ANTI-AIRCRAFT SHELTERS IN FRANCE
DURING WWII.
Air raid shelters
Regularly, throughout France, are discovered by chance, during work in particular, cellars from the Second World War, in other words air raid shelters. It is therefore necessary and legitimate to wonder about life in these shelters.
Why and how was the air raid shelter system put in place at the time?
To answer this question, we will first address the subject of passive defense which is in particular in charge of setting up shelters and secondly we will see the different types of anti-aircraft shelters as well. as their arrangements and their compositions.
Passive defense
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Passive defense emerged a few years before the start of the Second World War, we are going to define this organization here by looking at its missions, its members and its actions.
• What is passive defense?
Passive defense began to emerge in the 1920s in a climate of concern and dissatisfaction left by the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 which ended the First World War between Germany and France. Indeed, the French population believed the war put aside but the French government was aware of the imminent risk of a new war and was preparing the offensive and defensive potential of the country.
The essential question of passive defense was the following: How to protect the civilian population in the event of a new conflict with Germany?
In April 1935, a law was passed which made it compulsory throughout the national territory and organized passive defense which had various powers:
• setting up a monitoring and alert network,
• the protection of buildings and populations in the event of aerial bombardment and related fires, in particular by ensuring camouflage, fireproofing and reinforcement of buildings.
• protection of the population in the event of war, in particular by recognizing and using shelters.
For these missions, the members of the passive defense reinforced the actions of the firefighters.
Following this law of April 1935, the town halls had to draw up an inventory of all the natural shelters that they could make available to civilians. We meant here, by natural shelters, cellars of buildings, metro corridors and quarries. In the absence of natural shelters, it was necessary to plan ex-nihilo constructions, that is to say that it was necessary to create shelters. Following this, municipalities have built shelters known as “trench shelters” in case of insufficiency or have fitted out and reinforced the already existing shelters; this is the case, for example, in Saint-Quentin, which took this initiative in 1932.
In 1940, passive defense came under German control. Thus, the Oberfeldkommandantur designated the municipalities in which the passive defense teams should be recruited and trained, as well as their organization and number. The heads of passive defense were then appointed by the Kreiscommandants who ordered the teams to take action. These chiefs were in particular responsible for the direction and the application of the measures and had to accomplish their missions in liaison with the Ortskommandant which represented the highest authority of a locality.
• Who are the members of the passive defense?
The personnel of the passive defense included agents and workers of the public services not subjected to the military obligations, volunteers, women and men, civilians not mobilizable and reservists. Note that the volunteers subscribed to a commitment for the duration of the war; these commitments could be entered into in peacetime and took effect on the date of mobilization.
Some women integrate the passive expenditure as ambulance attendants or nurses.
Men between the ages of 18 and 60 could be required to serve in passive defense and were required to carry out the measures ordered. The employee who did not fulfill his duties or did not carry out the orders given by the head of passive defense were punished.
It was not paid work but an honorary service.
Passive defense was organized into different branches recognizable by their armbands which should make it easy to identify its members by the population and not be confused with possible looters in the event of rubble clearing. Thus the red armband corresponded to those responsible for fires, the white to health officials and the yellow to those responsible for gas detection and disinfection.
Concrete passive defense actions
Passive defense informed and trained the population, and taught them how to react to air warnings, in particular through posters or the radio. These alerts were given by different means: bells, police alarms, bugles, trumpets or more generally sirens. If the devices failed, the alert had to be given in some other way.
Each start was given by a siren roar, the intensity of which decreases and increases alternately. The end of the alert was given by a prolonged and continuous siren sound.
Note that factory sirens that could be confused with those of the air alert could no longer be used.
Here, according to passive defense, is the action to be taken in the event of an alert: the warning sirens previously announced the approach of the bomber squadrons, which allowed civilians to take refuge in the nearest underground shelter and by the shortest way. Theoretically, when they heard these sirens, the inhabitants had to cover all the foci of lights with black paper, turn off all the lights, close the counters, put on their mask, check that the openings of the apartment were blocked and go downstairs. shelters, without haste, with a change of clothes, toiletries, water and food.
