Absolutely agree, Wander00. If this were simply a story about sheer fortitude of civilian and military escape and evasion by land over immense distances and terrible terrain (witness the Polish Army evacuation following the successful Nazi invasion) it would be well worthy of a thread dedicated as this one is to WWII.
But, as sidevalve has already told us, the raison d'etre of the Comete, nee Dedee, Line was the escape of Allied Airmen to the UK via the Basque region of SW France. Here at least collaboration gave way to resistance in order to repatriate that most valuable of war winning Allied assets, trained operational aircrew. Those courageous civilian volunteers who risked their lives, and often gave them in order to assist in this unique way the Allied Bomber Offensive, had no illusions about the true cost of total war. They may have been young but they had more wisdom than the anguishing chattering classes back in the UK. As you say, respect!