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Commemorations of the Liberation: in Vassieux-en-Vercors, the memory of the maquis massacres
Commemorations of the Liberation: in Vassieux-en-Vercors, the memory of the maquis massacres
(franceinfo)
For the first time, a current president will visit the scene of the Vercors maquis, in Drôme. Emmanuel Macron is traveling there on Tuesday April 16, on the occasion of the national commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation.
In the summer of 1944, the martyred village of Vassieux-en-Vercors, in the Drôme, was the scene of major fighting between patriots and German troops, leading to terrible reprisals. “On July 21, 1944, when the Wehrmacht arrived, my grandfather was working on his farm. He was found hanging by his feet, his mouth full of dirt”, explains a descendant of a resistance fighter. The Vercors is one of the symbols of the heroism of the French Resistance.
A tribute from Emmanuel Macron
Up to 4,000 resistance fighters found refuge across the entire Vercors plateau, which became important for resistance throughout the country. For the Germans, it became urgent to liquidate the maquis in July 1944. An offensive which cost the lives of many resistance fighters. On the afternoon of Tuesday April 16, Emmanuel Macron will pay tribute to the inhabitants of Vercors and the resistance fighters who died for France.
