David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

schoolchildren honor the French flag
with a full fascist salute—right arm
outstretched, palm down. On the scale of
the adjustments necessary under German
occupation, saluting the flag each
morning was a small matter. Most
people complied. But not those living in
the town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.
Le Chambon is one of a dozen
villages on the Vivarais Plateau, a
mountainous region not far from the
Italian and Swiss borders in south-
central France. The winters are snowy
and harsh. The area is remote, and the
closest large towns are well down the
mountain, miles away. The region is
heavily agricultural, with farms tucked
away in and around piney woods. For