Does anyone know if there was an area of Paris during WWII that the Germans did not want to go, especially at night?
Interesting, I actually did a research project on that in high school and found it really fascinating, but I was thinking more along the lines of a nasty or dangerous neighborhood. I'm not sure the catacombs would really be an appropriate setting for the type of story I'm trying to write, but thanks for the suggestion.
Rather than a neigbourhood I'd rather think about certain areas like the the metro, or the Seine shores. I know that some Gemrans were shot in the metro because the itinerary could be calculated , so they could not escape.
Were the Seine shores particularly dangerous? Not to be morbid, but if so, was it because one could get rid of bodies that way?
That was my thought. I have heard of stories of Germans who were never heard of again after going for a stroll near the Seine. These could be urban legends though, as similar things are said about the canals in Holland, but I suppose it would have been easy to throw someone from a bridge. Germans being shot in the metro is a fact though. There were even some harsch reprisals and hostages shot after such killings.
Although there were many attacks on Germans by certain resistants, the Germans themselves tried to live "at peace" in Paris publicly. The secret police agencies of course had raids, hauled people off, and deported them. After the landings in Normandy more and more attacks started to happen. There was a proposed deal between the Germans and the resistance groups that tried to put off limits areas on that sort of thing, but certain resistance groups didn't want to wait for the help of the allies to get there. There were several attacks that "required" German retaliation.
You might get some idea of the "mood" in Paris from this six page Time magazine article of 1941 which describes the three Frances of the period. Occupied France, Vichy France, and Free France of the DeGaulle followers. Goto: FRANCE: Troubled Exiles - TIME Good Luck in your story-line search.
