Editing Bayonne (section)

===The World Wars===
The 249th Infantry Regiment, created from the 49th Infantry Regiment, was engaged in operations in the [[First World War]], including action at [[Chemin des Dames]], especially on the plateau of [[Craonne]].<ref group="FL" name="p54">p. 54.</ref> 700 Bayonnaises perished in the conflict.<ref group="FL" name="p54" /><ref group="Note">The ''Courrier de Bayonne'' of 8 August 1914 described the departure of the Regiment in the following terms: "[...] As for the trains which carried our brave little poilus of the 49th, they were adorned with flowers. On the wagons were pleasant or patriotic inscriptions. We noted the following: "Pleasure Train for Berlin, out and back"; on others: "Vive la France! Long live England ! Long live Russia !" were framed by garlands and on the locomotives were the flags of the three countries fraternally chattering in the wind ... If the Germans saw it, perhaps they would not be very sure of victory. [...]" (Source: Maurice Sacx, Bayonne and the Basque Country—Witnesses of history, Biarritz, Basque Museum of Bayonne, 1968).</ref> A centre for engagement of foreign volunteers was established in August 1914, in Bayonne. Many nationalities were represented, particularly the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Czechs,<ref group="Note">The Avenue of the Czech Legion in Bayonne is in their honour.</ref> and the Poles.<ref group="Note">The Polish company was cited in an order of the Army dated 21 June 1918, by [[General Petain]] (source: François Lafitte Houssat, Bayonne Nive and Adour, Joue-les-Tours, Alan Sutton, 2001 ({{ISBN|2-84253-557-X}})).</ref><ref group="FL" name="p55">p. 55.</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], Bayonne was occupied by the [[3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf]] from 27 June 1940 to 23 August 1944.<ref group="PiH" name="p30">p. 30.</ref>

On 5 April 1942, the Allies made a landing attempt in Bayonne but after a barge penetrated the Adour with great difficulty, the operation was cancelled.<ref>Louis Poullenot, ''Lower Pyrénées Occupation Liberation 1940–1945'', J&D Éditions, Biarritz, 1995, p. 246 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref>

On 21 August 1944, after blowing up twenty ships in port,<ref>Jacques Navarret, ''The Port of Bayonne – Congrès 1999'', p. 293 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> German troops withdrew. On the 22nd, a final convoy of five vehicles passed through the city. It transported Gestapo Customs agents and some elements of the ''Feldgendarmerie''. One or more Germans opened fire with machine guns killing three people.<ref group="Note">The shooting took place at the Saint-Léon crossroads near the train station and near the citadel.</ref><ref>In ''The week in Basque Country'', J. Crouzet, August 1994. {{in lang|fr}}</ref> On the 23rd, there was an informal and immediate installation of a "special municipal delegation" by the young deputy prefect Guy Lamassoure representing the [[Provisional Government of the French Republic]] which had been established in [[Algiers]] since 27 June.