Overview

• The Service du travail obligatoire compelled roughly 650,000 French citizens to work in German factories from 1942 under Vichy’s collaboration with Nazi Germany.
• Survivors recount grueling daily routines, constant surveillance and occasional sabotage of war production lines.
• Upon returning to France, former STO workers endured social suspicion and were often branded as collaborators despite their coercion.
• “STO – Les Oubliés de la victoire” aired on France 3 on May 28, showcasing centenarian testimonies alongside previously unseen archival footage.
• Legal efforts for recognition and compensation continue, with Albert Corrieri’s recent reparations claim having been rejected by the courts.