WWII French Resistance sights in Northeastern Spain (Figures?)

We should travel together!

I hope those more knowledgable than me will weigh in, but I did a quick Google search. You've probably seen this article, but I'll give the link anyway. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/spains-oft-forgotten-ties-to-the-nazis-180981304/

In Paris, do not miss the Musée de la Libération Leclerc Moulin and also at the Musee de l'armed the Museum of the order of the Liberation. Both incredibly moving - probably they are on your list already.

If you want WWII very moving sites, museums, and tours in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia - let me know!

This is not actually an answer to your questions....(was that covered in the not to do's thread, lol!! Sorry, I can't help myself!) But....I got my brother a book for Christmas called Escaping Hitler. He has just finished it this morning and handed it over to me to read so not sure how much there is from the Spain side.

You may have found this as well but someone here recommended a podcast called Historias:The Spanish History Podcast, Episode 15 - Resistance and Collaboraton in the French Basque Country. I realize that is focused on the other side of the Pyrenees but I thought it was very interesting.

You may have seen this thread which got slightly pulled off course with a discussion of politics but might have some useful information for you.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/comet-line-escape-route-tour-of-pyrenees

I've seen the book I assume you read, A Woman of No Importance, discussed before and keep meaning to see if my library has it. I will check now.

I hope you get some helpful answers. I'll be lurking!

@OrdTraveler, thanks for that link. Very interesting. I've been to Mauthausen but did not key in on all the Spanish prisoners that were held there.

Glad it was of interest, Pam. Do read the book about Virginia Hall - amazing story. I'm checking for the recommendations you noted!

Well, I just checked an my library doesn't have it as an e-book so I have to ...siiiigh....go IN and check out an actual book, hahaha! I'm so lazy!

One area I want to return to that has a lot of WWII history is Canfranc station. It was a hotbed for spies during the war. Spain sent the Germans goods and raw materials and the Germans sent Spain money. Because of the different rail gauges used in France and Spain, all train cars needed to be unloaded and reloaded on the opposite border. The old train station was renovated as a hotel and reopened in early 2023. It was undergoing renovations when we were there in 2022. There is a new train station a few yards from the old station.

While Guernica is often mentioned as being bombed by the axis forces, it was by no means the only town. Granollers north of Barcelona was bombed as were others. One of the local contributors will know more.

This is not exactly pertaining to what you might be looking for but deals with the military activities of the French Resistance. The site is in southern France....Vercours, It was the site of a major (if not the biggest ) battle between the Resistance and the Germans. It boasted they could not be accessed, were impregnable, etc. Finally the Nazi authorities took them up on that, loads of SS and RSHA troops augments by others descended on Vercours resulting in a horrific battle.

The memorial to the Resistance is in Vercours. I went there once. That was in 1999.

My knowledge of the Resistance is pretty sketchy at best. Locals told me of this place, Vercours, just as they did of a site where Resistance fighters in northern France, in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region were shot against the wall.

This site is in Arras, called "Mur des fusillés"...not too far from the British WW1 military cemetery.

I'm thrilled with such responses! Thank you!

The book I read was Wolves at the Door, it was more tailored for juveniles (read with my daughter), but thank you ORDTraveler and Pam for all the other recommendations - I am excited to learn more! The Comet Line thread was great, very helpful! It looks like there was a subset of the Comet Line that went from France to Figures, which is one place we're going on a day trip.

Not too far from Figures I found this Museum of Exile, so that's doable in a day trip.

We are planning on doing the civil war walking tour in Barcelona, too.

jaimeelsabio - I did read about Canfranc station, but that is the area I think is a bit too far from Barcelona for a day trip.

Fred - I will be in the Brussels / Bruges area, so I'll check out Mur des fusillés; see if that will be close (we have much less time in that area)

I'm not too familiar with the French resistance in Spain, was that a thing? I know that there were some leftist guerillas in and around the more rural parts of Spain during the early years of the Franco regime, but from what I know those were mainly local diehard Spanish communist and anarchist groups.

The north east Aragon region was a pivotal battleground during much of the Civil War. The capital of the region, Zaragoza (3 hours drive west of Barcelona) is a good base for a few days just to explore the city itself and then make daytrips out to Civil War sites like Belchite. There is a Spanish Civil War Interpretation Centre just north of Zaragoza, in the village of Robres.

If you will have a car, you may find interesting to actually follow the George Orwell route in the Aragon region. On the route you will find the very places that inspired his book Homage to Catalonia, like Monte Iranzo battleground, Tres Huegas bunkers, and the Santa Quiteria Hermitage.

You can read more about the route here: https://www.spain.info/en/discover-spain/george-orwell-route-aragon

Thanks to everyone for the additional suggestions, and Mel, thanks for the original question. Lots of information that I am taking in - I've been researching a Spanish Civil War based trip!

Shot against walls---happened every morning during the Nazi Occupation in Paris, according to a friend's mother who grew up in Montrouge where one of the forts that circled Paris was located. She told me she could hear the gun fire early every morning. Those picked up during the night were taken to these mid 19th C forts.

I've been researching a Spanish Civil War based trip!

Good luck with that, honestly there is not too much in the way of Civil War sites in Spain. One has to really look hard as it has been buried both figuratively and literally, and honestly not many Spanish are eager to open up the old wounds or present these dark days to interested foreigners.

Thanks, Carlos. I didn't mean to sound flippant and I hope people don't read me that way. I know it was terrible time for Spain. I am working on better understanding the era, even as part of broader world history. Seeing places like the museums mentioned above and being on the ground in areas I've read about is helpful for me. I would not attempt conversations on what I know can be very sensitive and painful!

ORDtraveler, oh not to worry you are doing the right thing, it's quite commendable as a foreigner you're wanting to learn about this!

It's the Spanish who are in the wrong by trying to sweep it all under the carpet. Many families still have the skeletons in the closet and that sort of thing. But I think not talking about it is doing more harm to the Spanish society than good.

Carlos, I probably mis-stated causing the confusion about French Resistance...I know about the French Resistance and a big part of their work was getting folks out of France over to Spain and I know about the Spanish Republicans going over to France and coordinating with the French Resistance. I was looking for the end point of that collaboration, but that Museum of Exile I found would be interesting too - more from the Spain perspective.

@ metT....That site in Arras is the only one I am familiar with. Other cities in northern France have similar sites. I believe one exists in Lille but I am not familiar with it. That in Arras I've been to twice, obviously pretty poignant knowing what took place where the memorial plaques are displayed.

Historically, what I want to know is: 1. when these executions took place, ie the specific year, 2. who signed these orders. There was a special summer exhibit "Deportation" one time in the Les Invalides (2001, ? , 2003 ?), which has never been shown since...as far as I know, where under glass covered tables were displayed some of these execution orders....super revealing historically, bureaucratically, linguistically, culturally .

They were , obviously, in only 2 languages French and German. As I recall, 5-7 signatures signed off. Since my knowledge of reading French was just about zero, I had to rely on the German copy written in the script (Fraktur). I was looking for the signature of one specific German military figure, his name was not among them, among the occupation authorities.

Thank you for this question! I read about Virginia Hall too and am a major fan. I would love to track her route over the Pyrenees someday.