During the occupation of Paris by the Germans during WWII, Jean-Pierre Gailliard stayed with his Grandmother, Marguerite Gailliard, west of Paris at Château-Gontier. His parents, Jack and Georgette Gailliard, were living in Paris at that time. In 1944, Jean-Pierre was 9 years old. This is the story of the events leading up to the liberation of Château-Gontier, (Mayenne department, near the western front of France) in August, 1944, as written by Marguerite Gailliard.

Mayenne is indicated using an arrow on the map below. A map of Château-Gontier is shown further below. A larger version of the city map can be obtained by clicking on the map below. Note that the map has been modified a bit to be more representative of 1944.