Rédigé par Alan dans la rubrique Operation Cadillac
C'est avec grand plaisir de publier ici un article du magazine internet Esprit Pays : Bulletin d'information de la Communauté de Communes du Pays d'Argentat.
Avec l'aimable autorisation du magazine trouvez ci-dessous un extrait du bulletin n° 5 de mars 2010 (Version in English below)
Avec l'aimable autorisation du magazine trouvez ci-dessous un extrait du bulletin n° 5 de mars 2010 (Version in English below)
Rencontre avec Alberte et Marcel
GROUILLE
DEUX TÉMOINS DE
NOTRE HISTOIRE
Parachutage du 14 juillet 1944
Plusieurs centaines de maquisards
réceptionnent 3 791 containers, soit 417
tonnes d'armement et de matériels,
parachutés par 349 bombardiers B17, accompagnés de 524 chasseurs P51 Mustang
et P47 Thunderbolt.
“Le plus beau souvenir de notre jeunesse”
Ce 14 juillet 1944, âgée de 11 ans, Alberte GROUILLE témoigne : “Le temps était magnifique, le ciel était bleu sur Ménoire et à 9 heures du matin, un énorme vrombissement de moteurs nous a fait découvrir une flotte d'avions dans le ciel. Dès que nous avons pris conscience que c'était des avions alliés, les femmes appartenant au maquis ont agité une multitude de petits drapeaux bleu, blanc, rouge. Nous avons très vite deviné que ces avions se dirigeaient vers les Chancèves afin de parachuter des armes aux nombreux maquisards présents sur le secteur.” Marcel, qui était alors un adolescent de 14 ans, aidait à la moisson à Salgues sur la commune de Neuville : “C'était un spectacle magnifique, je voyais des parachutes de toutes les couleurs peindre le ciel. Le parachutage d'armes était en train de se dérouler sous nos yeux, j’ai quitté les travaux des champs pour aller aider les maquisards à récupérer les armes et cacher les parachutes, cela a duré jusqu'à la nuit tombée.” Les yeux envahis de larmes, Alberte et Marcel relatent cette journée : “Ce moment restera le plus beau souvenir de notre jeunesse car cette aviation et le largage de ces containers d'armes représentaient pour nous tout l'espoir de la victoire alliée et le retour de la liberté pour notre pays”.
“Le plus beau souvenir de notre jeunesse”
Ce 14 juillet 1944, âgée de 11 ans, Alberte GROUILLE témoigne : “Le temps était magnifique, le ciel était bleu sur Ménoire et à 9 heures du matin, un énorme vrombissement de moteurs nous a fait découvrir une flotte d'avions dans le ciel. Dès que nous avons pris conscience que c'était des avions alliés, les femmes appartenant au maquis ont agité une multitude de petits drapeaux bleu, blanc, rouge. Nous avons très vite deviné que ces avions se dirigeaient vers les Chancèves afin de parachuter des armes aux nombreux maquisards présents sur le secteur.” Marcel, qui était alors un adolescent de 14 ans, aidait à la moisson à Salgues sur la commune de Neuville : “C'était un spectacle magnifique, je voyais des parachutes de toutes les couleurs peindre le ciel. Le parachutage d'armes était en train de se dérouler sous nos yeux, j’ai quitté les travaux des champs pour aller aider les maquisards à récupérer les armes et cacher les parachutes, cela a duré jusqu'à la nuit tombée.” Les yeux envahis de larmes, Alberte et Marcel relatent cette journée : “Ce moment restera le plus beau souvenir de notre jeunesse car cette aviation et le largage de ces containers d'armes représentaient pour nous tout l'espoir de la victoire alliée et le retour de la liberté pour notre pays”.
 |
| Alberte et Marcel Grouille en 2010 |
50 ans après – le 14 juillet 1994
Rencontre avec les vétérans américains
 |
| Juillet 1994 |
 |
| Juillet 1944 |
Un des pilotes, Louis QUIJADA, a même écrit et édité un livre
consacré à cette journée du 14 juillet 1944, à la commémoration du
cinquantenaire de ce parachutage et au rôle primordial joué par
Alberte GROUILLE pour organiser ces retrouvailles 50 ans après.
Grâce à leurs témoignages, Alberte et Marcel GROUILLE préservent
et perpétuent ce devoir de mémoire pour que les générations
d'aujourd'hui et de demain n'oublient pas que le prix de la liberté et
de la paix provient toujours des sacrifices d’hier.
Un grand merci à ALBERTE et MARCEL pour leur témoignage.
A lire également :
Operation Cadillac 50th anniversary : 100th BG veterans return to the Corrèze - July 1994 (lien)
Esprit Pays : Bulletin d'information de la Communauté de Communes du Pays d'Argentat (lien)
English version
The following is an article that appeared in March 2010 issue no.5 of the on line magazine Esprit Pays : Bulletin d'information de la Communauté de Communes du Pays d'Argentat. With the kind permission of the magazine we have been able to reprint the article again here.
Interview with Alberte et Marcel GROUILLE
Two witnesses of our history
Parachute drop : 14th July 1944
Several hundred maquisards collected 3791 containers, in total 417 tonnes of arms and supplies, parachuted in by 349 USAAF 3rd Air Division B17s, supported by 524 P51 Mustangs and P47 Thunderbolts.
