the citadel of Cambrai. However, on 6 June 1940, he managed to escape from the Germans and their zone interdite. Returning to Paris by September 1940, he resumed his shop on the Rue Royale in October 1940. In December 1941, the shop was placed under the control of the Commissariat-General for Jewish Affairs, which affixed a yellow star to the shop front and forced the removal of the name Samuel from the sign. He then entrusted his shop to a friend, a "war nurse". In March 1942, he went to the zone libre, the southern "free" zone, before joining the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) in 1943. There, on 16 August 1944, he witnessed the arrival of the first of the Seventh United States Army's commandos of Operation Dragoon on the Marsanne plateau. He returned to Paris in September 1944 where he again took over his shop. In his autobiography, Memoirs of a jeweller (), Samuel explains why he kept only the first name Fred on his shop window: "[P]erhaps as a challenge, perhaps so as not to forget those monstrous hours, perhaps also to maintain the benefit of a healthy anonymity". Development and diversification (1960-1990) From the 1960s onwards, the company experienced sustained growth when Fred Samuel's sons, Henri and Jean, joined the business. Together they opened various boutiques in France, Monaco and the United States. They also decided to broaden the House's product range by opening the "6 Royale" in the 8th arrondissement of Paris in 1975, a boutique dedicated to the sale of leather goods and luxury accessories. At that time and for many years, the company distributed watches including brands such as Piaget, Rolex, Baume & Mercier and Audemars Piguet. In December 1962, Fred opened its first shop at Orly airport when the terminal opened. The company built its reputation by collaborating with renowned artists: Jean Cocteau and Bernard Buffet for the creation of their own jewellery in 1962 and in 1971, and then with the organisation of an exhibition of Braque jewellery in 1972. For the opening of the Beverly Hills boutique in 1977, engraved plates by Picasso depicting "Ovid's Metamorphoses" were exhibited. Over the years, other artists have worked with the company, such as Miroslav Brozek, Arman and even Jean-Paul Goude. The company also relied on precious stones to develop. In 1977, it acquired a 105.54-carat yellow diamond which it named the "Soleil