June 6, 1944, the operation Overlord (122) started the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Maquisards, member of the French resistance, paraded in Dieulefit’s streets as the population was exuberantly happy about the announcement of the Allied landing. As it was premature, they had to withdraw in the mountains the same day. 

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June 6, 1944, Hermine asked Raynaud (123) to sabotage the Livron-Orange railway line and to stop all traffic on the Rhone bridge at Loriol. In addition, he was in charge to harass the German troops on the roads including N540 from Montelimar to Dieulefit and D6 from Montelimar to Crest. The FTP was in charge of cutting the telephone lines.

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Not knowing for sure that the Normandy landing would happen on June 6, Raynaud ordered all out-guerilla sabotage activities in the region under his command. The Marsanne forest was the retreat place for the maquis for the resistance and the population in case of massive German attack or retaliation.

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June 7, 1944, the Bridon bridge, mid-way between Montelimar and Dieulefit was cut and under watch by members of the resistance. All strategic places on the road were the German could pass were mined.  The same day, a heavy machine gun at Vensobres, five miles from Nyon, twenty miles south of Dieulefit, was able to stop two German trucks full of troops. The German lost 50% of the troops and the three resistant who manned the machine gun survived. (123)

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June 8, a Messerschmitt III who was firing on a base near Valréas (17 miles south of Dieulefit) was downed and crashed near Boucher. (123)

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June 11, in the afternoon, one German truck and twelve soldiers were forced to go back because of the destruction of the Bridon bridge ten miles from Dieulefit. (123)

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June 12, six German trucks and 3 armored trucks came back to the roadblock. German had heavy losses, one truck blew up on a mine. The losses for the resistance were low but the German took revenge on the population at Valréas (124),17 miles south of Dieulefit, killing 80 men.

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The German maneuver to go around Valréas by Taulignan (12 miles south of Dieulefit) succeeded and Raynaud’s car fell into a trap. His driver was killed. His assistant lieutenant Montoux had a head wound and Raynaud was hurt on both arms and in his right eye by shrapnel. He was able to take the arms in the car including 2 pistols, one machine gun, and ammunition and was able to cover his retreat towards Roche Saint Sauveur. They were exhausted after 7 hours on the run and after giving some orders in Dieulefit, Raynaud went to the hospital in Die were they were both operated. The evacuation of the troops in Nyons was done the next day without a problem to go to Bouviers where Lieutenant Noel organized all the guerillas from Dieulefit to Nyons and from Nyons to Montclus. (123)

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In June 1944, Lieutenant Richard at Dieulefit (SRAF) provided additional arms and ammunition to the resistance. After June 1944 (P1011568. Raynaud's report) until mid-June 1944 all war equipment that served to arm the south of the Drôme department was received and distributed by Captain Raynaud with few exceptions. Later on, complimentary quantities were provided by Lieutenant Richard at Dieulefit (S.R.A.F). All the people named in his report (123) played a very important role to receive, transport and store the arms.

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The FTP Maquis “communists” were numerous around Nyonsais. The contacts with Raynaud were not on a regular basis.  

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June 13, 1944, Roger asked Raynaud to double his activities of German troop’s harassment, cutting all communications and to activate all armed resistance. (123)

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June 14, 1944, Alexis, leader of the FTP for the department was killed on a landmine. Alexis was the contact for Raynaud.

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June 29, 1944, in the valley of Poët-Laval, near Dieulefit, on drop-zone Peuplier, for the SOE F, message ‘Ernest vole le tabac des copains’, (Ernest steal his friend’s tobacco) there was a Jedburgh team parachuted, named Chloroform, from Algier, code named JP-221 from the RAF Squadron 624, piloted by W. Fairey. Captain Jacques Martin, alias Jacques Martino, Lieutenant Henry McIntosh, alias Lionel and the radio Lieutenant Jean Sassi, alias Jean Nicole arrived that day. The goal of their mission was to reinforce the Resistance in the Drome department and the Hautes-Alpes after the Vercors’ attack by the Germans. (126)

