The Lauragais in Resistance

The House of Vendine

place of

During the Second World War, the Vendine house was a place of welcome and rescue. It is the testimony of a vast movement of solidarity aimed at protecting Spanish and Jewish children from persecution.

From 1942, under the impetus of Bishop Jules-Géraud Saliège, Archbishop of Toulouse, and Mgr Louis de Courrèges d'Ustou, auxiliary bishop, a vast network of mutual aid was set up to help foreigners in the Midi-Toulousain. Nestled in Lauragais, the Maison de Vendine, a former reception center for holiday camps, was made available to Mgr Saliège in June 1942 by the Sisters of Saint-Joseph de Bon Secours.

It then became a refuge for children under 15 who could be taken from the internment camps created in France, where so-called “undesirable” foreigners were interned.

In total, nearly forty children benefit of protection and comfort.

The history of the Carrance family

10 min ride. by car

Auriac-sur-vendinelle

In 1943, the Carrance family, originally from Bordeaux, sought refuge in the village ofAuriac-sur-vendinelle, fleeing anti-Semitic persecution and hoping to find safety there.

Ernest and Stéphanie Carrance, accompanied by their 15-year-old daughter Jacqueline and grandmother Lucie Lob, moved into a house in the village. Their two sons, meanwhile, continued their studies at the lycée de Revel.

Unfortunately, their respite only lasted a few months. The family was arrested at their home on May 20, 1944. Ernest, Stéphanie, Jacqueline and Lucie were deported by convoy 74 to Auschwitz, where they will perish. The two sons, warned in time, manage to escape from the Revel high school thanks to the help of the director, Mr. Camman.

Robert Bouscatel and Charles Vidal

7 min ride. by car

Caraman

Robert Bouscatel and Charles Vidal are two children from Caraman of the same generation. Robert was born on August 18, 1922 and Charles was born on June 7, 1924. At the time, the Vidal family was well known to the inhabitants of Caraman. Charles' parents were pastry chefs and lived opposite the Place du Castelat. When the war broke out, they were 17 and 15 years old respectively. When they came of age, the two young men decided to join the local Resistance, without imagining the tragic fate that awaited them.

In July 1944, Robert Bouscatel was one of the 2152 prisoners in the convoy n°7909 towards Dachau. This transport, made up of 22 wagons, leaving from Compiègne in Oise, is the fifth from France to the concentration camp KL Dachau. He is infamously known as “Death Train"due to the high number of deaths that occurred during the journey. It is difficult to know the exact cause of Robert Bouscatel's death; he died on this train between July 2 and 5, 1944, and his body was removed from the carriage upon arrival at Dachau.

For his part, Charles Vidal managed to survive the journey and remained interned at Dachau for a little less than a year. He was then transferred to Flossenburg camp, near the Austrian border and remained there until April 1945. He died there of exhaustion two weeks before the camp was liberated by the American army.

On the run, the Nazis sow desolation

Bourg-Saint-Bernard, Lanta, Caraman

The days following the liberation of Toulouse, August 19, 1944, saw several Nazi columns parade, crossing the south of Toulouse and trying to flee, to join the general staff which was in the Rhône valley. Several municipalities in the region report their visits and deplore numerous acts of terror: theft, murders, destruction, etc.

In Lauragais, it is the passage of a column on August 22 which has long haunted memories. After fleeing Montauban, avoiding liberated Toulouse and the main roads under the control of the resistance, this column of 3000 men was mainly composed of Georgian and Mongolian soldiers. The troop crossed the Lauragais in the early morning, towards Carcassonne, passing notably by Bourg-saint-bernard, lanta et Caraman.

La Saint-Félix-Lauragais gendarmerie reports several acts of barbarism in their passage, the most serious of which were the assassination of the young sharecropper Antonin Escaffre (20 years old) while he was tending his herd of cows in a field near du Vaux and the bullet wound of Doctor Andrau who was returning to his home in a van at Luxury. The farms and houses on their way also suffered numerous looting: horses, bicycles, vans, as well as a large quantity of cured meats, cold meats, grains, linen and jewelry.

