There are three books written by Capitaine Fred (Alfred Dutheillet de Lamothe), member of the Bataillon Violette, that follow the incredible story of the Brigade Rac, from a maquis group camped in the woods of the Dordogne and follows their many combats and adventures and finally arrives on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean where the retreating German army finally surrendered.
The first book 'Bataillon Violette' was published in 1975 and tells the story of the third Bataillon of the Brigade Rac, led by Violette (René Tallet) who was incredibly only 25 years old at the time. I am pleased to hear that the book has just been reprinted and you can follow the link that follows to find out how to obtain a copy (link). La famille du Capitaine FRED a fait rééditer son livre :"Bataillon Violette"; prix 27 € port compris; chèque à l'ordre de "Amicale des Anciens Maquisards du Bataillon Violette". A commander à : Emmanuel DUTHEILLET de LAMOTHE, 1 rue Edmond Gondinet, 87500 SAINT YRIEIX LA PERCHE.
The 2nd book is 'La Brigade Rac' published in 1977 and concerns all of its Bataillons - Dupuy, Vieugeot and Violette, with in depth background of all those involved from the outbreak of war to the Liberation.
Capitaine Fred's 3rd book, published in 1989, 'L'affaire de Saintes' tells the story of the liberation of Saintes on the 4th of september 1944 by the Bataillon Violette as told by eleven of its combattants. It's an incredible story. All three books are full of fantastic photos taken by Andre Léonard, official photographer of the Brigade Rac and I am honoured to have seen the originals of these photos and many others of the Brigade and of the towns they liberated.
One of the main purposes of this site is to share the history of the Brigade Rac and I am truely grateful to the family of Capitaine Fred and Michele Cézard, the daughter of Rac, who have kindly given me their permission to present extracts and photos from the three books. Merci mille fois.
French annotation :
La famille du Capitaine Fred a fait de nouveau éditer son livre "Bataillon Violette" au prix de 27 € port compris. Chèque à l'ordre de "Amicale des Anciens Maquisards du Bataillon Violette". A commander à : Emmanuel Dutheillet de Lamothe, 1 rue Edmond Gondinet, 87500 Saint-Yriex-la-Perche.
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| Capitaine Fred |
Recently I picked up an old copy of 'Bataillon Violette' with this message from RAC on the inside of the jacket.
Recently I managed to pick up this copy of 'Bataillon Violette' with a message from Violette
Here is a copy of 'La Brigade Rac' with a message to Maurice Zavaro from the author.