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Early July 1944, Lieutenant Luciani, leader of a team of parachutists from Alger, formed the 12th company with elements from Dieulefit and Bourdeaux. The 10th company under Lieutenant Noel was formed mostly with parachutists lead by Lieutenant Richard (SRAF) operating mostly in the Dieulefit region. (123)

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In July 1944, the Jockey resistance group were able to derail a train transporting food for the Wehrmacht. Raynaud was there with a group of Senegalese skirmisher “tirailleurs” from Vercors to carry out tons of gas, sugar, cheese, tobacco and all type of food. (123)

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July 17, in the Poët-Laval valley, 4 miles west of Dieulefit, on the drop-zone Peuplier, for the BCRA, mission Peuplier, agents from Algier parachuted from RAF Squadron 624 piloted by W/O A. Kendall. Lieutenant Francois Chatelin, alias Luciani, alias Palanque, Etienne Schricke, alias Savard, Philippe Lemaire, alias Deville, Roger Revercho, alias Raynal, Albert Palle, alias Falbert, Marcel Bouche, alias Beauclaire, Lieutenant Andre Battus, alias Beaumont and Hubert Cruse, alias Chaulieu arrived. (126)

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Summer 1944 – CLL “Comité local de libération” is created in Dieulefit.

In July, on the railroad from Valence to Balancon, Raynaud’s resistance group was able to remove twenty miles of rails to make that line useless. Some of the rails were set in cement on national road 93 to block German tanks from passing. (123)

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Location Mich 81 – Pli 3, Dieulefit, William 26 – 5km ESE Dieulefit, Lettre P, BBC message : “Les croisés se mirent aux fenêtres.” Received one plane on July 1944. 

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July 19, 1944 was the beginning of the greatest German attack in the Vercors, just 70 miles north of Dieulefit and the Drôme department (125). Crest was occupied by Mongol German troops who committed crimes against mankind with atrocities against civilians. 200 women and girls were raped and some died. (128) In the last few days, skirmishes were reported on the Grimone mountain pass, 80 miles north east of Dieulefit. The strong German attack launched July 20 on the Grimone Mountain with 1500 German troops forced the resistance to retreat from it.  The German were able to go all the way to Chatillon en Diois, 60 miles north of Dieulefit. The moral was low as they knew that the German were also attacking on the other side at Saillans, 25 miles north of Dieulefit and encircling the resistance on the Vercors. The Germans were ten times more numerous and all resistance was useless and they were outnumbered and outgun with 3000 German troops with mule climbing on the Plateau de Beurre in Vercors. Captain Raynaud was trying to defend three mountains pass and numerous communication roads but the German put all their main force on the Grimone Mountain pass. Eventually more than 20000 German soldiers attacked the Vercors. Captain Raynaud was able to withdraw his forces and this created much friction with the other resistance groups. The story of the battle of Vercors has been well documented (129) and this is to show the proximity to Dieulefit and the grave danger that was so close to the village. It was only a question of time before the Wehrmacht attacked Dieulefit as they planned. Their concentration on the Vercors and soon the allied landing in Provence on August 15 would derail their plan and save Dieulefit. The German troops were committing atrocities in the Drome valley. After the retreat Raynaud resumed guerilla style attack on communication and German position in the south of Drome. (123)

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On July 23, two German gliders felled down east of Dieulefit. Ten soldiers on the first glider died. A small amount of material was taken by the resistance including documents almost all belonging to Russian incorporated in the Wehrmacht. A Michelin cart in the machine indicated a location between Vassieux and the Rousset summit, 6 men from the second glider were taken prisoner. In their machine a cart showed photograph of Chapelle en Vercors. (123)

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The German atrocities were limited mostly to the Drome valley and Vercors, however the population south of Vercors, including Dieulefit, were scared hearing all the rumors of the combats and civilian massacres.

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People heard that a dentist, who was fired from a position as member of the local committee for liberation, from La Motte Chalancon, was seen orchestrating retaliation in a German SS uniform in Diois. This person named Malpersel had been able to infiltrate the resistance for a few days. (123)

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July 21 – 23, 1944: German troops attack Vassieux-en-Vercors. (Sixty miles north of Dieulefit) (130). 73 civilians (out of a population of 430) and 91 resistance's "Maquisards" were killed, many houses were destroyed.

