The barns of the Lhers plateau

On January 7, 1944, the American bomber piloted by Second Lieutenant Charles W. Walters was shot down over Brou (Eure). He, his co-pilot Carl E. Bickley, and radio operator Louis E. Del Guidice were taken in by a nearby farm. 

Thanks to a chain of solidarity, the helpers, they arrived in Pau on February 7 and joined a convoy of about twenty people taken in charge by the smugglers Jean-Baptiste Capdaspe, Catherine Traille, and Troïtino. After passing through the Bedous train station without incident, the group began the climb to the Lhers plateau in the night and rain. Halfway there, they came across a patrol, which, fortunately, the guides managed to avoid. In the morning, they reached a sheepfold and, exhausted, were finally able to rest. 

Catherine Traille went back down into the valley, while Capdaspe and Troïtino, suspicious, kept watch on the surroundings through the cracks in the door.  In the morning, they saw six Germans arrive and try to enter. Immediately, without making a sound, with the help of Renaud de Changy and two Americans, they braced themselves against the rickety door, which withstood the German pressure, and the soldiers left. 

Worried that they would return, the group organized their defense. They had six revolvers and two machine guns and were ready to defend their lives. Two hours later, it wasn't a few soldiers who arrived, but two large trucks loaded with about fifty men. Anxiety was at its peak, everything seemed lost, but the trucks left immediately. The Germans were simply conducting maneuvers! 

In the evening, Catherine returned with news and sandwiches. Led by the young girl and Troïtino, the group resumed their march, but in February, at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, rain quickly turned to snow, and faced with the threat of a storm, the guides decided to make another stop. 

After a night and a day in a barn, around midnight, the journey resumed on ground covered with fresh snow. It was an ordeal for everyone, especially the Americans, who were very poorly shod. At daybreak, the fog enveloping the mountain made it difficult even for the guides to find their way. 

Finally, around 10 a.m., the sun dispelled the mist, revealing the descent to Aragon. The border was there, and Tino and Catherine were able to leave the group they had led so well to freedom.