A Real Life Story of Faith and Valor

By Donna Wichelman

If you’ve read my HHH blogs for any length of time, you may remember my series on French Chateaux and one in particular called Le Château De Lourmarin. Located in the region of Provence and the Luberon (hill country), I became fascinated by Le Château De Lourmarin when I discovered its history involving a community of pre-reformation Protestants known as Waldensians in the village of Lourmarin, France. The allure was based on having written two books in a romantic suspense series called the Waldensian Series.

Le Château De Lourmarin, May 2023 Donna's Gallery

Le Château De Lourmarin Gardens, May 2023 Donna's Gallery

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs dedicates less than a page to the Waldensians of the Cottian Alps west of Turin, Italy. Yet, their real-life story of valor and enduring faith in the midst of persecution in Europe throughout the second millennium AD touched and encouraged my heart so much, that I wanted to bring their story to life in a contemporary suspense novel that would give wings to courage and enduring faith in our time.

Historians debate the exact date and origins of the Waldensians, also known as the Vaudois or Valley Dwellers. Some have a compelling argument for the existence of this ancient sect, which originated with the first-century fathers, who settled in the Cottian Alps between France and Italy during a period of great persecution over the next two centuries. They continued to carry out their traditions into the second millennium.

The official Waldensian Church position says the movement began in 1170 A.D., when a rich merchant from Lyons, France converted to Christianity and took a vow of poverty. Others banded around Peter Waldo, and they became known as the Poor Men of Lyons. 

Regardless of which history is correct, a division arose between the Roman Catholic Church and the Waldensians by the end of the twelfth century. Though the Waldensians didn’t want to secede from the Roman Church, they hoped to sway the papacy to cease certain practices they said contradicted the Bible and the pure teachings of Christ.

The Waldensians also petitioned the papacy for various reforms, foremost among them were translating the Bible into the vernacular and allowing clergy to marry. The papacy would not concede to their position, calling Waldensians and any other Protestant sect heretics. Thus began centuries of martyrdom and persecution that helped set the stage for the Reformation in the sixteenth century.

Ancient School of the Barba Where Waldensians Translated the Bible into the Vernacular: Pra del Torno, Italy: Donna's Gallery 2006

Fast forward to the seventeenth century when Louis XIV became King of France in 1643. Believing he was God’s representative on earth and supported in that view by his mother, Louis brought on a renewed vigor to rid Europe of Protestant sects everywhere in Europe.

In 1655, a great persecution ensued, known as the Spring of Blood or the Piedmontese Easter. Men and women were flayed alive, burned at the stake, and drowned in lakes and ponds. Hundreds of Waldensian faithful were martyred for their faith.

By 1685, the Waldensians were forced from their homes in exile and fled over the mountains to Switzerland. Most wanted to return to their Alpine valleys and devised ways to make that happen. It wasn’t until the height of the Nine Year’s War in August 1689, when the tide of Europe turned against France, that William of Orange commissioned a militia made up of Waldensian and Huguenot soldiers to cross back over the mountains into their homelands in the Waldensian Valleys.

A Depiction of Waldensian Militia, Balziglia, Italy: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

Some of the French Peaks the Militia had to Cross Near Iseran, France During the Mini Ice Age: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

A Notable Ancient Bridge the Militia Crossed near Cluses, France: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

Under the leadership of Pastor Henri Arnaud, the soldiers braved not only French militia but the rains and snows of a mini ice age in the Alps, marching on foot for more than ten days from Yvoire on the south shore of Lake Geneva to their home valleys. They spent the better part of another year in Balziglia before they succeeded in defeating the French. At war’s end, the Protestant world hailed the Waldensians for their persevering faith and undying valor against all odds. They also received the honor and distinction of bringing their people back home in what became known as the Glorious Return.

A Copy of Henri Arnaud's Book on the History of the Glorious Return
Museum at Balziglia, Italy: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

Fortress and Museum at Balziglia, Italy: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

Waldensians lived in their ghetto valleys west of Turin for more than a hundred and fifty years under persecution. Then on 16, February 1848, the unified Italian government finally granted the Protestant church freedom to worship and assemble under the Declaration of Emancipation. On the seventeenth of February, local Waldensian assemblies lit bonfires in celebration of their civil liberties. Waldensians worldwide still light bonfires each year in commemoration of their freedoms.

