European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

The Germans couldn’t move anymore, as all the streets leading there were barricaded by the resistance.

Some Germans were in the Paris water works. They had intended to blow up the water basins, but they were caught.

So there was a prisoner exchange between those Germans

and the last prisoners the Germans had taken, and had no nerve to shoot.

That is how we found out exactly what had happened to Louis Meunier.

Back to the Nazis in Mont Valérien: They refused to give themselves up to the resistance.

One of them said they would only give themselves up to the regular army.

Our commander went to see Colonel Rémy from the Leclerc Division,

who had been quarantined in the Bois de Boulogne with his brigade.

Colonel Rémy went up to the fort and they gave themselves in.

I didn’t have much time to enjoy the liberation.

During the transition period, I was responsible for the security of Raymond Barbet,

who was responsible for the resistance of the railroad workers.

He had organized the insurrection-strike of the railroad workers on August 10th, 1944, sparking the nation-wide insurrection.

I was responsible for his safety, as still collaborators and other dangers were lurking.

I myself went up to the fort on August 28th, August 29th.

We were organized militarily

and I had obtained the rank of lieutenant in the resistance and was given a section of 50 resistance fighters.

We called it the Louis Meunier section in his memory.

What I felt at the liberation? Well, a lot of joy!