, who was able to repair the operator's radio.

One of Jubault's helpers, Pierre Guillaumin called "Gilbert" was in charge of keeping a permanent liaison between Lucien Boussa and the forest camps. He participated in completing the food supply arrangements for the camps. He took charge of this task with intelligence and devotedness. He was furthermore in charge of escorting the recuperating aviators in the region with the help of the "Francs­Tireurs" and "Partisans-Francais" movement.

Those who were responsible for this group in the region, notably: Armand Lhuillery, Charles Sandre, Guy Fortier and Paul Fenin, died for France at Cormainville after having been odiously martyrized; Jehanno called "Kid" and Maxime Fouchet led twenty aviators to Saint-Jean-Froidmentel station where they sent them to the commander of the camps.

One of these aviators, Stanley Laurence, was shot down over Beauvais, and was headed on foot towards Spain when he was welcomed by Jacques Pikeroen, a school teacher at Mervilliers (Eure-et-Loir) where he stayed fifteen days before being able to join the group in the forest of Freteval.

In a book entitled: "The Fight of the Francs-Tireurs and French Partisans in Eure-et-Loir", published in 1946, one of the leaders, Roger Blanvillain, tells of one of the rescue missions in which he participated under the assumed names, Roger Cochereau of Cloyes, Louis Lemoues of Chateaudun and Bernard Avisseau of Marboue.

"One evening in June 1944, the rain was falling in torrents. Five of us: Jean, Jean-Pierre, Geo, Marcel and I, were seated around a table in our abandoned house of Lorry. Our P.C. [Partisan Leader], was discussing the air battle which had taken place in the afternoon above Chateaudun.

One of our friends from a neighbouring area came suddenly to warn us that two allied aviators had come down that afternoon and had been seen in a neighbouring wood. Soon Jean, the leader of our P.C., gave us our jobs: "Marcel, you are going to Conie, surely you will be able to get information at your friend's home, and if you have a parachutist, lead him immediately"
"Jean-Pierre, you will come with me, we are going to search in the woods"
"Roger and Geo, you will stay here, take the Tommy gun and the carbine and keep yourselves on guard, the Germans could be roaming about, don't open to anyone without the agreed signal."

They left. Geo and I kept ourselves ready. A half-hour after their departure we heard steps outside and two voices. The steps went away and a quarter of an hour later someone knocked at the door using our code - it was Marcel's aunt who told us that a man had come to her house (next door), announcing in a mysterious tone: "I have a package for Marcel, a heavy package! Do you know where Marcel is?" Obviously the answer was no.

We were wondering what that meant. She left. Outside it was still raining. A half-hour after that, Jean and Jean-Pierre returned accompanied by two big fellows in gray, two English aviators who had an astonished look, and were perhaps a little worried when they saw us, Geo and me, surrounded by our guns.

But their faces brightened up and finally their first words came: "Oh! French Resistance!" - useless to say with what warmth we shook hands. The poor fellows were drenched from head to foot and our first worry was to dry their clothing, but we understood that they were worried about the fate of their friends in their crew. Jean explained how he succeeded in finding them: "I was saying: 'French Resistance, comrades!' Do you know that they didn't seem to understand, and I was wondering if we could even get them to come with us, they took such a long time to understand that we were real ones. "

The explanation of those footsteps that we had heard in the courtyard was given in an instant by a new knocking at the door and by a voice crying: "Roger, Marcel, open in the name of God; you will make me die!" As soon as I got myself up I noticed another friend from a neighbouring area all dripping with water. "You are worthless young fellows! Just a little while ago I knocked. I have been next door at the home of Marcel's aunt - impossible to reach you. But you were right to take precautions. I have brought you something difficult to transport. I have a parachutist who has a sprain. I am with my friend Rene; we put him on a bicycle and we have been pushing him. We have just done six kilometres. The poor fellow asked how long the trip is going to last. He must be hurting. Help us to transport him."