In practice, civilians also joined the shelters even without an alarm signal in the event of the DCA (Defense Against Airplanes) entering into action or an attack by enemy aircraft.
Again, it was necessary to remain calm and disciplined in the event of an alert.
When the passive defense exercises were put in place, many people considered them to be unnecessary; a feeling quickly dissipated with the first real attacks.
It should also be noted that as soon as the alert sounds, people have the obligation to immediately leave the streets and squares. Motor vehicles and horse-drawn vehicles had to stop, park on the right side of the street and if possible under cover; the horses had to be unhitched and tied short. Motorists had to take care to leave the fire hydrants free. Streetcar traffic was also interrupted.
As for the occultation of the focal points of light, this applied to windows, doors, daylighting, glass roofs, glass partitions or any other opening from which artificial light could escape to the outside.
It was the tenants who were responsible for obscuring the foci of lights in their apartments or the owner if they were parts of common use (stairs, elevators, vestibules).
The person in charge of passive defense or the head of passive anti-aircraft defense was responsible for concealing light sources within the limits of his surveillance perimeter and had to ensure that the material necessary for camouflage was in good condition.
The installation and material costs were the responsibility of the person unless another decision had been taken, by legal prescription or by agreement.
Signage was put in place and allowed the location of shelters and fire hydrants, in particular using phosphorescent paint to ensure the visibility of the markings in the dark.
The stairs and cellars had to be lighted.
The passive defense recommended that the shelters be supplied with living and drinking water (one to two liters of water per person) to be hermetically closed, protected from gas, but also in shovels, pickaxes, axes or saws to clear any landslides caused by bombardments. It was also recommended to have a whistle or siren to announce his presence in case of a problem.
The shelters were to contain small first aid equipment such as sheets, blankets, tea towels, bands of plaster, matches, black soap, basins, jugs, towels, lime chloride, boxes dressings and disinfectant that should be on hand and may be needed for first aid.
In each hall of the buildings, a table had to be posted. Should be registered there:
• the name of the person responsible for the passive defense of the building
• the names of the people responsible for fighting fires
• the names of the people responsible for giving first aid to the injured
• the address and telephone number of the nearest police station
• the location of the nearest telephone
In addition, it was requested that in each house be appointed a supervisor of passive anti-aircraft defense and the occupants of the house had the obligation to participate in the extinction of fires and had to participate in first aid.
Information campaigns with regard to chemical risks were also set up, in particular through the press, because the population also had to be trained in the use of individual means of protection in the event of chemical attacks. Collective sanitation devices could also be present in the cellar shelters.
The municipalities distributed gas masks, in the absence of these, it was necessary to cover the nose and the mouth with a damp cloth or soaked with urine.
Knowing that passive defense was in charge, in particular, of protecting the population in the event of bombardments through shelters and cellars, we will now discuss the various air shelters.
Air raid shelters
The municipalities identified, rehabilitated or created anti-aircraft shelters from the 1920s and the establishment of passive defense; these shelters were built in 1939. However even if in our time when we talk about "the cellars" we think of the cellars of the houses where the civilians take refuge in the event of an alert we will see that there are different types of shelters including trenches, shelters and public shelters.
• General and common points
Air raid shelters were shelters intended to serve as a refuge in the event of an enemy air raid and therefore a threat of bombing, they took on a lot of importance during the Second World War because of the strategic bombardments of civilians and played a role important for their protection. Their main purpose was to protect against the blast effects of bombardments, air pressure, air intake, projectile shards and building debris.
Some undergrounds could be equipped with concrete benches and partitioned toilets in shelters of certain importance. (see photos 3 and 6).
