Fréteval
Encyclopedia
Fréteval is a commune
in the Loir-et-Cher
department of central France
.
. In World War II
it was used to hide Allied
airmen who were on the run in a camp with the codename of "Sherwood". The route from Paris involved the evaders getting to train to the town of Châteaudun
and then a 10 miles (16.1 km) hike down country roads. The French Resistance
was very strong in this area and the officer in charge was an ex-Comet line
veteran, Jean de Blommaert, who was parachuted into France and made his way to Paris to start arrangements for the camp. A British
officer, Airey Neave
, of MI9
, (the British Military Intelligence Section 9), was in overall control of the operation and the first evaders were brought from Paris on 20 May 1944. On 13 August 1944 the Fréteval camp was liberated by the American 3rd Army and 132 Allied airmen were brought to safety.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
department of central France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Fréteval forest
The Fréteval forest is 299 square miles (774.4 km²) of thick woodland 100 miles (160.9 km) south of ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was used to hide Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
airmen who were on the run in a camp with the codename of "Sherwood". The route from Paris involved the evaders getting to train to the town of Châteaudun
Châteaudun
Châteaudun is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of Eure-et-Loir.-Geography:Châteaudun is located about 45 km northwest of Orléans, and about 50 km south-southwest of Chartres, on the river Loir, a tributary of the...
and then a 10 miles (16.1 km) hike down country roads. The French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
was very strong in this area and the officer in charge was an ex-Comet line
Comet line
The Comet line was a World War II resistance group in Belgium/France which helped Allied soldiers and airmen return to Britain. The line started in Brussels, where the men were fed, clothed and given false identity papers before being hidden in attics and cellars of houses...
veteran, Jean de Blommaert, who was parachuted into France and made his way to Paris to start arrangements for the camp. A British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer, Airey Neave
Airey Neave
Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave DSO, OBE, MC was a British soldier, barrister and politician.During World War II, Neave was one of the few servicemen to escape from the German prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle...
, of MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
, (the British Military Intelligence Section 9), was in overall control of the operation and the first evaders were brought from Paris on 20 May 1944. On 13 August 1944 the Fréteval camp was liberated by the American 3rd Army and 132 Allied airmen were brought to safety.