The Croix de Lorraine, chosen by General de Gaulle as the symbol of the resistance.^[1]

The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy Regime during World War II. Resistance groups comprised small groups of armed men and women (referred to as the maquis when based in rural areas),^[2][3] publishers of underground newspapers, and escape networks that helped Allied soldiers. The Resistance was pulled from all layers and groups of French society, from conservative Roman Catholics (including priests), to liberals, anarchists and communists. Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine is a heraldic cross. ... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (  listen?) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to fighting an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation through either the use of physical force, or nonviolence. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The German occupation of France in World War II occurred during the period between May of 1940 to December of 1944. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Members of the Maquis in La Tresorerie For other uses, see Maquis. ... The phrase underground press, especially underground newspapers (or simply underground papers) is, these days, most often used in reference to the print media associated with the countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, although publishers of those journals had borrowed the name from previous underground presses such as... Catholic Church redirects here. ... This article is about religious workers. ... Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... Anarchist redirects here. ... This article is about the form of society and political movement. ...

The French Resistance played a valuable role in facilitating the Allies' rapid advance through France following the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 and Provence on August 15, by providing military intelligence on the Atlantic Wall and Wehrmacht deployments and coordinating acts of sabotage on power, transport and telecommunications networks.^[4][5] It was also politically and morally important for France both during the occupation and for decades after as it provided the country with an inspiring example that stood in marked contrast to the collaboration of the Vichy Regime.^[6][7] Belligerents Western Allies Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Arthur Tedder (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (Ground Forces Commander in Chief) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (Air Commander in Chief) Bertram Ramsay (Naval Commander in Chief) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B) Strength 1,452,000... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants United States1 United Kingdom2 Free France3 Germany Commanders Lt. ... This article is about the day of the year. ... German coastal artillery in the Pas-de-Calais area, with laborers at work on casemate. ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... For other uses, see Sabotage (disambiguation). ... Power line redirects here. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... Collaborationism, as a pejorative term, can describe the treason of cooperating with enemy forces occupying ones country. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ...

After the landings in Normandy and Provence, resistance combatants were organized more formally into units known as the French Forces of the Interior (FFI). Estimated to have a strength of 100,000 in June 1944, the FFI grew rapidly, doubling by the following month and reaching 400,000 in October of that year.^[8] Although the amalgamation of the FFI was in some cases fraught with political difficulty, it was ultimately successful and allowed France to re-establish a reasonably large army of 1.2 million men by VE Day in May 1945.^[9] The French Forces of the Interior (Fr. ... Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitlers Reich. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Motivations

The cemetery and memorial in Vassieux-en-Vercors, where in July 1944 German forces executed over 200 inhabitants in reprisal for the maquis' armed resistance.^[10] The town was later awarded the Ordre de la Libération.^[11]

Further information: German occupation of France during World War II

Following the Second Armistice at Compiègne, life continued normally for many in France. However, the German occupation authorities and the collaborationist Vichy Regime soon began employing increasingly brutal means in order to subdue the French population, and although the majority of people neither collaborated nor resisted the occupation,^[12][13] the authorities' unpopular acts provoked movements of active and passive resistance among a discontent minority.^[14] Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ordre de la Libération (Order of the Liberation) is a French Order (decoration) awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during the Second World War. ... Location of Vichy France (green). ... The Second Armistice at Compiègne, France was signed on June 22, 18:50, 1940, between Nazi Germany and France. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ...

One of the conditions of the Armistice was to pay the costs of the three-hundred-thousand strong German occupational army, which amounted to twenty million Reichsmarks per day.^[15] The artificial exchange rate of the German Reichsmark currency against the French franc was consequently established as one mark to twenty francs.^[15][16] This allowed German requisitions and purchases to be made into a form of organised plunder and resulted in soaring inflation,^[17] endemic food shortages and malnutrition,^[18] particularly amongst children, the elderly, and the more vulnerable sections of French society such as the working urban class of the cities.^[19] Labour shortages occurred due to hundreds of thousands of French workers being requisitioned and transferred to Germany for Compulsory Labour Service (‘’Service du Travail Obligatoire" or STO)^[20][21][22] and the large number of French prisoners of war being held in Germany.^[23] The occupation became increasingly unbearable with the numerous regulations, censorship and propaganda in place during the day, and the forbiddance to go out without authorization during the night.^[16] The sight of French women consorting with German soldiers also angered many Frenchmen.^[24][25] User(s) Germany Subunit 1/100 Reichspfennig Symbol RM Reichspfennig Rpf. ... ISO 4217 Code FRF User(s) Monaco, Andorra, France except New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna ERM Since 13 March 1979 Fixed rate since 31 December 1998 Replaced by €, non cash 1 January 1999 Replaced by €, cash 1 January 2002 € = 6. ...

