Up to a million French people denounced their neighbours to the Nazis during the Second World War, historians have revealed.
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Historians now say only a very small percentage related to Jews and a large proportion – around a quarter – of the letters were about French family dramas often involving husbands, wives, lovers and village rivals.
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The majority of letters were from women, although male letters were higher in proportion to their much smaller wartime population.
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The French language is unique in having two terms for denunciation: "La delation" is its contemptible form while "la dénonciation" is merely doing one's duty and dates back to the French Revolution.
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