Theoretically, the shelters had to be empty if the alert was not given, but in practice civilians spent the night underground because of the frequency of the alerts; this is why we could find mattresses in some cellars (see photos 4 and 7). Fines of 16 to 200 francs could be imposed as well as prison sentences ranging from one day to one month in the event of repeated offenses. In addition, the destruction, degradation and deterioration of works or objects intended for the protection of the population against the dangers of bombardments were punishable by imprisonment ranging from one month to 2 years and a fine of 100 to 500 frank.
The prolonged stays in the cellars had consequences on the health of the population. The promiscuity and the time spent in these shelters caused the transmission of various diseases such as tuberculosis, scabies and other infectious diseases; physiological deficiencies were also noted in children.
Maximum security was required in the shelters by respecting the installation of electric lighting, hygiene, sufficient ventilation and hermetic closure of the cellar.
The surface of the cellars and public shelters were calculated so as not to exceed more than fifty people per room, the larger rooms were subdivided.
An air volume of 3 m³ had to be provided for each person to be accommodated, this air volume could be reduced to 1 m³ in the event of artificial ventilation.
The area per person should not be less than 0.6m².
All the shelters were marked and recognized by architects and passive defense engineers who adapted them after a technical examination, for example they could request the reinforcement of a ceiling (see photo12).
Cellars with gas pipes, steam or hot water heating systems or boilers should not be used. If the use of such rooms were however necessary, valves had to be installed in the gas, water or steam pipes so that any danger was excluded.
Concrete toilet in a shelter. (photo 3)
Interior of a shelter, concrete benches. (photo 6)
Interior of a cellar. (photo 4).
Interior of a shelter, camp bed. (photo 7).
Reinforcement of the ceiling of a cellar. (photo 12).
The shelter trenches
Generally the trenches were built when the passive defense was put in place in 1935.
These shelter trenches have also been qualified as “ex-nihilo”, that is to say that they were created; they were simple constructions with baffles and right angles to break the blast effect of the bombs. They were inexpensive, quick and easy to build shelters. They had to be a good distance from buildings to avoid collapses in the event of a bombardment and have two exits. Generally it was advisable to build them outside of the shadows of buildings if the layout allowed. These galleries generally had the following measures: 1.5 to 1.8 meters in width and 2 meters in height and could have four people per linear meter. Despite the qualification of "trenches" these shelters had to be covered and consolidated.
These shelters could be ventilated by basements and holes allowed the evacuation of water. These shelters essentially protected against splinters and raised the question of chemical attacks, these shelters not being airtight, gas masks had to be provided.
These are poorly equipped shelters, traces of electrical installation were found. Usually they have an entrance and an exit and only have seating, the walls have metal plugs which supported planks used as benches. (see photos 1 and 2). These benches could, in certain cases, be folded down on each side of the wall.
The guards of these shelters were auxiliaries of the police headquarters paid by the department.
At the start of each alert, the warden had to go to the trench to open it and help people settle there. He was also responsible for maintenance and equipment and could do night patrols to check if the trenches were not occupied while the alert was raised.
They were used by those surprised by the alert and by residents of the neighborhood who did not have a cellar-shelter or family shelter.
They were indicated by a sign indicating the number of places available.
Here too shovels, pickaxes, food and first aid equipment were recommended.
From 1945; the municipalities questioned the usefulness of these shelters and began to demolish them.
Trench shelter. (photo 1).
Trench shelter. (photo 2).
The cellar shelters
The cellar shelters were in reality private cellars for the civilian population; under inhabited buildings, buildings in particular. They were intended for the tenants of the building, for people occupied there (by their work in particular) and for neighboring buildings, subject to availability. The owners, caretakers of buildings or managers with cellar shelters were required for the duration of the alert to leave the doors of the building open to the public view as well as the descents to the cellars. They were also required to receive people from outside the building surprised by the alert but within the limit of the places provided.
People wishing to take shelter in these cellars must first register with the head of the shelter. The list of people admitted was posted in the hall of the building by the shelter manager.
The cellars of adjoining buildings could be pierced to be connected to each other.
