The Battle of Saumur occurred during the last stages of the Battle of France during World War II, when officer cadets from the Cavalry School at Saumur, led by superintendent Colonel Charles Michon, made a defensive stand along the Loire River at Saumur, Gennes, and Montsoreau. For two days the Cavalry School, and other assorted units which had fallen back before the German Wehrmacht advance, held off a German attack. Since the battle occurred after the message by Marshal Pétain which called for an end to fighting, the event is often considered one of the first acts of the French Resistance.
Fall Rot, June 1940
Pont des Cadets de Saumur sign
Gennes and St Eusèbe
Aunis farm near Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The chateau, the church of Saint-Pierre-du-Marais and the town hall, seen from across the Loire
The Saumur City Hall
The Cessart Bridge
Cessart Bridge over the Loire River in Saumur