Brive-La-Gaillarde, a town of Resistance fighters that didn’t give in!
Publié le 18 April 2025 par su_laetis
Historical context
Let's take a step back almost 60 years to our town under siege from the Germans. On 13 May 1940, the German army, also known as the Wehrmacht, crushed the French troops and invaded the country. Millions of civilians headed south. It was the exodus. An indescribable chaos! France was divided and amputated. A border, the demarcation line, divided the country into two large zones. From 11 July, the French government chose to collaborate. Many French people did not see it that way, and opted for the Resistance!
Edmond Michelet
At the head of the Resistance was a key figure in our town: Edmond Michelet, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his death. He arrived in Corrèze at the end of the First World War, where he met his wife and settled. A key player in the Resistance, and unable to go to the front as the father of a large family, he devoted himself to the Resistance. He became the regional leader of "Combat" and then of the M.U.R. (Mouvements unis de la résistance, for region 5).
On 17 June 1940, the town of Brive-La-Gaillarde was stormed by this secret Resistance movement: Edmond and some of his friends had distributed leaflets reprinting a text by the French writer Peguy Charles.
Unfortunately, our hero was arrested by the Germans on 15 September 1943 and deported to the Dachau concentration camp.
He was unable to be present at the liberation of our Corrézienne town. On 15 August 1944, Brive, a deserted and silent town, was hiding resistance fighters of all ages who were about to make history. Among them were 3 young Resistance fighters who set off from the maquis to liberate Brive. They made our Gaillarde town a symbol of the Resistance as the 1st liberated town in France.
Edmond Michelet returned to France after 2 years' imprisonment, becoming minister in various ministries, most recently that of culture.
The strong man of the resistance ended his life in Gaillarde on 9 October 1970.
Find out more about this hero and the Resistance in general at the Edmond Michelet Museum.
Teaching children about the Resistance
If you would like to share the history of the Resistance with your children or grandchildren, while combining education with a more playful side, we suggest :
- take the " Croix de pierre, Croix de Fer" Geocaching trail , which takes on the appearance of a treasure hunt and follows the paths of the Resistance. You'll pass through Resistance camps and farms. Let yourself be guided by the slate plaques, which will tell you all about this troubled period, the life of the maquisards, and the dangers and tragedies of those who, at the risk of their lives, refused defeat and occupation.
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