A Typical Waldesnian House Furnished Simply in a Rodoretto: Donna's Gallery, September 2015

The largest group of Waldensians outside of Italy resides in Valdese, North Carolina. Each summer, the community puts on a festival of heritage, which includes a production called From This Day Forward in an amphitheater to honor the Waldensian's history. They’ve also constructed an outdoor replica of historical sites in Italy on their Trail of Faith. You can find more information about Valdese at www.visitvaldese.com.

Replica of the Cave of Faith in the Angrogna Valley, Italy in Valdese, North Carolina: Donna's Gallery, 

The Waldensian story lives on as a testimony of a people whose valor and enduring faith withstood the test of time. This ought to encourage and strengthen Christians as we hear and read stories about those who are persecuted and martyred around the world in our time.

Post Script: In the summer of 2015, four months after I published Light Out of Darkness, the first book in my Waldensian Series, Pope Frances apologized to the Waldensians for a millennium of religious persecution. It was a momentous occasion for the descendants of this pre-reformation group.

More About the History of the Waldensians:
• The History of the Waldenses by J.A. Wylie
• You are My Witnesses: The Waldensians Across 800 Years by Giorgio Tourn
• The Glorious Recovery by The Vaudois of their Valleys, by Henri Arnaud
• Waldensian Cultural Centre, Torre Pellice, Italy www.fondazionevaldese.org

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys exploring people and cultures of the world and developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna received her master's degree in mass communication/journalism from San Jose State University and became a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, will be released by Scrivenings Press in December 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. The love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.

Beginning July 4th in honor of Independence Day and through July, Donna is running a Giveaway of The Last Will and Testament of Anne Charbonnier, a seventeenth-century short story prequel to her Waldensian Series. Of those who sign up for Donna's newsletter, one person will also receive four full-length contemporary and historical novels written by Scrivenings Press authors. Visit Donna's website at www.donnawichelman.com to receive your copy of The Last Will and Testament of Anne Charbonnier and enter the contest.

When the Cost of Sacrifice Makes Heroes Out of Ordinary Men and Women

By Donna Wichelman

In December 2023’s Heroes, Heroines, and History Blog, I began a series based on the lives of three women and one gentleman from Libourne, France, whom I interviewed about growing up during World War II. I will always consider hearing their first-hand accounts of what it was like to experience life during wartime in France a great privilege.

In this final blog dedicated to Rene Avril, Pirrette Couillandeau, Marie-José Delage, and Josette Melinon, I want to focus on the spirit of perseverance that would not give in to the enemy at their door. Though most of my friends were young, among them were friends, family, and neighbors who remained steadfast in their resolve to win back their country and their freedom, even at the risk of their own lives. As Madam Delage said, “They were people we viewed as ordinary but turned out to be heroes.”

Resistance Groups Wait as the Crowds Gather in Libourne Celebrating Liberation, August 1944
Compliments of Libourne City Archives 

The Resistance Marching at the Liberation of Libourne, August 1944
Compliments of the Libourne City Archives

The Salute of the Flag Just Raised at Town Hall

Compliments of the Libourne City Archives

The Resistance (Maquis in French, meaning “underbrush”), as they called themselves, came from all walks of life, forming networks, hiding precious art reserves, and rescuing men, women, and children from extermination. They hailed from the farmer down the road who passed Jewish men, women, and children across the demarcation line into Free France to the wine baron in Bordeaux who transported Jewish men and women in empty barrels of wine across the border. He was an uncle from Brittany who spied on the Germans in Lorient only to be executed for treason and a mother in a hospital who hid Jewish children under a table covered with sheets. She was a lady who owned a grocery store and shorted German soldiers of food and supplies, and several ladies who hid Jews in their homes until they could get them safe passage. He was a German Benedictine monk whose compassion got him killed for allowing Jewish people to cross the demarcation line and a father who asked a priest to counterfeit a Catholic baptismal certificate to save his Jewish daughter.

