Soldiers (combat group ?) of the 7th Machine Gun Battalion of Montélimar.
AUDRAS Louis Lucien André standing behind the crouching man (sergeant or corporal, can we distinguish 2 “bars”?).
Louis mainly told his anecdotes... between the firing orders on the German planes, the creation of machine gun-type rolling support to relieve their shoulders from the Berthiers' blows and their escape at the last minute towards Switzerland, let's take a broader look !
AUDRAS Louis was born in November 1914 in Eurre (26) and logically did his military service. He left for the CM of Valence (26) on November 1, 1935 where they assigned him to the 170th RI on November 22. He moved to the 3rd Machine Gun Company of the 170th RI the next day. Sent on leave in 1937.
On August 27, 1939, the CMCC of Montélimar (26) assigned him to the 7th Battalion of Mitrailleurs of Montélimar, date of creation of the battalion assigned to the reserve of the 8th Army from August 30. He was even called up for military service on this date.
During the general mobilization, the battalion part occupied the location of “Rhin Amont”: Fortified Sector of Altkirch.
On March 25, 1940, the 7th BM transferred to the 105th Fortress Infantry Division, former Fortified Sector of Mulhouse. The 105th DIF is made up of:
- 10th RIF
- 2nd group of the 159th RAP
- 371st IR
- 8th BM
- 7th BM
The final organization of the Division was made on June 7, 1940 : the 7th BM will occupy, under the orders of the 371st RI, the Puits Sub-sector with the districts of Bantzenheim/Ottmarsheim and Petit-Landau.
On June 16, 1940, the withdrawal order reached the 105th DIF and the same morning it withdrew to Guebwiller.
The next day, the 17th, the first shots came from the north, through Ensisheim (20km north of Mulhouse).
On the 18th, Cernay was at the heart of the fighting. The 8th BM and the 371st IR were almost completely captured but effectively delayed the Mack group.
The 7th BM, fighting further to the southwest, saw itself split in two with the bulk of the battalion moving towards Mollau while part narrowly escaped towards the south to avoid German captivity.
On June 19, 1940, while the 7th BM and the remnants of the 8th BM were fighting at Krüth, a report from the 2nd Swiss Army Corps reported the passage of 202 soldiers and 5 officers into Switzerland.
AUDRAS Louis is one of the men who narrowly escaped captivity following clashes.
He will be interned in the Schötz camp and will spend his captivity in Switzerland working on a farm.
His superior will explain to him that it is now or never to return home (his demobilization is from January 28, 1941 is surely due to the agreements made between Vichy and Berlin in November 1940) and will be demobilized at the Ambérieu-en-Bugey Demobilization Center by Battalion Commander ROUX Robert, future Companion of the Liberation.
France
infanterie
between the 1939-09-01 and the 1940-05-10,world war two
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