French Slave in Nazi Germany

Elie Poulard lives in France. Jean V. Poulard, his brother and translator, is professor of political science at Indiana University Northwest.

"There are few STO memoirs translated into English, and Poulard's testimony becomes all the more important as a result. Moreover, this is a book not about resistance or collaboration, but about those millions of French who complied with the rules of occupation as a means of survival. . . . [W]e see a story of fear and survival—one which replicates the experiences of most French people during that period." —H France Review"The book can be read in a few hours, and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to more fully understand French forced labor in World War II history." —Carolyn Porter Book Review Blog"[This] book sheds light on an under-documented population who suffered under the Nazi regime and is a welcome addition to the literature of World War II." —Catholic Library World"The Nazi war machine was powered by slaves. Elie Poulard was just one of the more than 600,000 French civilians who were rounded up by Vichy collaborators and sent to work in Nazi Germany. Now, more than 70 years after the end of the Second World War, Poulard is sharing his story. A French Slave in Nazi Germany, recounts the largely forgotten horrors and deprivations conscripted workers suffered at the hands of their captors, as well as the dangers they faced as Allied bombs rained down around them." —Military History Now"Jean Poulard of Michiana Shores had a large part in the release of his brother's book. . . . In 1943, the Vichy French government, which collaborated with the German occupation in World War II, made a law, the Required to Work Service Act, that mandated young French males work for the Germans. Elie [was] one of 600,000 men who were forced into such service. . . . Firsthand accounts of this part of French history in World War II are rare, especially in books available in the United States." —The News Dispatch"As the passage of time silences the voices of the Second World War generation, we are grateful to have the memories of Elie Poulard. A French Slave in Nazi Germany tells the story of how Elie Poulard's faith helped him endure the many years of suffering as a Déporté du Travail. His eloquent and gripping tale is testament to the abiding power of the human will in the face of adversity." —Michael Creswell, author of A Question of Balance: How France and the United States Created Cold War Europe"This is a fascinating and depressing account of a young Frenchman sent by his own government to be a slave laborer in Nazi Germany. One can only have enormous respect for Elie Poulard, who persevered and kept his faith in the face of hardship and tragedy. He not only witnessed one of the darkest periods in modern history, but he survived it with cunning and dignity." —John J. Mearsheimer, author of Why Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics"The book vividly evokes the life of a young French man forcibly sent to work in Germany during World War II. Once the Vichy Government of France passed the Required Work Service Law in 1943, more than half a million young French men were deported to Germany where they worked in the harshest conditions to replace the German men sent to fight in the war. This testimony is particularly significant today, at a time when all aspects of the war are closely examined. The chapters about the effects of the Allied bombing in the western part of Germany are especially poignant as they allow the reader to witness the gradual collapse and final capitulation of the Nazi regime." —Thomas Pavel, Gordon J. Laing Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago"A French Slave in Nazi Germany: A Testimony addresses a significant though little-known page of French history during World War II. While many people know of the Vichy government and its collaboration with the Nazis—in particular the deportation of French Jews—few people realized then, and now, the extent of such collaboration. It would surprise many to learn that the Vichy government provided Germany with French citizens who were deported and forced into slave labor in wartime Germany. Poulard's book confronts this unsavory part of French history and gives personal testimony to the terrible conditions under which the deported laborers existed." —Michael Khodarkovsky, Loyola University Chicago"A welcome addition to the literature on forced labor in Nazi Germany." —History: Reviews of New Books"This book makes an important contribution to the historiography of WWII, with its firsthand account of what foreign workers endured when sent to Nazi Germany." —Foreword Reviews