Barrels of Wine

Photo 47598059 | Wine Barrels © Natalia Volkova | Dreamstime.com

Josette Melinon's Mother Caring for Patients at Rothchild Hospital While Hiding Jewish Children
Mme Melinon's Archives

Citizens of Libourne Fly Flags at Windows as the Red Cross Poses For their Picture

Compliments of the Libourne City Archives

Arrival of the Demorny Resistance Group After Liberating Castillon in South Dordogne
Compliments of the Libourne City Archives

Rose Valland Hiding Precious Works of Art
Donna's Gallery, May 2023

Mme Melinon as a Three Year Old and Her Father
Compliments of Mme Melinon's Archives

Josette's  Baptismal Certificate
Compliments of Mme Melinon's Archives


Donna with Mme Josette Melinon Today

Donna's Gallery, October 2023

Msr Rene Avril Whose Uncle Spied for the Allies
Donna's Gallery, October 2023

Pirrette Couillandeau and Marie-José Delage Pointing to a Bullet Hole in Mme Delage's Apartment Building
Donna's Gallery, October 2023

A Local Store in France, Not Much Different than A Store in the 1940s
Donna's Gallery, October 2023

Others sabotaged railways, organized escape routes, circulated anti-German fliers, published underground newspapers, sent messages over the radio waves, and planned stealth attacks. Over and over, we hear the stories of bravery and sacrifice despite the risks, even unto death. But why? Who were these heroes? What could possibly motivate anyone to save another at the cost of their own life?

There must be a higher purpose or a more compelling reason to sacrifice, especially for one not of your race or religion. One could say national pride or political freedoms. But in the last blog, we discovered that in a climate of scarcity of resources, some people took advantage of the circumstances, and a black market arose. A few gave up their Jewish neighbors to get a morsel of food. Some who wanted to avoid doing Compulsory Work Service (STO) in Germany joined the Resistance. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:7, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die …” (ESV).

Today, the question of sacrifice falls deeply upon my heart, because it’s Memorial Day weekend in the United States—a day we remember those who gave their lives to secure our country and our freedoms. My father served on a Navy troop transport ship during World War II from 1942 – 1946. Like most people who come home from war, he didn’t like to talk about what he saw, especially during the liberation. Yet, he believed his sacrifice was worth it for the sake of those who fell prey to the whims of a madman.

Donna's Dad, Joseph Chonko, 1942

Studying history not only helps us understand how events unfolded, making our world the way it is today, but it teaches us about ourselves—the character and mettle we’re made of. It also helps us understand where we succeeded or failed and allows us to think critically about how to make better choices. Sadly, we are a country divided in many ways, but the question of sacrifice is still significant to ponder for future generations.

One answer can be found in the book of Luke in the Bible. When a lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan. As the story goes, three men—a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan—walk by a robbed and severely beaten man, but the only one who stops to help him is the Samaritan. Jesus asks the lawyer, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:30 – 37, NASB 1995).

Addressing his disciples in the book of John, Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12 – 13, NASB 1995).

What would you do if a madman in a time of war knocked at your neighbor’s door and you had the power to help him?

New Steps and Old Monuments

As I advance in years, my perspective progresses. I attempt to lean not on my own understanding, but to seek wisdom and discernment. On a lighter note, I am working on margin in my schedule for the unforeseen, all the while praying for direction. Why employ this opening to the blog today?

It is often unplanned experiences, side streets, and extra stops that can bring the most joy in life and in travel. Yet still we tend to aim for the main events and major attractions. Why is that the case? Do we have fomo (fear of missing out)? Do we think that because people deem an occasion or site worthy, we must explore the possibility or location? Whatever the reasons, I suggest consideration of alternatives. 

For a writing research trip with Cindy Stewart (former HHH blogger and author of Abounding Hope), we planned months in advance the sites we would visit. As is often the case, our schedule changed. These alterations are some of my favorite portions of the trip. What did I learn? Leave space in life for the unexpected. Be flexible. Above all, abide. This leaves room for God's plans. As I discovered in recent years, His are better than any I could design.

Additional stop #1 on our trip - Amiens, France. This is a small town located just 112 km (70 miles) north of Paris. It is northwest of Caen, which appears in prior posts. Amiens is a magnificent medieval village that offers a cathedral, views of the Somme River, and interesting tidbits to delight history enthusiasts. Oddly enough, it is not listed in the guidebook for France I used. Perhaps less attention lends itself to the quaint ambiance?

Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens featured in the image at top and three below, is a Unesco Heritage Site. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. In fact, two Notre Dame de Paris could fit inside the 200,000 cubic meter structure. It soars 42 m (137.8 feet) in height. Three master builders completed this edifice from 1220 - 1288. The elevation, sculptures, and stained glass allow this cathedral to serve as a model for Gothic architecture. It did influence many Gothic cathedrals built in the succeeding centuries. Notice the intricate and plentiful figures on the exterior. We could not take photos inside. Imagine the beautiful interior or plot a visit to Amiens to peek for yourself.

