In World War II, the Alpes-Maritimes were occupied by the Italian Fourth Army from 11 November 1942 onwards.

The sympathy of the Italian authorities caused the area to become a safe haven for thousands of Jewish refugees.

After the Italian Armistice in September 1943, and under direct threat from the German authorities, a thousand of Saint-Martin's Jews made the climb up the Old Salt Road mountain passes in the Gesso Valley and what they thought was the safety of Italy .

[5] The annual Marche de la Mémoire is held in September to commemorate the flight of the Jews from Saint-Martin to Italy.

[6] The local gendarmerie commander, Maréchal des logis-chef Landry Mangon and his wife Adrienne took under protection a one year old Jewish child named Jean-Claude Dreymann and another officer Joseph Fougere and his wife Yvonne took the child's five-year-old sister Cecile and presented them as their children during the Gestapo's round-up of Jews and thereby saved their lives.