The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane, in Limousin region.

In reprisal for resistance activity, the authorities soon established harsh methods of collective punishment. The increased militancy of communist resistance in August 1941 led to thousands of hostages being taken from among the general population,^[26] of whom "at each further incident a number reflecting the seriousness of the crime shall be shot."^[27] Over the course of the occupation, 30,000 French civilians were shot as hostages for acts of resistance.^[28] Occasionally, German troops would engage in massacres, such as the destruction of Oradour-sur-Glane, where an entire village was razed and the population killed for resistance activities in the vicinity.^[29][30] Oradour-sur-Glane was a village in the Limousin région of France that was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants — including men, women and children — were murdered by a German Waffen-SS company. ... This article is about the modern French region of Limousin. ... Collective punishment is the punishment of a group of people as a result of the behavior of one or more other individuals or groups. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Look up massacre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Oradour-sur-Glane was a village in the Limousin région of France that was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants — including men, women and children — were murdered by a German Waffen-SS company. ...

In early 1943, the Vichy authorities established a paramilitary group, the Milice, to combat the resistance alongside the German forces that were stationed in all of France by the end of 1942.^[31] The group collaborated closely with the Nazis and was the Vichy equivalent to the Gestapo security forces in Germany.^[32] Their actions were often very brutal and included the torture and executions of suspected resistance members. After the liberation of France, many of the estimated 25,000 to 35,000 miliciens^[31] were executed themselves for collaboration, and the ones who escaped arrest were forced to flee into central Germany, where they were incorporated into the Charlemagne Division of the Waffen SS.^[33] Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A recruitment poster for the Milice. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The   (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: “secret state police”) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... For other uses, see Torture (disambiguation). ... Execution is a synonym for the actioning of something, of putting something into effect. ... Charlemagne Division or Charlemagne regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during the World War II. Charlemagne division was not a single military unit but succession of groups of collaborating French volunteers (though the exact nature of volunteering has been... Recruitment poster of the Waffen-SS. (Enlistment at the fulfillment of the 17th year of age, meaning at the age of 18) The Waffen-SS (German for Armed SS, literally Weapons SS) was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel (Protective Squadron) or SS. In contrast to the Wehrmacht, Germanys...

Sociology

Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves was a naval officer and a famous martyr of the French Resistance. He set up an intelligence network in the occupied zone which eventually had 26 members. They were infiltrated and arrested by the Germans in May 1941 and d'Estienne d'Orves, along with eight of his fellow prisoners, was shot on August 29 of that year.

The French resistance involved men and women of all ages, social classes, occupations, religions and political movements. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1409x1578, 155 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Henri Honoré dEstienne dOrves ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1409x1578, 155 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Henri Honoré dEstienne dOrves ... Henri Honoré dEstienne dOrves Henri Honoré dEstienne dOrves (3 June 1901, Verrières-le-Buisson — 29 August 1941, Fort du mont Valérien) was a French Navy officer, reputed first martyr of Free France and one of the major heroes of the French Resistance. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In retrospect, the famous résistant Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie gave the image of the resistance having been made up of social outcasts on the fringes of society, saying "one could only be a resister if one was maladjusted."^[34] Although many did adhere to this description, including d'Astier himself, most resistance participants came from traditional backgrounds^[35] and were "individuals of exceptional strong-mindedness, ready to break with family and friends."^[36] Emmanuel dAstier de la Vigerie (January 9, 1900—June 12, 1969) was a French journalist, politician and member of the French Resistance. ...