Joseph Vie

10 min ride. by car

lanta

Born on October 9, 1901, Joseph Vié was the son of the Lanta blacksmith. As an adult, he became a boilermaker and decided to get involved in union activism with the CGT. He became close to Toulouse socialist circles from the end of the 30s.

Under the German occupation, Joseph Vié very quickly became involved in the Toulouse Resistance. He met Jean Chaubet, a local leader of the Franc-Tireur movement, and became an active member of several networks, participating in the distribution of the underground press and Resistance leaflets. His involvement was interrupted when he was sent to Germany to work under the STO (Compulsory Work Service). The experience was short-lived, as Joseph Vié took advantage of a leave to escape. In hiding, he returned to Toulouse and joined Jean Chaubet's resistance groups.

In the spring of 1944, Jean Chaubet organized a maquis, which took up residence in Saint-Lys. Joseph Vié joined him and was appointed to serve as cook, hence his nickname, “the cook”.

On June 12, 1944, an SS Das Reich armored division appeared in Gagen. These battalions came from the lower valleys of Ariège and arrived to dismantle the maquis. Joseph Vié was shot down along with 8 other resistance fighters, including Jean Chaubet.

He received the Resistance Medal posthumously and the mention “died for France”.

Two families in exile

21 min ride. by car

Trebons-sur-la-Grasse

When war broke out in September 1939, families Zlotogorski et Fortinski left their native Poland to take refuge in Belgium. After the invasion of Belgium by German troops on May 10, 1940, they were condemned to a new exile. This is how they arrived in Trebons on the Grasse, placed under house arrest under the law on the " Status of Jews " imposed by the Vichy government.

Between May 1940 and August 1942, the men worked in the fields and the women did sewing work. During this time, the children went to school in Trébons, then to that of Cessales.

In the summer of 1942, the Vichy government launched a large-scale operation of roundups throughout occupied France, then extended it to the unoccupied zone. In the Lauragais countryside, the rumour spread widely but it was wrong: “A roundup is being prepared, but only the men will be arrested”. David, Isaac and Paul Zlotogorski went to hide in the woods. Convinced that they were out of danger, the women and children stayed in the village.

But on August 26, 1942, a van arrived and took away the 6 women and 2 children from the two families. They were taken to the Noé camp, then to Drancy, and finally deported on September 4, 1942 to Auschwitz where they were murdered.

Safe and sound, the three men set off for Spain and joined the British army to continue the fight until the end of the war. It was not until 1945 that they discovered the fate of their mother Marya, of Sara, Isaac's wife, of their sisters Malka, Stella, Sarah and Paula, and of the two children Jacob and Sarah.

Villefranche-de-Lauragais, landmark of resistance fighters

9 min ride. by car

Villefranche-de-Lauragais

From the first hours of the occupation, Villefranche-de-Lauragais became an important resistance fighters' landmark. In its files, the Vichy police mentioned several acts that took place in the city, in particular thefts, shootings at trains and posters being put up.

Several resistance groups formed in Lauragais take advantage of the city's 4 major fairs and markets to pass on sensitive information. Among the most loyal "customers" of these markets, we find Alain Gonzague de Marliave. This notable of Luxury lives in the castle of Saint Jean de Lugardès.

Also known by the code name Jacoto, De Marliave is in contact with the Black Mountain maquis and plays a central role in the Resistance in LauragaisIts role is to centralize all information received from the surrounding maquis and transfer it to the Corps Franc Pommiès. This information then goes back to the BCRA (Central Bureau of Intelligence and Action) of Free France, in London. Resistance fighters from Nailloux, Avignonet-Lauragais, Calmont and elsewhere regularly travel to the market to meet him.

The Avignonet-Lauragais maquis

8 min ride. by car

Avignonet Lauragais

Due to the strategic geographical location of the village, a strong German presence was established in the surrounding area, taking advantage of the hills to establish surveillance and the easy access roads to charter armored vehicles. These precautions make any act of resistance extremely perilous. Yet, a maquis in Avignonet was created on October 1, 1943 and will continue its action until the Liberation.

