Crossroads of August 28th

The Carrefour of August 28th is a Odonyme allotted, after the second world war, with this transportation route which was, in 1944, the place of the beginning of the insurrection niçoise against the occupation étrangère.
The crossroads is crossed by the railway of the Railroads of Provence connecting Nice-Worthy, formerly provided with barriers from where its name, often, of crossroads of the “level crossing”.
In Provence the second unloading came to take place.

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With Nice, as of on August 25th, the Curfew and the martial Loi are instaurés.
On Sunday, August 27, the men of the Staff FTPF (Frank Gunners and French Partisans), and FFI (French Forces of the Interior) joined together with the Palate Stella, 22 boulevard de Cessole, decided that the combat liberator would begin the next morning with 6:30.
This date was undoubtedly not fortuitous. The choice to precede the Allies in the engagements made it possible to show the capacity of the French to be released all alone, but also to avoid, between the Germans and the Americans, of the fatal exchanges of artilleries for the civil population and the architectural heritage niçois.

The D-day

At dawn, a group of ten men, under the responsibility of Fortunate Leonardi, occupied the crossroads armed with 7 machine-guns, 2 Colt guns, 15 defensive grenades and offensives.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, a first ambush made it possible to the patriots to recover two heavy machine guns in the trailer of a German truck patrolling boulevard Joseph Garnier. Of this first confrontation, Auguste Gouirand and Lucien Chervin, mortally touched, dies on the blow. At once, across the crossroads, the men of the level crossing built a solid barricades made of cross-pieces of railroad taken in the station of very close train, then they reflect out of battery one of the two machine-guns in order to take in row the boulevard Joseph Garnier and the boulevard Gambetta, whereas Ffi provided with a speaking pipe required, high and strong, with the inhabitants of the district not to leave to eux.
La response was not made to attendre.
the Germans, informed of this beginning of insurrection, started to draw from the salvos of shell since the hill of Gairaut, above Nice-north. And in a few moments, it was a true rain of mortar shell which fell down on the district and the crossroads killing Roger Boyer and Rene Barralis.
the projectiles ceased falling towards 9:00.
The lull remained of short duration, a little later, a liaison officer prevented the group which a column went up, with sharp pace, the Gambetta boulevard, making fire on all those which moved. The German column wished, without any doubt, to recover the machine-gun and this strategic crossroads. The threat was confirmed quickly. Hardly arrived at carried shooting, a shooting burst of any share, noisy fast and meurtrière.
On the barricade, the machine-gun been useful by Hanossian and Jean Ballestra, answered with precision MP40 of the attackers, and aimed in priority the drivers of the convoy. The touched vehicles came to finish their race, all smoking, on the harrows of the barricade.
Devant this wild resistance, much of German was made prisoners or covered their escape with foot while hiding behind the plane trees of the boulevard. After the hard combat of the morning, one counted many casualties and 6 patriots morts.
During the evening, and a little everywhere downtown, the Germans started to go and to flee out of the ville.
And 24 hours after the beginning of the Insurrection, Nice was a free city. .

Assessment

The combat of the level crossing showed many casualties on both sides, and the death of 6 patriots français.
has one of the angles of the crossroads, two commemorative plaques, inaugurated on August 28th, 1945, point out the sacrifice of these 6 resistant, soldiers without uniform, fallen has this place:

''' Barralis ''' Rene, born in 1921 with Nice, Ffi second lieutenant, lived street Palermo, without employment and single person.
''' Ballestra ''' Jean, born in 1924 in Nice, the junior by the group, died in its twentieth year, remained in his/her parents avenue of Péssicart, railwayman to the SNCF and single person.
''' Boyer ''' Roger, born in 1911 in Méailles, lived which occurred St Barthelemy, house painter and married.
''' Chervin ''' Lucien, born in 1900 in Paris, resided which occurred Monclair, dyer and married.
''' Cornil ''' Alphonse, born in 1879 in Belgium, lived street St Joseph, operation and married.
''' Gouirand ''' Auguste, born in 1902 in Nice, remained street Montplaisir, grocer in the city commercial and married.

The History of the Crossroads of August 28th would not be complete without evoking direct or indirect courage other combatants, liaison officers, first-aid workers and stretcher-bearers among whom Varo Simone, Paro, Catala Pink and Germain, Giovannini Jeanne, Reynis Elisabeth, Hanossian, Leonardi Fortuné, Druard Marc, Tobia Charles, Gaglio Osfolo, Gagliardi, Giletta, Hache, Roncaglia César, Boet Frederic, Benci Joseph, Cravero Jean, Rossetti Armand, Ricci Mario, Mandrille Christmas, Franzini Roger, Barale Lucien, Pastorelli Albert, Squarta Bernard, Rival Rémy, Bigotti Felix, Perlet and Godail Georges…

And all those, which after this day of Release of Nice, wished to remain in anonymity.

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