So did the Dutch and Belgians, but for some reason, they don’t get picked on nearly as much as the French, despite the fact, as I pointed out, the survival rate for Jews in France was much higher than in those countries.
My goal was to clear up the perception that the vast majority of Jews in France perished during the war, which was not the case.
It’s easy with the benefit of hindsight to know what course of action should have been taken.
But I will stand by my assertion that most people at that time would have dismissed the original reports about the death camps, and probably would have believed that the Nazis were settling the Jews in “Family Camps” in the East, with the mistaken belief that they would actually be safer there. Of course we know better now.
And yes, for mere collaboration alone, Laval and Petain got their just desserts.
The reason the Dutch and Belgians don’t receive their share of condemnation in current terms is largely due to the open anti-semitism is nowhere near as prevalent in their societies, from what I know. The French (in some ways just as “Vichy” as WWII times) seem to make no effort to rid themselves of the stain of anti-semitism.