''Évadés'' (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

; or 'the escaped', sometimes ), often referred to in France as the évadés de France () to distinguish them from escaped prisoners of war, were

and Belgian nationals who attempted to escape from

German-occupied Europe German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly military occupation, militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the governmen ...

to reach the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

or other Allied territories in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Many attempted to cross the French border into

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

with the help of paid intermediaries (''passeurs'') or local sympathisers in an attempt to reach

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

or Gibraltar Colony where it was possible to arrange transport to the United Kingdom with Allied help. A smaller number instead travelled to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and a small number of French ''évadés'' instead sought to travel through the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Many were detained by local police as they crossed illegally through the ''

zone libre The ''zone libre'' (, ''free zone'') was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during World War II, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered b ...

'' in

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

and were sometimes forced to enlist with Vichy's Foreign Legion in

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

or the work camps run by the '' Chantiers de la Jeunesse''. Once across the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, others were detained by the Spanish police and held in prisons or the Miranda concentration camp. Dutch nationals making similar journeys were often referred to as ''

Engelandvaarder An ''Engelandvaarder'' (; ) was a Dutch person who escaped from the German occupation of the Netherlands, German-occupied Netherlands to the United Kingdom during World War II with the intention of joining the Free Dutch forces. The name deri ...

s''. On arrival in the United Kingdom, the ''évadés'' were held at the Patriotic School in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where they were interrogated to discover any Axis spies hidden among them. Subsequently many joined the armies in exile in the United Kingdom or other Allied services.

External links

* {{italic title French words and phrases Military history of France during World War II Military history of Belgium during World War II France–Spain relations Belgium–Spain relations Spain in World War II

See also

Further reading

External links