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

could get people—especially children—
out of the camps. But they had nowhere
to send them. Trocmé volunteered Le
Chambon. The trickle of Jews coming up
the mountain suddenly became a flood.
In the summer of 1942, Georges
Lamirand, the Vichy minister in charge
of youth affairs, paid a state visit to Le
Chambon. Pétain wanted him to set up
youth camps around France patterned
after the Hitler Youth camps in
Germany.
Lamirand swept up the mountain with
his entourage, resplendent in his marine-
blue uniform. His agenda called for a
banquet, then a march to the town’s
stadium for a meeting with the local
youth, then a formal reception. But the