“the black devils”

    by FrenchieB014

    3 Comments

    1. The two orphans Boulanger (Henri and Raoul), whose father perished in World War One, formed the Maquis Diables Noir. They managed to flee German camps in 1940, and by 1941 they had established a network of their own connected to the British SOE.

      The brothers’ utilization of their sawmill as a base of operations, and as a decit. They construct an 80-meter-long tunnel beneath the sawmill to connect it to the nearby forest. The tunnels store explosives, weapons, documents, radios and a wide array of accomodation for the fugitiv seeking protection and the fighter, numbering some 20 men.

      Another unique aspect of the group was that they only worked at night and, for many of their activities, including assassinations and sabotage, they donned black masks ([like this](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=eb5fe49497ada2df&rlz=1C1VDKB_frFR1020FR1020&q=maquis+diable+noir&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0CbCVgAZ5mWEJDg6aoPVcBgTlosgQSuzBMlnAdio07UCJQtmEkU6i-_BMZgWHB0gXD4qt67OEQKmKHtgAPLYm0tErCiExUsbSS3UJLSJMb2Yy1vUr26EWhW9EpJoxvn4tP_ZXJ7acrvLYzsfufHoSvjwIkZ_jylXKa9r9xfckvqaeT8mNqU_VkVXPKSeLjRO-AJYtnq&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJr6a2n_CIAxVhTKQEHV6yLc8QtKgLegQIEBAB&biw=1536&bih=730&dpr=1.25#vhid=DjzpvaAmA2hFzM&vssid=mosaic)) they quickly became local *”boogeymen*” for the Germans and earned the nickname “Black Devils” for their deeds.

      In 1944 the brothers were deported to Buchenwald after tthey were caught by the French police and subsequently tortured by the Gestapo. However, because of their labor, their tunnels, and their men the maquis would live on until the liberation.

      Sadly only Raoul survived the concentration camps, he was awarded the Legion d’honneur, and went on to build theme parks after the war.

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