On May 8, 2025, Europe will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In the Villé Valley, this date is an opportunity to remember the events that have marked the villages and also the families.
The Villé Valley Historical Society (SHVV) presents three videos this year, created from the memories of Freddy Dietrich , a resident of Fouchy. In them, he recounts his experiences during the war and the Liberation, then takes us on a tour of the village as it is today.
Episode 1: During the War
Episode 2: The Liberation
Episode 3: The Village Today
Episode 1 – Children in War
Memories of Freddy Dietrich, a child in Fouchy
This first video revisits the childhood memories of Freddy Dietrich, born in 1939 in Fouchy, during the Second World War. Through his child's eyes, he evokes daily life under German occupation, the fears, the deprivations… but also the ingenuity and solidarity of the inhabitants.
"These films are dedicated to all the men and women of the Villé Valley who were killed or suffered during the two world wars."
Freddy grew up without his father, who had been mobilized, in a house he shared with his mother, his little sister, and his grandparents. He remembers the arrival of German soldiers as early as 1942 and the day his family had to shelter a German officer in their own home. Just across the street, a former restaurant had been converted into a local office for the NSDAP, the Nazi party.
The valley's inhabitants had to adapt: each household had to register its animals to avoid being denounced. But, as Freddy recounts, a second pig was often kept in secret, despite the risks. The fear of deportation was ever-present.
He also mentions daily life at the Lalaye kindergarten, run by German women and ladies from the village, in a friendly atmosphere despite the context.
French was forbidden, but German still allowed the use of the Alsatian dialect, Welsch. A guidebook for the inhabitants, written in German and dialect, circulated to help them adapt to this new, imposed life. Freddy, too young to read at the time, spent his days playing on the ground, looking at the illustrations in this book.
"We spoke German; French was forbidden."
The story continues with the heartbreaking departures of young men and fathers. Some would never return. There were also those who tried to flee: in Fouchy, several residents distinguished themselves as guides, helping escaped prisoners or fleeing soldiers cross the mountains to evade the German troops. An act of courage, but also a great danger: denunciation could lead to deportation.
Finally, Freddy points out that even 16-year-old teenagers and men in their 40s or 50s were sent to the front. A time when no one was truly safe.
Episode 2 – The Liberation of Fouchy
Memories of November 1944
In this second episode, Freddy Dietrich revisits a key moment: the liberation of Fouchy on November 23, 1944. On that day, American troops, notably the "Cactus Division," arrived via the forest roads of the Col de Noirceur. The following night, more than 200 people found refuge in a farmhouse, seeking to escape the still-nearby fighting.
The following day, November 24, the Germans left the area. The road used by American troops to liberate Fouchy became a symbol of this liberation. Other villages in the valley, such as Maisonsgoutte and Lalaye, experienced a more difficult liberation, often marked by strong German resistance and intense fighting, particularly on the Ungersberg side.
Freddy also mentions the arrival of French colonial troops, particularly Moroccan Goumiers, who were quartered in Fouchy in a former inn. He remembers their kindness, the moments they shared playing cards, and their warm integration into the daily life of the village.
But liberation was not all joy. The bombings that preceded it left their mark on the inhabitants: destroyed houses, families forced to take refuge in cellars, sometimes more than ten to a room. The arrival of the liberators was therefore experienced with a mixture of relief and sorrow.
Episode 3 – Fouchy, from yesterday to today
Memory of a village
In the latest episode, Freddy Dietrich takes us through the streets of Fouchy, weaving together personal memories and collective memory. He recounts the story of the church's three bells, taken down by the Germans in 1944, as had already happened in 1917. After the war, the villagers rallied to reinstall them, but discovered that one of them was cracked. It had to be sent to a foundry in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines and then reinstalled three months later.
Standing before the war memorial, he shared a touching anecdote: one of the inscriptions paid tribute to Ernest Valentin, who disappeared on the Russian front. But his family, having received no news for a long time, asked for his name to be removed out of respect and uncertainty. It was only later that the truth came to light: Ernest had died shortly after the loss of his best friend, in very difficult circumstances.
Freddy also evokes his memories of the discreet resistance within the village.
Passing it on so we don't forget
Through the testimonies of Freddy Dietrich and the work of remembrance of the SHVV, an entire era resurfaces, seen from a child's perspective but enriched with memories of adults.
May this May 8, 2025 be an opportunity to remember not only the soldiers, but also the families, the smugglers, the draft dodgers, the women and the children, all actors in their own way in this collective history.
The three Freddy Dietrich videos are now available on the SHVV website via this link: HERE
The book "60 years later, the Valley remembers" will be available online on their website from May 8, 2025.