Key aspects of this monument are additions and alterations over the years that retained the nature of the structure. At the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 14th century, chapels constructed between the buttresses did not affect the interior. Over the proceeding years restorations occurred that offered enhancement. The cathedral survived religious wars, the French Revolution, and for the most part, both World Wars. Listed as an Historic Monument in 1862 and inscribed with Unesco in 1981, this site remains protected for future generations.

Continuing on and strolling through Amiens offers a glimpse into medieval life as well as current adaptions. The Quai Bélu (below) in Saint-Leu once supported the area's milliners, tanners, and weavers. Now, this lively strip serves diners at shoppers. Can you imagine women with baskets over their arms, collecting fish from the monger and produce from the farmers? 

What shoes did they wear on these cobbled streets? What about their clothing? Since the dyers supported this location, did they sport a variety of colors? While little changed in this landscape, attire and goods evolved many times since the 1200s. 

Now for a few whimsical notations, take a gander at this photo at right. "Where everybody knows your name..." 

In the subsequent photos, do you see "L'Homme sur sa bouée?" The Man on His Buoy? As visitors cross le Pont de la Dodane, they observe a statue nestled in the Somme River. Phase one originally made of wood got a makeover and now consists of a more durable option in stainless steel. Stephan Balkenhol, a German artist created the piece in 1991. The Amiens museum team worked to design the updated version. I read a piece stating Amiens students dress him up on occasion for fun. He modeled t-shirts, hats, bags, a buoy (ironically), and even another statue dangling from his shoulders. 

            

Can you recall a time in your life where the day unfolded contrary to what the calendar required, and the results are cherished memories? Did you take a trip that opened new horizons that were not in the guidebook? Please comment and share your stories.

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with 118 Plans on the Bible.com app, in 44 languages.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. Visits to their two grown sons would be first. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers. 

Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X (formerly known as Twitter)

What Lessons Can We Learn From History: A Real-Life Story from Nazi-Occupied France

By Donna Wichelman

(Part I of a two-part article on the Raffle of the 10th of January 1944 in France. See Part II in March.)

This past 10th of January marked the 80th Anniversary of the Raffle of the 10th of January 1944 in occupied France. It’s with that in mind that I continue my series on the Nazi Occupation of France during World War II by turning to a topic that many of us find difficult to acknowledge because it’s so horrific. Yet, we cannot ignore the fact of the Holocaust. Though many in our present-day world try to sweep it under the carpet or deny it ever happened, the preponderance of the evidence is inescapable.

2024 Commemoration Events of the 80th Anniversary of the 10 January 1944 Raffle

Mme Josette Melinon's Archives

So, when I entered the house of Mme Josette Melinon on the 9th of October, 2023, I knew what I was about to hear would be sobering. Indeed, Mme Melinon’s passion for what happened to her relatives during the Nazi occupation took hold in 2004 when one of the teachers in the middle school nearby took a class to see an exhibition of the Jewish children deported to a town called Oświęcim near the German/Polish border, the place of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Among the children they saw was one young lady whose address was in their hometown of Libourne, and they wanted to find out more about her.

The teacher put an article in the local newspaper asking if anyone knew about the young lady. Mme Melinon read the article and recognized the girl as Myriam Errera, her mother’s cousin. The teacher organized a meeting and invited Mme Melinon and her older sister, giving Mme Melinon the opportunity to read a letter to the group. In the letter, she told of her own arrest along with her parents and sister during the Raffle of the 10th of January 1944 in the Bordeaux region of occupied France. The telling of that story began a journey that Mme Melion has continued to this day.

According to Wikipedia, the Raffle of the 10th of January 1944 was the fourth and final roundup of Jews in the Aquitaine between July 1942 and January 1944. Before the war, more than five thousand Jews had lived in Bordeaux, many of them refugees who had fled Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia between 1938 and 1940. Maurice Papon, then secretary general of the Gironde and future minister of the Fifth Republic, organized the roundup, detaining 335 men, women, and children. On the 12th of January 1944, 317 people were taken to Drancy Internment Camp in northern France and later that month sent to Auschwitz.