The maquis is part of the Corps Franc Pommiès. It is organized around its leader Alain Marie Christophe Gonzague de Marliave, known by the code name Jacoto. His local relay is Noël Bouton, a blacksmith who lives in the center of the village. Around forty men from the village also joined in resistance, including Doudiés, Stibac, Bonhoure, Berquière, Darbousset, Granier, Biennes, Fraïsse, Salles.
The main mission of the Avignonet maquis is the harvest and transmission of information on the German forces present. Nevertheless, the resistance fighters also intervened for sabotage actions in the surrounding area, notably on the railway line which crosses the territory.

In 1944, at the time of the German debacle, the action of the maquis became more offensive. At the Liberation, he intervened to capture fleeing Germans crossing the territory.

After the liberation of the territory, several resistance fighters from Avignonet accompanied the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) in Haute Saône in September 1944, to continue the fight. The resistance fighters then actively contributed to the recovery of the village, notably around Noël Bouton, who became its temporary mayor until 1945.

92 Jewish children hidden in Seyre

12 min ride. by car

navigating

During the Second World War, the Seyre castle was the scene of a story well known to the inhabitants of Lauragais today.
Fleeing Nazi persecution, 92 orphaned Jewish children from Germany and Austria found refuge there between 1940 and 1941.

Despite the welcome of the owner, a resistance fighter himself, these children have not experienced castle life. Daily life there was extremely hard. Housed in a barn converted into dormitories, they lacked water, heating and food. The harsh winter of 1940 worsened their already precarious living conditions. From this period in Seyre, there are still children's drawings on the walls of the barn (closed to the public).

In Toulouse, the Red Cross played a crucial role in the protection of Jewish refugees in the unoccupied zone. Its manager, Maurice Dubois, personally watched over the well-being of Seyre's children. Clothes, shoes and boxes of powdered milk were sent to them regularly from Switzerland.

In the spring of 1941, after a year at the Château de Seyre, the children were transferred to Hille Castle in Ariège, thinking of getting a little further away from the danger.

However, several children were overtaken by their tragic fate. Ten of them died in Nazi concentration camps, and another was killed in Roquefixade maquis, in Ariège.

Testimony from a survivor

Refugee in Seyre in 1940, Edith Goldapper recounted his journey in an autobiographical account recorded in two notebooks dating from 1943 and 1944.

His story, entitled “ The exiles of a Jewish teenager in Europe at war, 1938-1944 » was published in 2023 by theassociation of Friends of the Archives of Haute-Garonne

Discover his story

Manuel Palos and the Maquis Naillousain

6 min ride. by car

Nailloux

Like many villages in Lauragais, Nailloux quickly became a Resistance area. Its maquis was formed in 1944 around Manuel Palos, also known by the pseudonyms "Mazda, Marcel or Portes".

This professional electrician is behind several major actions in Lauragais. He is particularly specialized in the sabotage of railway lines. Palos has 3 sabotages to his credit: 2 power lines and a railway line. His action is valuable in slowing down the enemy's movements.

Palos counts on the help of two notorious resistance fighters: the notary Souyris and Doctor Weirchowski.

Of Polish origin and considered Jewish, the Dr. Weirchowski lost his right to practice medicine as soon as the Vichy regime was established. Hunted by the General Commissariat for Jewish Questions in Toulouse, his condition became more complicated when the Germans arrived in Nailloux. However, the resistance doctor never stopped treating despite his hunt. He even went down a well to give first aid to a young wounded man wanted by the Germans.

Master Souyris entered the resistance out of political conviction, he is busy creating fake identity papers and to hide families from Toulouse network “Morhange” during their hunt by the French police, the Militia and the Gestapo.

Aimé Ramond, Resistance police officer

3 min ride. by car

Montgeard

Born in Montgeard in 1918, Aimé Ramond was destined for a career as a teacher. Unfortunately, his life took a very different turn as the Second World War approached. After completing his training in 1937 and 1938, he was mobilized in 1939 in the 502nd tank regiment in Angoulême. Demobilized in 1941, he then headed towards a career in the police, to be assigned to Carcassonne as a Peace Officer in January 1943.