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On July 31, 1944, at Comps, near Dieulefit, on dropzone Framboise, 15 special forces commando parachuted from a Halifax JP-242, RAF Squadron 624, piloted by W. Fairey. Captain Dominique Hepp, alias Hennequin, Lieutenant Corley, Sergeant Villanova, Bordeu, Cabalque, Cazalis, Costa, Godard, Lorilleux, Martin, Obrazzoff, Panchenko, Peralba, Pottier and Gerard Verquain arrived. During landing, Lieutenant Corley was knocked out because of strong wind and remained unconscious.  (126) Others were injured as well.

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The next night another group is parachuted among which is Michel Poniatowski (132), a member of the “1st Bataillon Parachutiste de Choc” (133) created in 1943 in Algeria to support French resistance. The section under Corley, responsible to support the Vercors, was parachuted on July 31 and August 1st near Dieulefit.

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Michel Poniatowski shared his experience (131):

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“We were the first five to jump with Raymond Muelle, Michel Poniatowski, Philippe, Barrat, and Polomba. The ground was very close as we jumped from 450 feet, and we could see the lights marking the drop zone. The wind was very strong, and this threw us in all directions. Once landed someone came to show the house where to go. Pallot got hurt like Corley the night before, sergeant Villuana broke his leg and Godard his shoulder. The land was a good choice allowing prompt evacuation and those hurt went for medical help in Dieulefit. The parachutes were quickly removed and hidden to eventually become shirts or wedding dresses. The Fraysse couple were the farmers who hosted the party and provided food. They were not only generous but brave as any German raid would have cause immediate execution. The password was “Dieulefit,” the name of the village that was only four miles away. On the farm, they met BCRA officers who were sleeping in the hay and waiting for their orders to work with the FFI. On the table, there was much food with bread, wine, sausages, meat and country style pâtés.” (132)

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On August 13, 1944, on the drop zone, Framboise, the last person parachuted in the Drome department before its liberation on September 1, 1944, was Captain Fred B. Agee of the OSS. He was sent to help the Resistance medical group.

Gabriel Mazier was particularly complimentary regarding Dieulefit’s gendarmes. He said: “many gendarmes were following Vichy’s orders, many refuse to take a side until the end, except in Dieulefit, the complete brigade was working with the resistance. During night patrols they would alert the resistance about Gestapo operation organized against it. (131)

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From June 6 to the end of July 1944 Captain Raynaud reported to Roger the following: It indicated that in 50 days 800 German soldiers were killed, 200 incapacitated, some deserted and 20 were made prisoners including three officers. One Messerschmitt 109 was downed, and the resistance took two 37 canons with all equipment, arms and dozens of vehicles were taken or destroyed. More than forty trains and train engines were destroyed or incapacitated. We were able to destroy a few mechanized machines and took tons of gas and food. (Page 563, Raynaud’s SOE report). His own losses were one hundred with half killed in combat and the other massacred by the Germans.

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Raynaud indicated in his report the work done by Lieutenant Bontoux and was sorry that he could not name all the people who worked with his organization. He named two young women who worked as a courier, Marie Therese Voog and Marcelle Ribiers or Viviers. (page 564, Raynaud’s SOE report).

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On June 6, Raynaud had 1000 armed elements that grew to 2000 mid-July and were 3000 in August 1944. Until June all war material was provided by the SOE under Raynaud, for his organization, except for additional quantities provided by Lieutenant Richard (SARF) at Dieulefit. (126) 

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On August 9, 1994, the Red Cross discovered the 73 inhabitants (Vassieux population was 430) and 91 resistants who were massacred by the German troops.

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All the information available on many sites, including the French Resistance Museum for the Drome region, show clearly that Dieulefit and the countryside surrounding it were full of armed resistance activities and full of many dangers for the village and its inhabitants, including Hidayat and his family.

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