Blood in the Snow, Blood on the Grass : Treachery, Torture, Murder and Massacre - France 1944

**Based on original research and personal reminiscences of French and Allied participants, this story, previously unpublished in English, highlights the cynical disregard for civilian lives shown by British SOE and American OSS** Nearing D-Day, Allied intelligence used Royal Air Force airdrops to send Allied liaison officers down with supplies to the thousands of young men hiding in France's forests and hill country. Here the officers defied the two principles of guerrilla warfare: never concentrate your forces or risk a pitched battle. They assembled small armies of untrained civilians in wild country where it was believed Allied airborne forces would land and help them drive the hated occupiers out of their country. In reality they were being used as bait—to draw German forces away from the invasion beaches. They were hunted down by collaborationist French paramilitaries, Wehrmacht, and Waffen-SS troops, dying in the snows of winter through to high midsummer. Those taken prisoner were raped, tortured, and shot or deported to death camps in Germany. Many of their killers were themselves murdered after the liberation, when thousands of Frenchwomen were also publicly humiliated as sexual traitors. D-Day, 6 June 1944; a day that has gone down in history as one of the most crucial steps towards Allied victory of the Second World War. But what is known of the thousands of young Frenchmen and women who were formed into small, untrained armies and used as bait by the Allied powers to distract the German forces from the invasion beaches? These civilians were scattered through the French forests and hill country, and they believed that Allied forces would arrive to help them drive the hated Nazi occupiers out of France; but this support never arrived. Instead they were abandoned, to be hunted down by collaborationist French paramilitaries, Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops. Those that were lucky died quickly; the unlucky ones survived – they were brutally raped and tortured before being shot, or were deported to death camps in Germany. With rare, striking and often harrowing photographs of the people, places and events of this period, Boyd reveals the startling truth of the prologue to the D-Day landings, highlighting atrocities that should never be forgotten. "D-Day, 6 June 1944; a day that has gone down in history as one of the most crucial steps towards Allied victory of the Second World War. What is known of the thousands of young Frenchmen and women who were formed into small, untrained armies and used as bait by the Allied powers to distract the German forces from the invasion beaches? These civilians were scattered through the French forests and hill country, and they believed that Allied forces would arrive to help them drive the hated Nazi occupiers out of France; but this support never arrived. Instead they were abandoned, to be hunted down by collaborationist French paramilitaries, Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops. Those who were lucky died quickly; the unlucky ones survived - they were brutally raped and tortured before being shot, or were deported to death camps in Germany. With ... photographs of the people, places and events of this period, Boyd reveals the ... truth of the prologue to the D-Day landings, highlighting atrocities that should never be forgotten."--Book jacket Nearing D-Day, Allied intelligence used thousands of young men hiding in France's forests and hill country to avoid compulsory labour service in Germany as bait to draw German forces away from the Normandy beaches. There are two principles of guerilla warfare: never to concentrate your forces or rish a pitched battle. But with RAF airdrops of pistols and Sten guns came British, American and French liaison officers who concentrated these untrained civilians in remote areas of France. They thought Allied airborne foreces would land and help them drive the Germans out of their country, but instead were hunted down by collaborationist French paramilitaries, Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops. They died in the snows of winter through high midsummer. Those taken prisoner were raped, tortured and shot or deported to death camps in Germany. Many of their killers were themselves murdered after the liberation, when thousands of French women were also publicly humiliated as sexual traitors.