Newspaper Article About the Roundup of Jews in Paris 1941

Mme Josette Melinon's Archives

Nazi Flag on the Libourne Town Hall During the Occupation

Libourne City Archives

“I was at home with my sister,” Mme Melinon said. “After dinner, my father was listening to the English radio at our friends’ house. When the Germans arrived, my mother ran to the garden to tell my father what was happening. I can remember the picture in my memory—the picture of the German boots that went upstairs in our house, which affected me because we weren’t allowed to go upstairs with our shoes on. But they were going up with their boots on.

“When they [the soldiers] arrived on the first floor (second floor in the United States), they followed my mother into her bedroom and said to her, ‘Knickers baby. Knickers, baby.’ And she gave them all of her knickers.

“We had to walk along the road that goes down to the river while it was raining, and there were five or six Germans in front of us. My mother held my hand very tightly. But when we arrived at the prison, I remember straight stairs leading up and walls that were a very dirty pink. The stairs came out onto a room with people I knew—most of them family— and my grandmother sitting on a bench. They all passed me around and kissed me, and I felt stifled without understanding what was happening.”

Prison Where Mme Milinon and Her Family Were Taken

Provided by the Association Libournaise Souvenir Myriam Errera

Mme Josette Melinon was one of the eighteen people, including her father and sister, who did not ride with the others to Drancy. If it had not been for quick thinking by her father, her story would have ended that night.

You see, Mme Melinon’s mother’s side of the family was Jewish—her great-grandmother from the east of France being Ashkenazi and her great-grandfather Sephardic from Portugal. Her father’s side, however, was Catholic. Her mother and father had initially determined to raise the oldest child (her sister) in the Catholic faith and the second one Jewish. But events changed all that.

Three days and two nights passed until her father could find papers proving he was not a Jew. In addition, he found a priest who risked back-dating a baptismal certificate for Josette and located baptismal certificates going back seven generations as required by the German SS.

Josette and Her Father 10 January 1944

Mme Melinon's Archives

Josette's Baptismal Certificate

Mme Josette Melinon's Archives

The baptismal certificates were enough to prove that Josette’s father, sister, and Josette were Christians, and the Nazis let them go. But what happened to Josette’s mother and the rest of Josette’s relatives, including Myriam Errera, the girl whose picture the students at the middle school saw? Moreover, how and why did the Association Souvenir Myriam Errera come to exist? And what are the lessons we can learn from history in the 21st century? 

Read the rest of Mme Josette’s Melinon’s story in Part II about this dreadful era in our world’s history.

See also: this French newspaper article.

Donna worked as a communications professional before turning to full-time writing. Her short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in various inspirational publications. She has two contemporary suspense novels in her Waldensian Series, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor available on Amazon.com. Her historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, will come out in December, published by Scrivenings Press. She is also working on a World War Two historical slip-time project that takes place in Libourne, France.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of her love of history and English literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She loves to explore peoples and cultures of the world and enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, forgiveness, and redemption in a world that often withholds second chances. You can find out more about Donna Wichelman or sign up for her newsletter at https://donnawichelman.com/

How One Aspect of Adolf Hitler's War Machine Devastated Hundreds of Thousands of French Lives

By Donna Wichelman

In December, I began a multi-month series on the Nazi occupation of France during World War Two. Based on the accounts of three lovely women and one gentleman alive as young children during the war—Mme Pierrette Couillandeau, Mme Marie-José Delage, Mme Josette Melinon, and Msr René Avril—we’ll be talking about their personal experiences and how they relate to the occupation between June 1940 and July 1944.

Mme Pierrette Couillandeau and Mme Marie-José Delage, Libourne, France
Donna's Gallery, October 2023

Mme Pierrette Couillandeau and Mme Marie-José Delage were still young children and friends in Libourne when France capitulated to Aldolf Hitler’s German Army in June 1940. Like most French families, they were uneasy about the armistice France signed in 1919, ending the First World War. But while Mme Delage’s father had been wounded during World War I and experienced what we would today call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and therefore wasn't required to serve, Mme Couillandeau’s father had a different experience.

Believing another war was inevitable, France built the Maginot Line, a series of concrete fortifications and weapons installations along their border with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy during the 1930s to counteract an attack by the Germans. But the German Army made a surprise attack north of Saarbrücken in rugged forested terrain where no one expected, allowing them to break through French defenses, storming the country west and southward.

