Editing Bordeaux (section)

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-074-2852-36A, Bordeaux, Platzkonzert der Wehrmacht.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Place de la Comédie during the [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation]]]]

During World War II, Bordeaux fell under [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation]].

In May and June 1940, Bordeaux was the site of the life-saving actions of the Portuguese consul-general, [[Aristides de Sousa Mendes]], who granted thousands of Portuguese visas, which were needed to pass the Spanish border, to refugees fleeing the German occupation.

From 1941 to 1943, the [[Regia Marina|Italian Royal Navy]] established [[BETASOM]], a submarine base at Bordeaux. Italian submarines participated in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] from that base, which was also a major base for German [[U-boats]] as headquarters of [[12th U-boat Flotilla]]. The massive, reinforced concrete U-boat pens have proved impractical to demolish and are now partly used as a cultural center for exhibitions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 June 2020 |title=World's largest digital arts centre opens in Bordeaux submarine base |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200609-world-s-largest-digital-arts-centre-opens-in-bordeaux-submarine-base |website=France 24 |language=en |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617071806/https://www.france24.com/en/20200609-world-s-largest-digital-arts-centre-opens-in-bordeaux-submarine-base |url-status=live}}</ref>