Julien Pelloux, mountain guide with the Saint-Gervais/Les Contamines guide company and historian, discusses the Italian occupation of the region, particularly in Val-Montjoie.
This year, we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the valley by the reconstituted French armies. The period of occupation in our region is often associated with that of the German forces. However, there was another occupation, established in southeastern France, that of fascist Italy. This forgotten occupation, from November 1942 to October 1943, had a profound impact on Val-Montjoie. The collective imagination considers it more acceptable to the population. Historical research proves that this is not the case. It was a period of repression of the first resistance groups, of requisitions, controls, etc. During this meeting, we will see how Benito Mussolini's imperialist vision and fascist irredentism marked Savoie and affected Val-Montjoie.