German Army Shows Japanese Officials Maginot Line
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

Mme Couillandeau’s father was one of the French troops stationed in a village along the Maginot Line. He shouldn’t have been there. For one thing, he was too old at age thirty-six and had two children with mouths to feed. Moreover, he was a baker, and bakers were protected from military service by a law dating back to 1798 during the French Revolution, which said that the authorities could “commandeer bakeries and …. keep the masses in bread.” But Mme Couillandeau’s father had not declared his status and suffered the consequences of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Boulangerie Spécialité Pan Gascon, Since the Reign of Louis XV in 1765
Donna’s Gallery, October 2023

Boulangerie Spécialité Pan Gascon, Baking Bread Since Louis XV in 1765
Donna’s Gallery, October 2023

As the story goes, the men in Mme Couillandeau’s father’s unit took turns watching for German soldiers from the top of a church. One day, her father and one of his buddies were on the lookout but unaware that their unit had pulled out. They were left behind to be caught by the Germans and made prisoners of war. Her father was returned to his family in 1943 at a time when they were liberating the older prisoners and sending the younger ones to work in the Compulsory Work Service (Service du travail obligatoire or STO) for the German government.

STO required the forced enlistment and deportation of French men to Germany to work for the German war effort. Created under the regulations of Vichy France—the puppet government under Marshal Philippe Pétain, Hitler’s Vichy President—between 600,000 and 650,000 men from June 1942 to July 1944 were sent to work camps to compensate for the loss of German manpower as more and more soldiers were needed at the Eastern Front. The German government promised that one French prisoner of war would be released for every three men sent to Germany under the compulsory system. 

In Paris, French men and women being chosen for work in GermanyDeparture of STO workers from the Paris-Nord station in 1943
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14405%2C_Paris%2C_Abreise_franz%C3%B6sischer_Kriegsarbeiter_nach_Deutschland.jpg

In the beginning, before STO became compulsory, Pierre Lave, Prime Minister of the Vichy government, sold the enactment of relève as a volunteer work program to help secure the release of French prisoners of war. One French prisoner of war would be released for every three volunteer workers from France. It’s probable the “suggestion” came from Fritz Sauckel in, also known as the “slavemaster of Europe,” who was appointed by the General Plenipotentiary for Labor Deployment and charged  in March 1942 with finding labor in Europe. Eighty thousand prisoners of war were exchanged for 24,000 French workers during the Relève program.

But Sauckel’s demands became increasingly demanding, probably because Germany needed labor for their war machine. By April 23, 1943, Sauckel instituted the Compulsory Work Service, requisitioning 120,000 workers in May, 100,000 in June, and another 500,000 in August. However, the numbers were never achieved because the French began evading German compulsory demands by joining the French Resistance. At least 200,000 of them went into hiding.

Members of French Resistance March in Liberation Celebration in Libourne, France
Libourne City Archives

Mme Couillandeau’s father was one of the prisoners of war who was fortunate to come home because of the STO exchange program, though perhaps he could have evaded it altogether if he had declared his status as a baker from the start. Unfortunately, he did not, leaving two bakers at home, an eighteen-year-old young man who had just finished his training and a fifteen-year-old apprentice. Mme Couillandeau’s mother also delivered the bread using a cart she pushed around the community.

Upon Mme Couillandeau’s father’s return, he wanted to take back his old occupation and play cards with friends in a bar on the square in Libourne. But they told him they had made substantial money in the market, and he realized he had been a prisoner of war all the while they had made a lot of money. It was a bitter pill to swallow. He sold his shop and went to Bordeaux.

As I contemplated this real-life story, I was once more struck with the irony of how the war affected Mme Couillandeau's family every bit as much as Mme Delage's. In different ways, both men had become casualties of war, Mme Delage's father to experiencing PTSD during the First World War, and Mme Couillandeau's father to Adolf Hitler's war machine. In both cases, neither theirs nor their families' lives would ever be the same. It's something for all of us to ponder as we consider our contemporary world and those who would use war as a means to conquer and destroy other nations.

Donna worked as a communications professional before turning to full-time writing. Her short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in various inspirational publications. She also has two indie-published Christian contemporary suspense novels in her Waldensian Series, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor. She is working on a World War Two historical slip-time project.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of her love of history and English literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She loves to

explore peoples and cultures of the world and enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, forgiveness, and redemption in a world that often withholds second chances. You can find out more about Donna Wichelman or sign up for her newsletter at https://donnawichelman.com/