MAQUIS FOCH (attached to the Armée Secrète - A.S.)

• This maquis of some 750 men was formed in July 1944 by the merger of several Resistance groups in the north of the Charente : the Ruffec group (with Colonel DEGUA then COTTU), Confolens (with A. STIVIL, M. GARY, then AUGER), Chenon-Aunac (with COUTANT), Champagne-Mouton (PASCAL and PASQUET) and Saint-Coutant (BURET).

• The main area of the Confolens maquis was originally around Alloue, about 15 kilometres to the west of Confolens. But this maquis became very mobile due to the proximity of German reprisal columns.

• Many leaders succeeded one another at the head of the different groups including M. GARY, AUGIER and AUGER but the unification of the maquis only took place under the Commandant WAGNER following the Liberation.

• The FOCH group took part in the fighting at Ambernac on 27th July 1944 where nearly 700 maquisards held out against a strong German repression column. It was followed by a long retreat which took the maquis about forty kilometres from its initial bases.

• After taking part in the Liberation of the north of the Charente from 13th August onwards - Liberation of Champagne-Mouton, then Ruffec (2nd September 1944) - these groups, having become a "Battalion" and then a "Regiment", continued the combat on the Atlantic front in the sector of La Rochelle.