--- title: "Jean Maupoint" description: "Story about the Holocaust victim Jean Maupoint" url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/jean-maupoint" date: "2026-07-19T06:42:11+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![Jean Maupoint](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/07/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-011-07d77a47.jpg&src=images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-011.jpg&thumbnail=270,270,&hash=c37ca177) Prisoner number: 31851 Name # Jean Maupoint --- Date of birth 24 September 1907 --- Nationality French --- Place of birth Lucon Main Concentration Camp Dora Mittelbau --- Incarcerated 16 April 1943 --- Survived the war? Yes --- Deceased 21 August 1945 Holocaust victims ## A song to last a lifetime ![Jean Maupoint Buchenwald card](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-002.jpg)© Arolsen Archives used with permission [Visit their website](https://arolsen-archives.org/en/) [](#) [](#) - [](#) Copyright: Above images are from The Arolsen Archives are an international center on Nazi persecution --- Jean Maupoint was born on 24 September 1907 in Luçon, France. He moved to Clermont Ferrand in February 1932. There he worked as a lynotipiste and a music hall artist. In 1937 he created the satirical song about the “**Tiretaine**” a river that crosses Clermont Ferrand. The song is funny but, has a dark side to it when listening to it carefully: > Moi quand d’la vie je voudrai en finir, > Pour être sûr de mourir… > Dans le lit d’la Tiretaine > Je me laiss’rai glisser, > J’aurai l’âme sereine > Sachant que la mort sera vite arrivée… > Dans les eaux de la Seine > On est long à s’noyer ; > Tandis qu’dans la Tiretaine… > On est vite asphyxié! This song will propel him into the world of French Music Hall Artists. War is coming but he does not hesitate to continue in the same tone to ridicule the occupier by skilfully playing on words. When he walks on the stage with a portrait of Hitler in his hand he asks, "So what do we do? Shall we hang it or nail it?" A part of the audience was not amused and one evening in 1943, they waited for him backstage and handed him over to the Nazis who promptly arrest him. He was transferred to Compiègne. The Royallieu de Compiègne barracks were built in 1913 and consisted of 25 buildings over an area of ​​16 hectares. From 1941 to 1944, the barracks of Compiègne Royallieu were used by the German army. The Royallieu camp played a central role in German occupation policy. Most of the inmates were political prisoners, resistance fighters and communists coming from all the prisons in France and bound for the Nazi camps. There were also civilian inmates (Russians, Americans, among others) and Jews. There he was put on a convoy that left Compiègne on 16 April 1943 for Mauthausen in Germany, where he received prisoner number **26907**. He was transferred to the Wiener-Neustadt kommando, and was also detained in Buchenwald. But for Jean Maupoint, even in the dark of the night, held his humor. So he creates satirical songs. His fellow inmates still remember the song: "**A compiegne**" This song can be listened to in the sidebar to your right. ### Buchenwald Jean arrived in Buchenwald on 20. November 1943 and was transferred three days later on 23. November 1943 to Dora Mittelbau concentration camp in Nordhausen, which was a subcamp of Buchenwald. On the way to "hell" Jean Maupoint hums his songs over and over again. The journey lasts two days. He had received prisoner number **31851**. As Dora was established as a sub-camp of the Buchenwald camp, prisoners who were transferred to Dora actually kept their Buchenwald number and were not given new numbers. Only after Dora became KL Mittelbau an independent concentration camp on 28-29.October and 1. November 1944 did this change. The prisoners who were already in Mittelbau kept their numbers. All the new arriving prisoners were given new numbers bigger than 100 000. It is thus possible to know if a prisoner came to Mittelbau before 1. November 1944 or after depending on their number. ### Propaganda While at work assembling V2 rockets he was chosen for a fotoshoot by Walter Frentz, Hitler's official photographer. That famous color picture, used for propaganda to show Hitler how well the production went, can be seen on your right aswell. Pushing cart wagons in the dirt and dark of the Dora Mittlebau tunnels, Jean Maupoint hums his latest creation: ### La Marche des convicts, Waltz of the Dora inmates. > Il est parfois des noms > Dont l’origine nous inquiète > Et que nous répétons > Souvent sans rîmes ni raisons. > Parmi ces noms troublants > Qui circulent dans notre tête > Il en est un sûrement > Dont nous nous souviendrons longtemps. **Chorus** > Dora, Dora, > Est-ce un chien ou un chat, > Est-ce un nom de fleur ou un nom de femme, > Dora, Dora, > Que ça soit ce que ça voudra > Quel plaisir on aura > Quand on quittera Dora. > Si vous êtes parrain > Après la guerre d’une fillette, > Il faudra c’est certain > Lui trouver un nom assez bien : > Choisissez Dorothée, > C’est un nom de grande coquette, > Et comme ça dans l’intimité > Vous pourrez l’appeler **Chorus** > Lorsque vous vous rendrez > Chez un ami faire bombance, > Fatalement vous prendrez > Sur le trottoir un gros pavé, > Votre femme vous dira : > Voyons, Henri, c’est de la démence, > Chérie tu ne comprends pas > Mais