Inevitably, there is the question of how many active resistance participants there were. While stressing that the issue was sensitive and approximate,^[37] François Marcot, a Professor of History at the Sorbonne, proposed the total figure of those involved in active resistance as 200,000, with a further 300,000 people who had substantial involvement.^[37] The historian Robert Paxton estimated the number of active resistants to be "about 2% of the adult French population [or about 400,000]", going on to say that "there was no doubt, wider complicities, but even if one adds those willing to read underground newspapers, only some two million persons, or around 10% of the adult population, seem to have been willing to take that risk."^[38] The postwar government of France officially recognised 220,000 men and women.^[39] The statistics reflect the fact that only a small minority of the French population participated in the resistance, in contrast with the post-war portrayal of a broadly resistant France. Inscription over the entrance to the Sorbonne The front of the Sorbonne Building The name Sorbonne (La Sorbonne) is commonly used to refer to the historic University of Paris in Paris, France or one of its successor institutions (see below), but this is a recent usage, and Sorbonne has actually... Robert Paxton (b 1932) is a historian who worked on Vichy France. ...

Women

Although inequalities persisted under the Third Republic, the cultural changes that followed World War I allowed the gender gap in France to be gradually minimized,^[40] with women acceeding to political responsibilities by the 1930s. The defeat of France in 1940 and the appointment of the Vichy Regime's conservative leader Philippe Pétain undermined feminism,^[41] and France began a traditional restructuring of society based on the "femme au foyer" or "women at home" imperative.^[42] On one occasion, the Marshal spoke out to French mothers of their patriotic duty: Motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, equality, brotherhood) Anthem La Marseillaise The French Third Republic, pre-World War I Capital Paris Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism, protestantism and judaism official religions (until 1905), None (from 1905 until 1940) (Law on the separation of Church and State of 1905) Government Republic... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain, was a French general, later Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de lÉtat Français), from 1940 to 1944. ...

Despite opposing the collaborating regime, the French Resistance generally sympathised with its antifeminism and did not encourage the participation of women, following, in the words of the historian Henri Noguères, "a notion of inequality between the sexes as old as our civilization and as firmly implanted in the Resistance as it was elsewhere in France."^[44] Consequently women in the resistance were less numerous than men and represented an average of 11% of members in the formal networks and movements.^[45][46] Those who were involved in the resistance were usually confined to a subordinate role.^[47] Lucie Aubrac, the iconic resistant and co-founder of Libération-Sud, was never assigned a specific role in the hierarchy of the movement.^[47] Hélène Viannay, one of the founders of Défense de la France, who was married to another of its founders, was never permitted to express her views in the underground newspaper, and her husband took two years to reach political views she had always held.^[48] Lucie Samuel née Bernard (June 29, 1912 – March 14, 2007), better known as Lucie Aubrac, was a French history teacher and member of the French Resistance. ... The Liberation-sud resistance group was established by a group of French people including Emmanuel dAstier, Lucie Aubrac and Raymond Aubrac. ... Défense de la France is the name given to the French Resistance during the Second World War. ...

A volunteer of the French resistance interior force (FFI) at Châteaudun in 1944.

Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was the only female leader in the resistance and was head of the Alliance network.^[49] The Organisation Civile et Militaire had a female wing headed by Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux,^[50] who took part in setting up the Œuvre de Sainte-Foy to assist prisoners in French prisons and German concentration camps.^[51] No women were chosen to lead any of the eight major resistance movements, and after the liberation of France the Provisional Government appointed no women as Ministers or Commissaires de la République.^[52] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 487 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (535 × 658 pixel, file size: 83 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Watched by two small boys, a member of the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) poses with his Bren gun at Chateaudun - 1944 Source: IWMCollections... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 487 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (535 × 658 pixel, file size: 83 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Watched by two small boys, a member of the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) poses with his Bren gun at Chateaudun - 1944 Source: IWMCollections... Châteaudun is a commune of the Eure-et-Loir département, in France. ... Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (1909 - 1989) was, during the occupation of France in the Second World War, the leader of the French Resistance network Alliance, after the arrest of its former leader George Loustaunau-Lacau. ... The Provisional Government of the French Republic was an interim government which governed France from 1944 to 1946. ...