The head of the shelter was usually a person living in the building or the janitor.
These cellars were marked with a sign indicating the reception capacity but were not marked at night, unlike public shelters (see appendix 5).
Cellars of buildings of less than four floors should generally not exceed more than thirty people and those of more than four floors no more than fifty people.
The cellar shelters had a security level of 1 to 3; these levels were assigned by the prefecture.
The cellars of buildings of more than four floors were considered as protected by the building, while the other cellars were subject to the visit of a passive defense architect who decides on the need or not to reinforce them (see photo 12 ).
The cellar shelters were fitted out by the owners; they were also responsible for maintenance. Most cellars had little equipment, sometimes just enough to sit on, although the authorities recommended minimal equipment such as pickaxes, shovels, food, drinking water and emergency lighting. that we saw in the first part on passive defense.
The accesses and entrances to the shelters had to be created if necessary and obstructed inside by damp curtains or sheets and the air vents had to be blocked. It could also be recommended to open only one door at a time to fight against toxic gases (see photo 8). Interestingly, some prefectures advocated bringing a caged bird into cellar shelters. It made it possible to detect the presence of deadly gas; if the bird showed signs of weakness or died, the occupants of the cellar had to equip themselves with gas masks quickly.
Electric lighting was often simple but failing that electric lamps or accumulators can be used with the exception of flaming devices.
The cellar ceilings were reinforced to withstand the weight of the debris in the event the house collapsed.
If the basement windows exceeded the level of the sidewalk, a masonry wall had to be built, it had to be at least 51 cm thick and afforded protection against splinters.
In Boulogne, 400 cellars could accommodate 20,000 people and contained a medicine cabinet.
Signaling of a shelter. (photo 8).
• Public shelters
The public shelters were intended to shelter, within the limit of available places, people surprised on the public highway in the event of a day or night alert as well as the occupants of neighboring buildings not having cellar shelters or shelters. family.
These shelters were built by the city and were marked on the outside by a red circle containing the number of the shelter as well as the inscription "public shelter", at night they were indicated by a blue lantern bearing the letter A.
The arrangements had to be made so that the accesses to the cellars were without danger and had to allow to leave in the event that the building was damaged by the bombardment.
The occupants of these public shelters were under the authority of the shelter manager who was assisted by one or more passive defense agents wearing armbands.
Special cases
At the end of the 1930s, the railway installations were provided with shelters to anticipate future conflicts, it is for this reason that in France some shelters carried the SNCF logo.
Indeed, under the occupation the Germans had many concrete shelters built near stations, bridges and yard stations likely to be targeted by bombardments. These are generally half-shelters which are half-buried and were intended for occupants of stations, railway personnel or train drivers in the event of air raids. Some shelters, smaller were intended for sentries and contained only one or two places.
The shelters of the larger stations could be combined with tunnels allowing the evacuation of the exposed buildings.
Another particular case, that of the Saint Louis hospital in Boulogne sur Mer. It also had underground shelters which were fitted out as an operating room, hospitalization or maternity room for example. The cellars were even enlarged with the help of the neighboring cellars on rue Saint-Louis. A 23-meter-long tunnel was fitted out to descend to a depth of 5 meters in reinforced concrete to facilitate stretches sheltered from bad weather and splinters; ambulances disembarked the wounded directly at the entrance to the tunnel. At the end of this tunnel was a triage room where patients were examined, undressed and warmed up. It was equipped with emergency exits, water stations and central heating. On June 15, 1944, Boulogne experienced one of its most terrible bombardments; several torpedoes fell on the hospital and the entire blast: the roofs were removed, the windows torn off, the ceilings destroyed, the cellars and the kitchen were flooded. The next day, the hospital was declared unusable, abandoned and transferred to Desvres.
Family shelters were another category of air raid shelter, they were usually rooms in the basement or isolated buildings (garage or laundry room) surrounded by walls.
Theaters, cinemas, restaurants, meeting rooms and premises intended to accommodate large numbers of people were to be provided with temporary shelters large enough to accommodate all visitors. The shelter had to be in the building itself or in a very close place, the distance not having to exceed one hundred meters. The access roads had to be spacious to avoid, among other things, jostling.
Businesses and premises could be closed if they did not have sufficient shelter.
To conclude
To conclude and summarize, we can remember that passive defense emerged in the 1920s with the fear of a new war. Its mission is to set up a surveillance and alert network, to protect buildings and populations against the risk of bombardments. To carry out these missions they organize the information and training of the population, as well as the development of the various anti-aircraft shelters; they are also the guarantors of the application of the various measures necessary for the proper conduct of alerts.
As for the shelters, strictly speaking, they are of three types: trenches-shelters, public shelters and cellar-shelters. They depend on the municipalities or the owners of the building depending on the type of shelter. Most shelters are summarily furnished but passive defense recommends a minimum of material to be able to deal with all eventualities: tools for clearing in the event of a building collapse and a first aid kit.
The capacity of the shelters depends on the surface and the building. Signage must indicate the location of shelters and their capacity.
Today, in the cities, many vestiges still testify to the passive defense set up before and during the Second World War.
Signage and capacity of a shelter.
Signage indicating a trench shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Medicine cabinet in a shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Signaling of a shelter.
Sources
INRAP (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research) - Nicolas SAMUELIAN - A WWII shelter discovered in Nanterre - October 10, 2019 - Accessed April 26, 2020
Wikipedia - Air Raid Shelter - Accessed April 26, 2020
Geos1777.free.fr - Shelters during the Second World War - Accessed April 26, 2020
Canal U website - All sheltered! The forgotten remains of the passive defense of the Second World War in France (1935-1946) - March 27, 2019 - Accessed April 27, 2020
Géo.fr - In Béziers, a World War II shelter discovered by chance - Juliette de GUYENCO - February 3, 2020 - Accessed April 26, 2020
Lebonbon.fr - The forgotten underground shelters of Paris - Tiana RAFALI - June 8, 2017 - Accessed April 26, 2020
Wikipedia - Occupation of France by Germany during the Second World War - Accessed April 26, 2020
Wikipedia - Passive Defense - Accessed April 26, 2020
Lille 2 University Thesis Law and Health - General medicine and the organization of care in Boulonnais during the Second World War - 2017
Fontenay sous Bois archives - passive defense in Fontenay sous Bois
Municipal Archives of Boulogne - Female Boulogne, history of women from the 18th century to 1975
Retronews site - Gazette of Bayonne, Biarritz and the Basque country - Passive defense, cellar and public shelters - September 23, 1939
Retronews site - Gringoire - Protection against air peril - September 14, 1939
Retronews website - L'aube - Paris organizes its passive defense - August 29, 1939
Retronews site - Official Journal of the French Republic - November 7, 1939
Retronews site - The work - How should the cellar shelters be fitted out - May 9, 1944
Retronews website - The awakening of the North - Implementing provisions of July 18, 1942 concerning the ordinance relating to passive anti-aircraft defense - October 22, 1942
Retronews website - La tribune de l'Aube - Communiqué from the prefecture - August 7, 1941
Retronews website - The great echo of the Aisne - Passive defense in Saint-Quentin - April 19, 1939
Retronews website - L'écho saintongeais - Passive defense - August 25, 1940
Retronews website - The awakening of the North - What to do in the event of an air alert - December 7, 1941
Retronews site - Marianne - Passive defense ensures the protection of open cities - September 27, 1939
Retronews Site - The Work - Passive Defense - August 14, 1943
Retronews website - The law - Official documents - April 11, 1935
Wikipedia - DCA - Accessed May 2, 2020
Alain LOTTIN - History of Boulogne-sur-Mer - Chapter VX, ruin and rebirth of the city (1939-1980)
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Emilie Faucherand
May 2, 2020