ITheir names were René Michel, Roger Lorentz, Camille Jousse, Maurice Lasserre, Pierre Laroche, Robert Noutari… And so many others. Their names are inscribed on the stele of the Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) in Mérignac and that of the Aeronautical Industrial Workshop (AIA) in Floirac. Shot, deported, victims of bombings or killed in combat, these aeronautics workers died for France during the Second World War.
The Association for the Memory of the Martyrs of Aeronautics wanted to pay tribute to these employees, through the book “Martyrs of Aeronautics – Bordeaux: the 79 of the SNCASO, the 19 of the AIA”. This association was founded in 2012 by a group of retirees from the CGT of Dassault in Mérignac, grown over the years by history enthusiasts and by those who are attached to the duty of memory. Like Daniel Susagna, former employee of France Télécom, who actively participated in the research work with Guy Joubert, the former president of the association, who began collecting the first archives more than twenty years ago.
“After having moved the SNCASO stele out of Sogerma [aujourd’hui Airbus Atlantic, NDLR]where it was barely visible, we began writing a book, then a second,” explains Daniel Susagna. This latest book is the culmination of six years of research in the archives. Among these martyrs, many were shot at the Souge camp, in Martignas, and a few passed through the Mérignac camp.
Portraits and stories
During its research, the association retraced the thread of all these particular journeys but also made some discoveries. “For example, during this period, the equipment manufacturer Continental used deportees to test the resistance of their rubber shoe soles. The prisoners had to walk with these soles, approximately 40 kilometers per day, until they wore out. Those who fell from fatigue were shot by the Nazis,” he says.
The book compiles the biographies of all these aeronautics workers, retracing the history of aviation in Bordeaux and the significant events of the 1939-1945 war in Gironde, such as the battles at Pointe de Grave, the bombings of Bordeaux, the roundups and convoys of Jews, punctuated by testimonies from Girondin resistance fighters. “We also don’t forget the wives of those who were shot, whose names do not appear on the steles,” specifies Daniel Susagna. A long chapter is devoted to these wives, mothers or sisters who took part in the fight against the occupier.
“We didn’t want to be content with names on monuments, we wanted to bring them to life. This book is a duty of remembrance, to leave a mark and not forget these aeronautics employees who died for France, continues the retiree. We are the last generation to be immersed in the post-war period. After us, who would have done it? »
To obtain the book, contact [email protected] or 06 73 28 66 01.
