The Rules in the camps in North Africa

Already known is the most particular ruling, that the solicitude of the Home Ministers, Marquet, Peyroutou, Pucheu, installed in the camps for foreigners in France. One ignores though what were the rules in North Africa, where the Vichy government instructions were applied, with an anticipated zeal the most frequently, to several thousands of former soldiers.
There were twelve camps in Morocco, there were forty in Algeria… One used to work twelve hours a day there; and in several camps even on Sundays and holidays…Food was bad and insufficient, shelters were precarious dug in the dirt and covered with a mat; by rain the men ran out or stood up rather than dipping in cold water. No hygiene, pests, one liter water per day per capita. In Im-Fut at the beginning 50% were ill…

At Bu-Arfa, the men had to accomplish tasks two to four time harder than the Arab workers who deserted the work-yard after their first or second pay. By day under a deadly sun, by night in the tents or barracks the temperature fall as low as 10°C under zero. In those conditions were built the first portions of the “Trans-Sahara”, the Mediterranean to Niger from Bu-Arfa to Kenadza… In contrary of any logic, the fact of having served for France at the time of danger, created against the former foreign volunteers a negative prejudice… They were in disciplinary camps, a requisite complement to a good administration of these former foreign volunteers who had became public evil-doers… Managed by experimented wrongful officers and deputies officers who had the know-how to bring down the prisoners suspect of a too moderate support to the Maréchal Petain; to fasten them to a stake, bare head under the sun during a full day, the beating with a stick, the lion cage where the “patient” is locked in a 6’ by 6’ cube, the torture of the “tomb” where the punished must lay in a trench 6’ by 2’ and remain on the very soil for at least eight days…

At four leagues from Bu-Arfa, at Fum-Defla, the valley of pink laurels, at the place of the “tombs” the flowers don’t grow anymore, there are no more rules… The laurels are cut. There is just a concrete Block on which is engraved: “To the martyr Volunteers”, one name KLEINKOPF, two dates “1906 – 1942”, one symbol: David star. It’s the tomb of a volunteer that couldn’t stand up, and who just had to be covered with dust… Did he imagine, this volunteer, that when he offered his life, he violated the “laws of hospitality and recognition”… He rests on the Morocco ground, like these other volunteers, Brenman, Demustere, like the four volunteers who died in less than three months in Im-Fut, like Chmielewski who died when he arrived at the Casablanca hospital…

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Extracts from Albert Saul’s diary (volunteer recruit) sent by his daughter Angèle Saul

My father Albert Saul was born in Smyrna, Turkey on June 5th 1910, Turkish citizen, Judeo-Spanish origin. He died September 9th 1979.
After the “Young Turks Revolution”, the invasion of Smyrne by the Greek army in 1919, Ataturk took over the power. The Jewish, Greek and Armenian minority became equal on regard of the military service. They had to undergo during seven years strength duties in the mountains. Many Jews escaped it through emigration. My family chose France. They arrived in Paris in 1922. They traded with oriental carpets. At the very beginning of WW2 many Jewish associations encouraged the emigrants to serve in the French army. The foreigners could only engage for the duration of the war. Most of them were assigned in the regiments of the Foreign Legion without a contract, which was different from the other legionnaires.
On February 7th 1940 engaged himself in the French army and was automatically “Volunteer Engaged for the duration of the war”, in Morocco, assigned in the 2nd Regiment of Foreign Cavalery (2éme R.E.C.) id n°1234.
The army’s duty was to secure the Algerian-Morocco border. After the armistice, in North Africa, 1500 Jews (Judeo-Spanish, Turkish etc…) were assigned in the internment camps for the communists (Jews or non-Jews), socialists, anti-fascists, Republican-Spaniards and German Jews. After the defeat of 1940 the Foreign Volunteers were demobilized. That was also my father’s case, on September 22nd 1940. For the Vichy government he had lost the status of French combatant. He became an enemy of Germany, thus also from its ally the Vichy government. My father was arrested under “administrative measure” and put in the Abu-Arfa camp, in Morocco and assigned to the 4th Group of Foreign Workers till Marsh 17th 1943. A certificate of good behavior was given to these soldiers in recognition of their services!
On Marsh 22nd 1941, the Maréchal Pétain authorized the construction of a railway, the Trans Sahara-Mediterranean-Niger. This task was imposed to many prisoners. They were not prepared for these tough tasks, rock breaking and other. A document from the Home Minister Pucheu anticipated that the workers who had served France , would be freed if they could show a working contract, which was very difficult to obtain, and an amount of 10,000 francs.
My father wrote a diary from January 1941 till February 1942. Here are some extracts who explains the daily sufferings in the camps of Bu-Arfa, Meridja, Berguent, the difficulties to get the document necessary to return on the France:
January 2nd. Our permissions were suppressed the day before. As we refused to work, they took us with two trucks to a little “bled” where they prepared a 10mx10M square and put 28 prisoners in it, guarded by two armed watch. The first one who step over the line was shot without any summons… Like us there are 53 Spanish prisoners. We have 450g of bread per day, 80g vegetable and 150g of meat (with bone), 350g of dry dates…
January 24th: A prisoner tried to escape. The arabs told us he was taken…
February 1st: Decidedly we remain here far from the world. In the evening a former Spanish Commander Prof. Gonzalez, made a lecture on Anatomy…
February 3rd: Assisted to French lesson, for we have a school. We went to the beach. The evening the prof. Santiago made a lecture on archeology…
February 7th: Arrived at 10km from Bu-Arfa. We learn that the liberations have started…
February 10th: Have broken rocks all day long. 27 prisoners has left; end of Marsh everybody should be gone…
Marsh 2nd: Transferred to the 5th Group with German Jews. I don’t like the place at all. The work is different; we have to do the ballast…
April 6th: We are requested to dig holes to build inhabitations for they will take our shelters. I’m fed up of this life, we work too much and we are insulted. I have fever, teeth ache...
June 3rd: I have fever, I believe that it’s a malaria crisis. Despite the Sirocco wind, we must work all day…
June 9th: They disclosed a note saying that each must brake ½m3 of stones per day to avoid the prison…
July 14th (Bastille Day): We were not supposed to work, but we had to…
September 22nd Rosh Hachana: Nobody wanted to work…
September 30th Yom Kippour
October 1st: I did not eat.
October 5th: All the Jews have to work to replace the Wednesday…
November 23rd: The catholic shall leave to Colomb-Bechar and we, the Jews to Berguent…
November 25th: They are gone and we continue to crack stones…
January 1942: Cold and snow. Worked all day; all the stones have been broken…
January 4th: Have received 1 kilo of figs from the Volunteer Recruits Committee…
January 27th: Breguent camp. The work is quite hard, we repair a road…
February 4th: Good rumors about our liberation, but I don’t have too much illusions. My letter to Sarah did return…
Marsh 17th 1943: The camps are freed by the Anglo-Americans. My father remains in Casablanca, he cannot return to France. Meanwhile he opened a small shop…
On Marsh 18th his 22 year-old wife Sarah is arrested, sent to Drancy and deported to the Maïdanek extermination camp(near Lublin, Poland) on Marsh 25th 1943…
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Casablanca, May 28th 1947: At 6am, embark on the Montcalm, destination France. The image of Sara does not leave me. I’m obsessed, I’m still suffering…
My father’s flat was taken back by the owner after Sarah’s deportation. My father did not find anything left from their belongs.