We went next door and were able to bring him in carrying him as well as possible. He found two friends, all three were from the same crew. We stretched him out on our only bed and Jean-Pierre took took care of his ankle. Evidently discussions were going well with his two companions. At that moment Marcel arrived with another aviator, a young man of twenty years old. With what joy he he was reuinited with the three others. We understood by their gestures that they were thanking us for having reunited them.

We got them settled so that they were able to sleep. The rest of us went into the hay in the loft. Jean decided to stay downstairs all night. The next day, after having succeeded in talking through an interpreter we had arranged to join us, we planned how we were going to lead them out. Our four friends, tasting life on the good side, felt so happy that they in English, and we in French, sang "El Rancho Grande". They were so well adjusted that one of them said in a very bad French: "Do you have tea? Me like much tea!" To which Jean-Pierre answered him, showing him our little bag of roasted barley: "My old fellow, we aren't in London here."

The following night, Jean led the three able-bodied ones to the regroupment camp (twenty-five kilometres, in two stages) he marching in front and they behind, following at a short distance dressed in civilian clothes, more or less appropriate to their size. The wounded fellow stayed with us a week after that, then he rejoined them, taken during the day in a truck."

If certain aviators had to go long distances before reaching the camps in the forest, one of them by contrast was welcomed very close to the camp by Kleber Olivier, who was at that time employed at the Fouchard farm at Bellande, where he was in charge of killing the animals destined for food for the camps. He himself led the aviator to his comrades.

The last evader led to the camp was discovered by resistance workers operating in Sologne, where he had been led from the home of M. de la Malene, at Diorieres, in the commune of Chauvigny-du­Perche. When he finally arrived, the Germans had already left the country so his stay in the forest was of very short duration.

THE LIBERATION OF THE CAMPS

The hardest thing was the waiting. The radio continuously announced the advances of the Allied troops, but one waited in vain in the region of Freteval. Impatience was growing. German troops were in full retreat, passing through the region. Sometimes from the direction of the road toward the forest came the sound of firing. The aviators didn't have any weapons, in order to avoid any tragic outcome if found by the enemy.

In order to assure security, Lucien Boussa asked the Resistance to furnish little armed groups, charged with patrolling around the camps. This was done, but they never had to intervene.

At the beginning of August, Liberation was no longer in doubt. Having learned by radio that the Allies were located in the area around Le Mans, seventy kilometers from Freteval, the commander decided to go there in order to hasten the liberation of the camps. Guided by Etienne Viron, in a car, they arrived after a long trip of a hundred kilometers joining the front line of the Americans. Making himself known, Lucien Boussa was led to the staff officers where, by an extraordinary chance he met the head of "M.I. 9", Airey Neave, who he had left several months earlier in England.

On 10th August arrangements were made and it was decided that on the 13th, a protective column of British commandos would come to look for these "pensionnaires" of the forest.

The extraordinary adventure was coming to an end. On 12th August, considering themselves as liberated, the aviators went in groups into the villages of Saint-Jean-Froidmentel and Busloup. The inhabitants were astonished to see themselves surrounded by young people speaking English. As soon as the flags were put up in order to celebrate the end of the nightmare the village people hurried to bring out from their wine cellars bottles guarded preciously for the time of the Liberation and in these localities they celebrated late into the night.

The next day, 13th August, the expected column arrived at Camp No.1 and it was not without emotion and without regret sometimes, that the aviators cast a last look on this immense forest that had sheltered them during long months.

Several members of the Resistance, notified of this departure, were there to give their adieux.

Up until the last moment, luck smiled on the escapees. All were able to resume their service in the air crews. Following this, thirty­eight of them lost their lives in aerial operations over Germany.

The fact of having been able to lead more than a hundred and fifty aviators to the forest of Freteval, to have hidden them and nourished them, constituted a real feat for the Resistance. But how all these men had been able to live from May to August 1944, in this region open to patrols of the occupying German forces, remains unexplainable.

