the tragic fate of the resistance fighters in a village in Vercors

The Vercors plateau, which looks like an impregnable fortress. In the village of Vassieux-en-Vercors, in Drôme, there are a few who remember the victims of the summer of 1944 with emotion and pride. Stronghold of the maquisards, 73 inhabitants were massacred there to serve as an example by the German troops. On July 21, 1944, Paul Jallifier was in his mother’s womb when his father was killed. “He was found hanging by his feet, his mouth full of dirt. Mom, she had a lot of it”, he remembers. 80 years later, the son’s grief in front of the stele erected for his father is intact.

The tragedy of 1944

The inhabitants of Vassieux-en-Vercors paid with their lives for their support of the maquisards, young resistance fighters who came from all over the region to train for war out of sight. At the exit of the village, they were hidden in forest cabins. On July 14, 1944, hundreds of parachutes dropped weapons and ammunition for the maquis. A parachute drop spotted by the Germans. The reprisals will be terrible. A week later, the Wehrmacht attacked the village. The houses are burned, the farms are in ruins and only the bell tower stands firm. Many atrocities will be committed on the inhabitants. Even today, we speak with modesty about the tragedy of 1944.