Raid of the cycle-racing track of winter

The raid of the Cycle-racing track of Winter (16 July 17th, 1942), often called raid of Vel' d' Hiv , is largest massive arrest of Juif S carried out in France during the Second world war. In July 1942, the mode Nazi organizes the operation “Spring Vent”: an enormous raid of Jews in several European countries. In France, the Régime of Vichy mobilizes the French police force to take part in the operation: with Paris, 9 000 police and gendarmes will rafleront the Jews.

The organization of the raid

The French Jews being normally driven since 1940 (the last French census having collected religious data is that of 1874), the authorities know their address (“Fichier Tulard”). The instructions of the director of the municipal police of Paris Emile Hennequin, on July 12th, 1942, stipulate that “1. The guards and inspectors, after having checked the identity of the Jews which they have mission of stopping, do not have to discuss the various observations which can be formulated by them 2. They do not have to discuss either on the health condition. Any Jew to be stopped must be led to the primary education Center. 7. The operations must be carried out with the maximum of speed, without useless words and any comment.”

Rene Bousquet, the general secretary of the national police force, accompanied by Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, general Police chief with the Jewish questions, meets on July 4th, with the seat of Gestapo in Paris, the S Knochen and Dannecker, general S which directs the German police force to France. A new maintenance, in the offices of Dannecker Foch avenue, in order to organize the raid planned for on July 13rd, 1942, is held on July 7th in company of Jean Leguay, the assistant of Bousquet, accompanied by Francois, director of the general police force, Hennequin, director of the municipal police, André Tulard, in load of the Jewish questions in the prefecture, Garnier, sub-manager of the supply to the prefecture of the Seine, Guidot, police superintendent with the staff of the municipal police and finally Schweblin, director of the police force to the Jewish questions. The captain S Dannecker declares: “French police officers — in spite of some scruples of pure form — will have only to carry out the orders! ” The raid aims at the Jews German, Austrian, Polish, Czech, Russian and unspecified the, old ones from sixteen to fifty years. Exceptional exemptions for the women “whose state of pregnancy will be very advanced” or “nourishing their baby with the center” are envisaged, but “to avoid any waste of time, this sorting will not be made from the residence but from the first center of gathering by the police chief of the public highway”. The Nazis envisage to make stop by the French police force 22.000 foreign Jews in Large Paris, which will be led to Drancy, Compiegne, Pithiviers and Beaune-the-Rolande. For that, “the service of Mr. Tulard will forward to the Management of the municipal police the cards of the Jews to stop (...) the children of less than fifteen or sixteen years will be entrusted to the General union of the Jews of France which in its turn will place them in foundations. The sorting of the children will be made in the primary education centers of gathering. ”

The S Dannecker discusses on July 10th, 1942 with Adolf Eichmann, while a new meeting is held the same day with the seat of the General police station to the Jewish questions (CGQJ) in company of the S Dannecker, Röthke, Ernst Heinrichsohn, and of Jean Leguay, Gallien, assistant of Darquier de Pellepoix (chief of the CGQJ), some frameworks of the police headquarter as well as representatives of the SNCF and Public assistance.

Finally, a little delay is taken. The German authorities avoid ordering the raid for on July 14th, although the national festival is not celebrated in occupied zone, they fear a reaction of the civil population. This one thus takes place the following day evening.

The raid

The July 16th 1942, at 4 o'clock in the morning: 12884 Jews are stopped (: 4051 children: 5802 women and: 3031 men). An unspecified number, prevented by the Resistance or profiting from the lack of zeal of certain police officers, manages to escape the raid. The conditions are very hard: the stopped people can take with them only one cover, a sweater, a pair of shoe and two shirts. Moreover families are separate; the majority will be joined together never again.

After their arrest, part of the Jews are taken along by bus in the Camp of Drancy (in the north of Paris). Another part is sent towards the Vélodrome of winter (located in XVe district), which is used as provisional prison (that had already been the case at the time of a raid at the summer 1941). It is thus approximately: 7000 people who will have to survive during five days, without food and with only one water point. Those which try to flee are killed at once. A hundred prisoners Suicide NT. The prisoners will be led in the camps of Drancy, Beaune-the-Rolande (in the department of Loiret) and Pithiviers, before being off-set towards the death camps German.

This raid only represents with it more of the quarter of: 42000 Jewish French envoys with Auschwitz in 1942, of which only 811 will return on their premises after the end of the war. In 1979, Jean Leguay, the representative of the general secretary of the national police force, Rene Bousquet, in occupied zone, is accused for its implication in the organization of the raid, but he is assassinated before being judged.

Memory of the raid

July 16th 1995, the president Jacques Chirac recognized the responsibility for France in the raid and Shoah. He in particular declared: These black hours soil our history forever, and are an insult with our past and our traditions. Yes, the criminal madness of the occupant was assisted by French, by the French State.

Fifty-three years ago, on July 16th, 1942, 450 police officers and French gendarmes, under the authority of their chiefs, fulfilled the requirements of the Nazis.

This day, in the capital and in Paris region, nearly ten thousand men, women and children Jewish were stopped in their residence, in the small hour, and gathered in the police stations of police.
(...)
France, fatherland of the Lights and the Human rights, land of welcome and asylum, France, this day, achieved the irrevocable one. Lack with its word, it delivered its protected to their torturers.

Films

Several films, such as the Counters of Louvre of Michel Mitrani or Mr Klein of Joseph Losey, comprise scenes which refer to this episode of the war.

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