Jews

The Vichy Regime had legal authority in both the northern zone of France, which was occupied by the German Wehrmacht, and the unoccupied southern "free zone", where the regime's administrative center of Vichy was located.^[53][54] It voluntarily and wilfully collaborated with Nazi Germany to a high degree^[55] and adopted a policy of persecution towards the Jews, enacting anti-semitic legislation as early as October 1940, with the Statute on Jews which legally redefined French Jews as a lower class and deprived them of citizenship.^[56][57] According to Pétain's chief of staff, "Germany was not at the origin of the anti-Jewish legislation of Vichy. That legislation was spontaneous and autonomous."^[58] The laws led to confiscations of property, arrests and deportations to the concentration camps.^[59] As a result of the fate they were promised by Vichy and the Germans, Jews were over-represented at all levels of the French resistance. Studies show that although Jews in France only amounted to one percent of the French population, they comprised about 15 to 20% of resistance members.^[60] Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... Vichy (Occitan: Vichèi) is a French commune, situated in the département of Allier and the région of Auvergne. ... Collaborationism, as a pejorative term, can describe the treason of cooperating with enemy forces occupying ones country. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vichy Regime voted in many laws on the status of Jews, grouping them as a lower class of citizen before rounding them up at Drancy then taking them to be exterminated in concentration camps. ... A social class is, at its most basic, a group of people that have similar social status. ... Citizen redirects here. ... Philippe Pétain Marshal Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain, was a French soldier and Head of State of Vichy France, from 1940 to 1944. ...

The Jewish youth movement Eclaireurs Israélites de France (EIF), which during the early years of the occupation had shown support for the Vichy regime's traditional values,^[61] was banned in 1943 and its members soon formed armed resistance units.^[62] A militant Jewish resistance organization, the Jewish Army, was begun in 1940 by two Russian-born Jews, and over the next few years prepared units of young combatants for armed operations.^[62] In 1944, the EIF and the Jewish Army combined to form the Organisation Juive de Combat (OJC). The OJC had 400 members by summer of 1944,^[62] who participated in the liberations of Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Grenoble and Nice.^[63] Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... This article is about the French city. ... New city flag (Occitan cross) Traditional coat of arms Motto: (Occitan: For Toulouse, always more) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Midi-Pyrénées Department Haute-Garonne (31) Intercommunality Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc  (UMP) (since 2004) City Statistics Land... Grenoble (Franco-Provençal: Grenoblo) is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. ... This article is about the French city. ...

In the South occupation zone, the Œuvre de secours aux enfants saved the lives of between 7,500 and 9,000 Jewish children by forging papers, smuggling them to neutral countries and sheltering them in orphanages, schools and convents.^[64]

Artist's impression of a meeting of the PCF central committee at Longjumeau, 1943. Left to right: Benoît Frachon, Auguste Lecoeur, Jacques Duclos and Charles Tillon.

Longjumeau is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image:Duclos. ... Charles Tillon is a French politician. ...

Communists

After the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the French Communist Party (PCF) was declared a proscribed organisation by Edouard Daladier's government.^[65][66] Many of its leaders were arrested and imprisoned or forced to go underground.^[67] The PCF adopted an anti-war position under orders from the Comintern in Moscow,^[68][69] which remained in place for the first year of the German occupation, mirroring the relationship between Germany and the USSR.^[70] Conflicts erupted within the party, as many of its members opposed collaboration with the Germans.^[71] On Armistice Day in November 1940, Communists were among university students staging demonstrations against German repression by marching along the Champs-Élysées.^[72] It was only when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 that French communists began to actively organize resistance,^[73][74] benefiting from their experience in clandestine operations during the Spanish Civil War.^[67] Molotov signs the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... French politician Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (June 18, 1884 - October 10, 1970) was a French politician, and Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War. ... The Comintern (Russian: Коммунистический Интернационал, Kommunisticheskiy Internatsional – Communist International, also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organization founded in March 1919, in the midst of the war communism period (1918-1921), by Vladimir Lenin and the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), which intended to fight by all available means, including... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Champs-Élysées (pronounced  ) is the most prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ...