It was under this official cover that Aimé Ramond entered the Resistance in July 1943 by joining the NAP (Infiltration of Public Administrations). He then enabled several resistance fighters to escape the militiamen and the Germans.

On July 30, 1944, he was denounced and arrested with other comrades by the Gestapo. Taken to the Carcassonne Prison, he suffered the worst torture but always remained silent.

On August 19, 1944, Aimé Ramond was transferred with other resistance fighters to the Baudrigues estate, in the commune of Roullens (south of Carcassonne). Torpedoes and aerial bombs were stored there. In the middle of the day, the Germans blew up the place. Everything was demolished: the castle, the park and all its
vegetation. The body of Aimé Ramond, who died at the age of 25, will never be found intact. But present at the scene after the explosion, Doctor Delteil, Aimé Ramond's fellow prisoner at the Carcassonne Prison, recognized on part of his abdomen the traces of an injury for which he had operated on him on August 5, 1943, allowing his tragic disappearance to be confirmed.

Aimé Ramond will be made a Knight of the Legion of Honor and cited in the order of the nation:

Maurice and Yvette Roulleau, Righteous Among the Nations

10 min ride. by car

Calmont

When war breaks out, Maurice Roulleau and his sisterr Yvette are around thirty years old. They are teachers in Calmont and live with their parents in Nailloux. In the dark hours of the war, their destiny will be linked to that of the Weinribs, a Polish Jewish family who came from Belgium.

La Weinrib family consists of four people. Joseph, the father, is a leatherworker. He is accompanied by his wife, Sara, and his two daughters, Paula and Fanny. In May 1940, they fled invaded Belgium and moved to Toulouse where they were able to live peacefully for 2 years. But on August 26, 1942, following the orders of Vichy, the French police arrested several thousand foreign Jews in the free zone, to hand them over to the Germans. In Toulouse, Joseph was quickly arrested and then deported to Auschwitz. He will perish in the camp. Sara is warned in time, she then goes to hide with friends. During this time, the two girls are on vacation at a scout camp. Fanny, the youngest, then aged 12, is then entrusted to Maurice and Yvette Roulleau.

She arrived in Nailloux, in her new home, in August 1942 and lived there until the liberation. Very quickly, a strong bond was established between the little girl and the Roulleau family. Maurice and Yvette raised her as if she were their own.
little sister. They educate her and do everything possible to provide her with a comfortable daily life. Although not rich, they refuse any financial help to take care of the child.

After the war, Fanny continued to correspond with Maurice and Yvette and to show them her eternal gratitude. The couple is recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, honorary title for people who saved Jews at the risk of their lives.

The party turns to tragedy

Calmont

July 16, 1944 was supposed to be a happy day in Calmont. In the early morning, many villagers gathered on the Place des Canelles to prepare for the big village festival.

But around 7:30 a.m., about fifteen vehicles arrive from the south. It is a Gestapo contingent. The Germans have been informed by denunciation of the presence in the village of several members
from the Toulouse resistance network “Morhange”, traveling to set up a maquis in the upper Aude valley, near Quérigut.

The German police rounded up about fifty hostages, lined them up against the walls around the Place des Canelles and carried out searches. The Germans quickly headed towards the butcher's shop on the square to try to apprehend three men who were spending the night in the hotel next door. They were Louis Calvet, Henri Lanfant and René Vidal, all three members of the "Morhange" network.

On the way, they found Jean Ruiz, a young resistance fighter from Calmont in possession of a suitcase containing a submachine gun. The young man was tortured and then riddled with bullets around 15:00 p.m. The soldiers then got their hands on Lanfant and Calvet, who suffered the same fate on the first floor of the butcher's shop. René Vidal was arrested last. The man was brought in front of the Post Office on Place des Canelles (now a pharmacy) to be hanged from a street lamp and shot in the back of the head.

Before leaving, a German officer orders that the body be hung for three days before being placed in a coffin, under penalty of reprisals. The soldiers leave in the evening, leaving the small village in a state of shock.