à cet ami ça rappellera **Chorus** > Un jour en société > Il se peut que vous disiez même : > Tous à poil à côté > Maintenant je vais vous désinfecter. > Rajustant son lorgnon, > Une marquise très Louis XVe > Vous dira : mon garçon > “Vous tenez ça de quel salon?” **Chorus** > Quand vous apercevrez > Devant un grand baquet > De pommes de terre > Un cochon s’engraisser, > De suite vous protesterez. > Pour avoir un tel droit > Qu’est-ce que ce cochon > A bien pu faire > Car je connais un endroit > Où il y en aurait au moins pour trois. **Chorus** > Si un soir au logis > Votre femme vous disait : > Pour te plaire je t’ai acheté aujourd’hui > Un beau pyjama bleu et gris. > Fous-moi le camp avec ça, > Crierez-vous plein de colère, > Car vois-tu ce pyjama. > Ressemble au costume que je portais à **Chorus** > Bientôt quand, sonnera > L’heure de la délivrance > Et qu’enfin Von verra finir > Notre vie de forçat, > En attendant le train > Qui nous ramènera en France, > Tous le cœur plein d’entrain > Nous chanterons ce petit refrain. --- ### Left to die Jean was admitted to the prisoner infirmary (Block 39) in KL Mittelbau on 22 January 1945 and released on 17 March 1945. He was again admitted on 2 April 1945. Because Jean was in the prison hospital and therefor probably too sick to go on transport or the infamous death march, the guards no doubt thought he would not live very long and left him there to die. Lucky for Jean, KL Dora Mittlebau was liberated on 11 April 1945 by the troops of the US 9th and 104th Infrantry Divisions and the US 3rd Armored Division. Jean, still alive but in a bad condition, was repatriated by plane. He received the **FFI badge** and writes the “**Lettre de Toto au Père Noël**”. A song of tears intended for his son Jacky. He sadly passed away at the Hôtel-Dieu de Clermont-Ferrand on August 21, 1945 at the age of 38. This was due to the fact that his health that had taken a turn for the worst in the damp and dark tunnels at Dora Mittlebau. In August 1945 Jean received the **French Resistance Medal** and on 6 May 1962, The **Rue Jean Maupoint** was inaugurated in Clermont Ferrand A big thank you to Miss Tödtli for checking the data ### Personal images Click the images to enlarge [ ![Jean Maupoint](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/5c/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-004-5cd79108.jpg)Jean Maupoint ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-004.jpg) [ ![The only known photo of the departure of a convoy from Compiègne](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/fe/depart_de_convoi_-febefdac.jpg&src=images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/depart_de_convoi_.jpg&thumbnail=300,213,&hash=73182b2b)The only known photo of the departure of a convoy from Compiègne ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/depart_de_convoi_.jpg) [ ![Original list of camp items for Jean Maupoint](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/18/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-003-1883bce0.jpg&src=images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-003.jpg&thumbnail=300,411,&hash=d621f0d8)Original list of camp items for Jean Maupoint ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/d-day-normandy-beyond-jean-maupoint-003.jpg) [ ![Mittlebau Dora](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/9c/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-010-9c4750fd.jpg&src=images/photos/Holocaust/dora/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-010.jpg&thumbnail=300,175,&hash=6c939457)Mittlebau Dora ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/photos/Holocaust/dora/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-010.jpg) [ ![The V2 rockets Jean worked on](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/98/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-011-98a3eec4.jpg&src=images/photos/Holocaust/dora/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-011.jpg&thumbnail=300,175,&hash=644b65d5)The V2 rockets Jean worked on ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/photos/Holocaust/dora/d-day-normandy-beyond-dora-011.jpg) [ ![The famous color picture of Jean (on the left) Copyright: Walter Frentz Collection](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/41/Frentz-Dora44-Dia7_Kopie_Copyright_Walter-Frentz-Collection-41084e82.jpg&src=images/photos/Holocaust/dora/frentz/Frentz-Dora44-Dia7_Kopie_Copyright_Walter-Frentz-Collection.jpg&thumbnail=300,194,&hash=5900872a)The famous color picture of Jean (on the left) Copyright: Walter Frentz Collection ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/photos/Holocaust/dora/frentz/Frentz-Dora44-Dia7_Kopie_Copyright_Walter-Frentz-Collection.jpg) [ ![Thanks to the Fondation mémoire Déportation - Commission Dora Ellrich](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/fc/logo-fc2887c3.png)Thanks to the Fondation mémoire Déportation - Commission Dora Ellrich ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/holocaust/french/jean_maupoint/logo.png) --- #### Share on social media The stories on my website educate about WWII. 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Everards", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/how-it-started" }, "datePublished": "2021-02-16T10:15:02+01:00", "dateCreated": "2021-02-16T09:15:02+01:00", "dateModified": "2026-03-01T15:32:52+01:00" } ```