"The most beautiful memory of our youth"
On the 14th July 1944, aged 11 years, Alberte Grouille tells her story : "The weather was excellent, the sky was blue at Ménoire and at 9 in the morning, an incredible rumble of engines was heard and we looked up and saw a fleet of planes in the sky. We realised that they were allied planes. Some of the women who were involved with the Résistance had made many little blue, white and red flags. We quickly saw that these planes were headed towards Chancèves to parachute arms to the many maquisards from the area. Marcel, who was 14 years old at the time, was helping the harvest at Salgues in the commune of Neuville : "It was a fantastic sight, parachutes of many colours filled the sky. The parachute drop of arms was happening right in front of our eyes. I left my work in the fields and joined the maquisards collecting all the containers of arms and hiding the parachutes, this went on until well into the evening." Their eyes filling with tears, Alberte and Marcel continued "This moment will remain the most beautiful memory from our youth because these planes and the containers full of arms represented for us the signal of a soon to be allied victory and the return of our country's freedom".
50 years after - 14th July 1994
Many years later, one of the pilots, Clare Harnden, wishing to find the drop zone for the parachute drop and remembering the location name Neuville, made some research at the Ministry of Aviation in the U.S. At the same time he sent a letter to the Mayor of Neuville and the Mayor at the time, Henri Arrestier, asked his Secretary Alberte Grouille to reply to the pilot. Contact was made and soon after it was arranged for some of the airmen involved with the parachute drop to come over to Chancèves in the Corrèze for the inauguration of a monument in homage to the maquisards and the American airmen.
The inauguration and visit was organised in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the parachute drop and many receptions were arranged for the American visitors in the Corrèze, but the most moving for the American veterans was the visit to the home of Marcel and Alberte Grouille. They kept from the visit two flags, one from the State of Michigan and the other from Pennsylvania, also a plaque in honour to Alberte given to her by Richard Goff from Michigan and some little blue bird lucky charms given by Louis Quijada. He later published a book recalling the events of 14th July 1994, the 50th commemoration of the parachute drop and the role played by Alberte Grouille in organising the American airmen's return 50 years later. Thanks to their story, Alberte and Marcel Grouille keep alive the history of these events for generations now and for years to come, reminding us that we have liberty and peace now because others made sacrifices in the past.
Thank you to Alberte and Marcel for sharing their story.
Operation Cadillac 50th anniversary : 100th BG veterans return to the Corrèze - July 1994 (lien)
Le parachutage de Moustoulat le 14 juillet 1944 (lien)
Operation Cadillac (lien)
Esprit Pays : Bulletin d'information de la Communauté de Communes du Pays d'Argentat (lien)
English version
The following is an article that appeared in March 2010 issue no.5 of the on line magazine Esprit Pays : Bulletin d'information de la Communauté de Communes du Pays d'Argentat. With the kind permission of the magazine we have been able to reprint the article again here.
Interview with Alberte et Marcel GROUILLE
Two witnesses of our history
Parachute drop : 14th July 1944
Several hundred maquisards collected 3791 containers, in total 417 tonnes of arms and supplies, parachuted in by 349 USAAF 3rd Air Division B17s, supported by 524 P51 Mustangs and P47 Thunderbolts.
"The most beautiful memory of our youth"
On the 14th July 1944, aged 11 years, Alberte Grouille tells her story : "The weather was excellent, the sky was blue at Ménoire and at 9 in the morning, an incredible rumble of engines was heard and we looked up and saw a fleet of planes in the sky. We realised that they were allied planes. Some of the women who were involved with the Résistance had made many little blue, white and red flags. We quickly saw that these planes were headed towards Chancèves to parachute arms to the many maquisards from the area. Marcel, who was 14 years old at the time, was helping the harvest at Salgues in the commune of Neuville : "It was a fantastic sight, parachutes of many colours filled the sky. The parachute drop of arms was happening right in front of our eyes. I left my work in the fields and joined the maquisards collecting all the containers of arms and hiding the parachutes, this went on until well into the evening." Their eyes filling with tears, Alberte and Marcel continued "This moment will remain the most beautiful memory from our youth because these planes and the containers full of arms represented for us the signal of a soon to be allied victory and the return of our country's freedom".
50 years after - 14th July 1994
Many years later, one of the pilots, Clare Harnden, wishing to find the drop zone for the parachute drop and remembering the location name Neuville, made some research at the Ministry of Aviation in the U.S. At the same time he sent a letter to the Mayor of Neuville and the Mayor at the time, Henri Arrestier, asked his Secretary Alberte Grouille to reply to the pilot. Contact was made and soon after it was arranged for some of the airmen involved with the parachute drop to come over to Chancèves in the Corrèze for the inauguration of a monument in homage to the maquisards and the American airmen.
The inauguration and visit was organised in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the parachute drop and many receptions were arranged for the American visitors in the Corrèze, but the most moving for the American veterans was the visit to the home of Marcel and Alberte Grouille. They kept from the visit two flags, one from the State of Michigan and the other from Pennsylvania, also a plaque in honour to Alberte given to her by Richard Goff from Michigan and some little blue bird lucky charms given by Louis Quijada. He later published a book recalling the events of 14th July 1994, the 50th commemoration of the parachute drop and the role played by Alberte Grouille in organising the American airmen's return 50 years later. Thanks to their story, Alberte and Marcel Grouille keep alive the history of these events for generations now and for years to come, reminding us that we have liberty and peace now because others made sacrifices in the past.
Thank you to Alberte and Marcel for sharing their story.