An exceptional study published in two volumes on the events and battles that took place in Côte-d'Or during the month of June 1940. The first volume, 304 pages long, rich in incredible illustration, is available for 45 euros. Volume 2, priced at 48 euros, contains 368 lavishly illustrated pages. Free shipping.
These two books will introduce you, day by day, to the incredible and terrible history of Côte-d'Or in 1940: a history of war, fire, and blood. In this context of utter chaos, fleeing the fighting, on the roads of exodus, tens of thousands of civilians crossed the region. For many of them, it was a journey of no return. Death took them there, just like the French soldiers and their allies who fell with weapons in hand or were swept away by the tide of debacle. Bombings, machine-gun raids, rearguard actions, looting, exactions, and prisoner massacres marked the roads, towns, and villages of the Côte-d'Or, surrounded by SS units and German panzer divisions. Men, women, children, infantry soldiers, armored units, and colonial troops—more than 1,200 people were killed in the department during the French campaign! Real fighting took place in Molesme, Montbard, Saulieu, Arnay-le-Duc, Beaune, Pontailler-sur-Saône, Auxonne, and Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye. At the same time, Châtillon-sur-Seine, Coulmier-le-Sec, Dijon, Beaune, and Seurre were bombed.
Volume 1 covers the period from the declaration of war until June 16, 1940, the date of the main fighting in the department. Volume 2 continues the chronological sequence of the first volume, starting on June 17, when General Hoepner, commander of the XVI.AK, wanted to finish with the Côte-d'Or: in the morning, at Sombernon, the Germans negotiated the surrender of Dijon. At the same time, major fighting took place in Laignes, Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye, Gevrey, Beaune... During this time, forming the rearguard of the XVI.AK, the SS massacred dozens of Senegalese riflemen as they passed. In addition, to cover the advance of their troops, the Stukas bombed and machine-gunned several towns and withdrawal axes of the retreating French armies. By the end of the afternoon, the Germans were in Beaune and Dijon. On June 18, the remnants of the last French regiments surrounded in the Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye pocket surrendered one after the other. Thousands of French soldiers were still captured, and the department was covered in prisoner-of-war camps. On June 22, the Armistice was signed. For the Côte-d'Or region, the toll of destruction and casualties was heavy. At the end of the book, the reader will find lists of approximately 1,200 victims who died in 1940: civilians, French, Allied, and German soldiers.
Didier Callabre and Gilles Vauclair have been conducting research on the First and Second World Wars for many years. Authors at Editions Sutton, Ouest-France, and Autrement, they have published a new book for Editions du Brevail, the result of their archival research in France and Germany. Through these two volumes, containing over 670 pages and more than a thousand iconographic documents, they present a historical study never before conducted on this sad period in Côte-d'Or history. These books, which will satisfy Côte-d'Or residents and the most demanding historians, will allow you to relive these events, illustrated with several hundred photographs, maps, and diagrams, with exceptional archival photos presenting the sites of our region at that time and today.
Volume 1 – €45
Luxurious A4 book, 304 pages, hardcover.
Volume 2 – €48
Luxurious A4 book, 368 pages, hardcover.
ISBN : 9782491741303
Publié aux éditions du Brévail au prix de 48 euros, port offert jusqu'à fin juin.
Disponible à partir de mai 2025