We would not like to finish this page of history without adding the name of Madame Hallouin of La Proutiere, the commune of Montigny-le­Gannelon, who died in deportation for having lodged patriots who aided the aviators of the forest, and that of Jean Chauveau of Cloyes, who furnished official papers stolen from the Germans in order to be used by the escorts of "Comete". He was captured the 15th of August 1944 and suffered the same fate as the martyrs of Cormainville.

We have endeavored in this booklet to cite all the persons of the region who participated in the escorting service, in the lodging and the supplying of the food for the aviators. Nevertheless perhaps certain ones may have been forgotten. We ask them to please excuse us for it.

Twenty years later, Colonel Boussa wanted to see again this region that had welcomed him under the occupation. He was very happy to find a large number of his friends of the underground activity. He conceived the project of a book retracing the adventure of the "Forest of Freteval", the proceeds of which would serve for the erection of a commemorative monument. This project not having been brought to fruition, a committee composed of twenty-seven members designated below was constituted the 20th of March 1966, in order to collect necessary funds to erect a monument which would be inaugurated the 11th of June 1967.

Fate did not want Colonel Boussa to see the work that he had so ardently desired. Death surprised him brutally at Cloyes on 12th March 1967, in this little section of France where so many memories were dear to him, to which he had come specifically from Belgium in order to attend an important meeting of the Committee.

A moving funeral service was held for him in the presence of the representatives of the French Government, of the army, and of the Allied countries.

The sister of M. le Marquis of Levy of Mirepoix, Madame la Vicomtesse of Beaudignies, owner of the woods where "Camp No. 1" was set up made a gift of the land where the memorial has been built. The general advisers of Eure-et-Loir and of Loir-et-Cher, answering the appeal of the Committee, each voted to subsidise 10,000 francs; the Municipal Advisory of Chartres 5,000 francs, the communes of two departments, numerous people of the region, and several associations gave significant amounts.

The stele, designed by the Dunois artist Divi [citizen of Chateaudun] was entrusted to Baglan of Pontijou (Loir-et-Cher), put in place and engraved by Houdebert of Vendome, the ground prepared by Rendineau of Saint-Hilaire-la-Gravelle, the drainage by Delaunay and the masonry by Rougeaux of Cloyes.

Thanks to the good will, to the understanding and the generosity of all, the inauguration ceremony took place the 11th of June 1967, as had been planned.

This celebration had an international character, it was under the patronage of the Ministers of the Interior, of the Armed Forces and of the Combat Veterans and it took place in the presence of the Ambassadors of the Allied countries, with the participation of aviators who had stayed in the camps of the forest of Freteval.

The Memorial and this modest booklet will permit reminding future generations of the sacrifices that their ancestors made for the cause of peace and of liberty.

At Vendome, the 30th of May 1967,
Cecile JUBAULT.

unveiling of the memorial 11 June 1967 (via Hallett)

The Committee for the Administration of the Association consisted of the following members:

Lucien Boussa, Jean-Felix Paulsen, Omer Jubault, Daniel Cogneau, Pierre Guillaumin, Dr. R. Dufour, Louis Lemoues, Bernard Avisseau, Gilbert Gourmond, Lucien Bezault, Armand Boudet, Leon Chesne, Roger Cochereau, Andre Gagnon, Jean Granger, Jean Grange, Robert Guerineau, Yves Herve, Yves Jehanno, Yves Jouvelet, Gaston de Levis-de-Mirepoix, Paul Lieugard, Robert Poupard, Maurice Serein, Emile Vivier, Marius Villedieu, Etienne Viron, and Jean Zamponi.

 IN MEMORY OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE REGION
victims of their devotion to the allied aviators

Died in deportation:

Mesdames: Lucienne (Callu) Proux, Marie-Louise (Delbert) Gaspard.
Messieurs: Robert Germond, Rene Roussineau, Raymond Evrard, Maurice Pommier.

Survivors of the death camps:

Madame Helene Germond.
Messieurs: Lucien Proux, Paul Taillard, Raymond Cordier.

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version 2.10.03 Editor Frank Haslam: with thanks to M. Emmanuel KRAFFT

http://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafescape/