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Old 24-07-2007, 05:29 PM   #31 (permalink)
Harry Ree
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Absolute first class documentary on the German occupation around Clermond Ferrand.It was made about 1966 and it also interviewed former Wehrmacht occupiers who appeared to be doing rather well in the post war Western Germany and were still at an age where the interviewer could tease out some interesting points out of them which I remember only convinced me that they thought themselves as being in the right.

The peasant farmers told the harrowing story of the occupation and the constant fear of being denounced.There is also the interview with the taxi driver who as "Colonel" tried to take on the German forces in a fixed battle on the Margeride which resulted in the loss of many civilians from the savage retaliation of the German occupiers.

The National Resistance Memorial on Mont Mouchet is set in the battle area and records this uprising.There was a large number of German casualties from this engagement such that many properties in nearby St Flour were requisitioned to deal with them.

However the account of the Battle of Mont Mouchet should be read external to this documentary.Some might say it was the wrong way to conduct partisian engagements although it is fair to say that the Germans could act only in one way and that was the way they reacted after the engagements on the Margaride.
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