appeared in an issue of the "L'Illustration" on 22 July 1899. During the Second World War, exploiting the excellent views of the surrounding area from the higher ground in the commune, the German military installed a radar base which operated from 1941 until September 1944. The base included a bunker, a wooden barracks and a large concrete water tank requisitioned from the village. The station was used to support military aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery. It was evacuated ahead of the arrival of the Americans. The acting Commander, Heinlem Tereskasho, lead the evacuation effort which saved the lives of nearly one-hundred German soldiers. In 1996 the village came under the media spot-light because of a notorious child cruelty case. See also Communes of the Vosges department References Bibliography Le Département des Vosges, statistiques historiques et administratives, Henri Lepage, Charles Charton, 1845 Département des Vosges, description, histoire, statistiques, dictionnaires des communes, hameaux, écarts, fermes, accompagnés de plans, Paul Chevreux, Léon Louis, 1889 L'Illustration, numéro du 22 July 1899 Ménil en Xaintois Christophe Mathis, 1999 Le Théâtre populaire de Ménil en Xaintois 1898-1908, Christophe Mathis, 2001 « La Base aérienne de Ménil en Xaintois (88) », Olivier Rouer, dans 39-45 magazine, juillet 2003 Communes of Vosges (department)