Circuit Vichy 1939 1945

In postwar France, the memory of the Resistance crystallized around a belief that, as early as 1940, participation in the Resistance would have been systematically motivated by a desire to fight not only the Germans, but also the French state. However, many Resistance fighters shared Marshallian values. Their objective was above all to prepare the ground so that the French leaders could resume the fight when they had the opportunity. These Resistance fighters are commonly called “Vichysto-Resistance fighters”. This movement was born in the heart of the ministries.

In 1940, 40 states were represented in Vichy. The American ambassador, Admiral William Leahy, arrived in Vichy on January 5, 1941, and took up residence in the Villa Ica. In April 1942, the return to power of Pierre Laval marked a turning point in Franco-American relations. Leahy was recalled to the United States and relations between France and the United States ceased completely. The Swiss delegation, with Ambassador Walter Stucki, took possession of the premises. Stucki was very active in Vichy and his diplomatic skills were well known. At the time of the Liberation of Vichy, he was the intermediary between the Resistance fighters, the Germans and the Vichy municipality. Thanks to him, the liberation of Vichy was achieved without bloodshed. The FFi entered the city on August 26 without having to fight.

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From July 1940, the hotel was requisitioned. It is President Albert Lebrun who occupies it. It is then put at the private disposal of Marshal Pétain. However, Marshal Pétain would only reside there on rare occasions. Nevertheless, the Council of Ministers and official receptions were held there regularly. Despite the requisition of their pavilion, the owners, Elisabeth François and her brother, were allowed to keep a few rooms. They established the headquarters of the Eclaireurs de France, of which they were a part, in these few rooms put to their use. Until the end of the war, and in spite of the regular presence of Pétain, the scouts acted in favor of the Jews and the STO refractory, whom they helped to flee or to hide. In 2010, the Yad Vashem Institute awarded Elisabeth François and her husband, Pierre François, the title of “Righteous Among the Nations.”

In the spring of 1940, several hundred thousand men and women, including many Jews, found themselves on the roads. A number of them stopped in Vichy. More than 220 families were affiliated with the Vichy synagogue. Following the vote of July 10, 1940, disillusionment was rapid. More than 3000 foreign Jews were expelled from the city between August and October 1940. A few months later, French Jews were also hunted down and expelled. Overnight, these Jews lost their homes, their jobs and their support networks (of friends and neighbors). Isolated and vulnerable, they became easy prey for the Milice and the Gestapo. However, several Jewish refugees in Vichy were able to be saved thanks to the help of the local population.

During the entire war, the Vichy charity office proved to be of crucial use. It acted on many fronts: management of refugees, supplies, health, etc. In 1942, the crèche welcomed an average of 14.5 children per day and carried out a total of 1,212 infant consultations. In 1942, the Goutte de lait de Vichy, an organization intended to fight against child mortality, distributed approximately 300,000 bottles to 350 children, 10% of which were free. The work of the early childhood services was greatly rewarded. Thanks to them, a large proportion of the children in the Vichy agglomeration are kept in good health.

The Marco-Polo network was one of 266 intelligence networks that operated in France. It was created in November 1942 by Commander Pierre Sonneville. In Vichy, its members could count on the unfailing help of several individuals, including police commissioner Marc Juge, Mme Chabrol, Henri and Yvonne Moreau, as well as René Chabrier and his companion Yvette Poucy. One of their missions was to identify the civil servants or employees of the administrations most likely to harm the resistance. On February 23, 1944, the couple was arrested by the Gestapo. Yvette Poucy was transferred to Fort de Romanville, René Chabrier was shot on March 25, 1944.

When France signs the armistice in June 1940, Fred Scamaroni, former chief of staff of the Doubs prefect, decides to continue the fight. Barely sent on a mission to Dakar, he gets arrested. Freed in December 1940, he went to Vichy, where he found a job as a clerk at the Ministry of Supply. At the same time, he founded the “Copernic” network. He became friends with the Juge couple, who offered him room and board. Alphonse Juge was the director of personnel at the Ministry of Information. Thanks to them, Scamaroni organized a meeting of the utmost importance, with delegates from “Combat” and “Liberté”. Scamaroni was arrested in Corsica in 1943. Terribly tortured, he commits suicide in order not to reveal anything.