Le Drame de Caen, juin-juillet 1944 – Récit d’un rescapé – The Drama in Caen, June–July 1944 – A rare testimony of a survivor of an execution, who was captured with his family by the Nazis during the Caen battles between SS forces and the Allies. Introduction by Jean Léon Jean, photographs by Raymond Jacque. Published by Imprimerie Rouennaise. France, 1945 – First edition. Extremely rare. In French.
Before us an anonymous testimony by a resident of Caen who, together with his family, experienced the battles and provides a detailed account of his and his family’s ordeal under the shadow of combat, narrowly escaping execution by Nazi forces at the last moment. Written in a vivid, personal, and highly energetic spoken style, it is evident that the account was composed during the events themselves. The narrator recounts, hour by hour and day by day, what he saw and heard – beginning with the day German vehicles passed through the streets announcing that residents were forbidden to leave their homes. Simultaneously, British aircraft arrived and began bombing several parts of the city. During the bombardments, he and his family sheltered in the basement of their home, while the sounds of panic filled the neighborhood amid the unrelenting bombings. At a certain point, the neighborhood caught fire as a result of German arson, and he managed to escape with his family to hide near the port for several days, with the constant background of artillery and tanks not far from their hiding place. Eventually, their hiding place was discovered by the Nazis, and the family was taken along with some 250 others as SS soldiers prepared for mass execution. However, due to nearby British bombings at the site of the planned execution, the SS were forced to leave the group where they were and refrained from carrying out the shooting – thereby saving their lives. After many hardships, the fugitives managed to link up with Allied forces and ultimately escape the area aboard British military trucks. This is one of the earliest and most direct first-hand accounts of what took place in Caen during the bloody battle between Nazi forces and the Allies. The booklet is accompanied by photographs of the city’s destroyed buildings.
During Operation Overlord – the Allied invasion of Normandy – the city of Caen was a key strategic objective. The battles for its liberation lasted about six weeks, from June 6 (D-Day) until July 19, 1944. The British and Canadian forces, who landed on the eastern flank of the front, encountered particularly fierce German resistance. Their attempts to capture the city met with intense fighting, including heavy shelling, street battles, and widespread destruction. Approximately 70% of the city was destroyed, and many civilians were killed or wounded. Countless residents were forced to hide in basements and shelters for weeks. The city was eventually liberated by the British and Canadian Corps – but at a heavy cost in both human lives and cultural heritage.
Extremely rare. Only three copies listed in the WorldCat global library catalog, all of them held in French libraries.
22 pages. Very good condition.
