Burgundy

The countryside south of Paris became a critical staging ground for Allied evaders once German security tightened along the Channel ports. From Dijon across to the Morvan and down the Saône valley, farmers, priests, railway staff and maquisards quietly absorbed aircrew who had been moved out of Paris by the wider escape-line network. The “Burgundy” sector linked the northern escape lines (Pat O’Leary, Comète, Shelburn) with guides who knew every woodcutters’ track toward the Swiss border or the Mediterranean.

Why Burgundy mattered

Geography: Rolling vineyards and thick forests provided cover within 90 minutes of the Paris–Lyon main line. Evaders could be hidden in wine cellars one day and moved by bicycle to a forest camp the next.
Transport maps: Local cheminots forged timetables and rerouted wagons to move escapees onto secondary lines toward Lyon, Chalon-sur-Saône or Mâcon where further helpers took over.
Allied liaison: MI9 circuit officers such as Major Philippe “Philippe” de Vomécourt and Captain Marcel Clech (Pat O’Leary Line) used the region to regroup evaders before onward movement to Spain or Switzerland.

Moving people south

Arrival from Paris – Couriers from the Pat O’Leary Line or the Comète network delivered small groups by night train to Auxerre, Tonnerre or Chalon-sur-Saône where safe houses waited.
Safe-house ladder – Families such as the Decharme, Quétel and Petit clans hid Allied aircrew in barns or winery attics. False identity cards were produced locally using prefecture stamps stolen in Dijon.
Split routes
- East to Switzerland: Couriers guided pairs of evaders along the Doubs valley to Pontarlier, crossing near Les Fourgs with help from passeurs linked to RAF intelligence.
- South to Spain: Others were cycled or trucked toward Lyon to rejoin Pat O’Leary couriers for the onward journey to Toulouse and the Pyrenees.

Helpers remembered

Lucienne and Georges Brunet (Beaune): Hid downed USAAF crew for weeks, coordinating with local FFI units to move them after Luftwaffe sweeps.
Guy and Lydie de Chivré (Semur-en-Auxois): Ran a network of rural presbyteries that doubled as supply depots for maquis groups and for sheltering evaders.
Yvette Lévy (“Lucienne”): A courier who cycled between Dijon, Joigny and Nevers carrying blank identity cards, ration coupons and coded messages sewn into her clothing.

Liberation and aftermath

When Allied forces liberated Dijon in September 1944, many of the Burgundy helpers joined regular French Army units or the British-led Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force (SAARF). MI9 credited the sector with shepherding more than 350 Allied servicemen between 1942 and 1944—despite mass arrests after the betrayal of Pat O’Leary’s Marseille headquarters in 1943. Memorial plaques now dot the region, and ELMS members return each year during the Lyon and Citeaux commemorations to read the names of those deported to Ravensbrück, Neuengamme and Buchenwald.

Continue exploring

Read about the broader Belgium & France escape lines to see how Burgundy fit into the west-European network.
Follow the story of the Pat O’Leary Line whose couriers relied heavily on Burgundian guides after the fall of northern ports.
Learn how the Comète Trail now commemorates helpers across France and the Basque country.