On August 21, 1941, Colonel Pierre-Georges Fabien committed the first symbolic act of resistance and assassinated a German officer at the Barbès-Rochechouart station of the Paris Métro.^[75][68] The attack, and others perpetrated in the following weeks, caused fierce reprisals ending with the execution of 98 hostages after the Feldkommandant of Nantes was shot on October 20.^[76] is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... List of stations of the Paris Métro Barbès - Rochechouart is a station of the Paris Métro, serving Line 2 and Line 4. ... Métro redirects here. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris to discredit a group of 23 Franc-Tireurs known as the "Manouchian Group". After the group's members were arrested, tortured and publicly tried, they were executed by firing squad in Fort Mont-Valérien on February 21, 1944. The poster emphasised the group's composition of Jews and Communists in order to discredit the Resistance as not being "French".^[77]

The military strength of the communists was still relatively low by the end of 1941, but the rapid growth of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) armed movement ensured that French communists regained their credibility as an anti-fascist force.^[78] The FTP was open to non-communists but under communist contol,^[79] with its members predominantly engaged in acts of sabotage and guerrilla warfare.^[80] By 1944, the FTP had an estimated strength of 100,000 men.^[81] The Affiche Rouge. ... 1967 Chinese propaganda poster from the Cultural Revolution. ... Motto Travail, famille, patrie French: Unoccupied zone of Vichy France (until November 1942) Capital Vichy Capital-in-exile Sigmaringen (1944-1945) Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholic Government Dictatorship Chief of state  - 1940 — 1944 Philippe Pétain President of the Council  - 1940 — 1942 Philippe Pétain  - 1942 — 1944 Pierre Laval... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The military history of France during World War II covers the period from 1939 until 1940, which witnessed French military participation under the Third Republic, and the period from 1940 until 1945, which was marked by colonial struggles between Vichy France and the Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle... Franc-tireur is an informal term for an armed fighter who, if captured, is not entitled to prisoner of war status. ... Missak Manouchian (Armenian: Õ„Õ«Õ½Õ¡Ö„ Õ„Õ¡Õ¶Õ¸Ö‚Õ·ÕµÕ¡Õ¶; September 1, 1906, Adyaman, in Ottoman-ruled Armenia—February 21, 1944, Fort Mont-Valérien) was an Armenian-French communist militant in the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans de la Main dOeuvre Immigrée (FTP-MOI) and the Resistance movement. ... Fort Mont-Valérien (Fort du mont Valérien; sometimes called, simply, Mont-Valérien) was a prison at Suresnes, near Paris, that served as the site for Nazi executions during the German occupation of France (1940-1944) in World War II. It overlooks the Bois de Boulogne. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... The phrase Francs-tireurs was used to describe irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and from that usage is is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who fight outside the laws of war[1]. The term... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Towards the end of the occupation, the PCF had reached the height of its influence, controlling large areas of France through the resistance units under its command. Some in the PCF wanted to launch a revolution as the Germans withdrew from the country,^[82] but the leadership, acting on Stalin's instructions, opposed this and adopted a policy of co-operating with the Allied powers and advocating a new Popular Front government.^[83]

Many well-known intellectual and artistic figures were attracted to the communist party during the war, including the artist Pablo Picasso and the writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.^[84] Picasso redirects here. ... Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980), normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (pronounced: ), was a French existentialist philosopher and pioneer, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. ...

Extreme Right and Vichyists

Before the war, there were several far right leagues in France, such as the monarchist, anti-semitic and xenophobic Action Française.^[85] The most influential was Croix-de-Feu, the only one to refuse anti-semitism,^[86] which gradually grew more moderate and was mostly made up of veterans from the previous war.^[87] The leagues were characterised by their opposition to parliamentarism,^[88] which led them to participate in demonstrations and the riots of 6 February, 1934.^[89] Later, La Cagoule, a fascist paramilitary organisation, undertook various actions aimed at destabilizing the Third Republic until it was infiltrated and dismantled in 1937.^[90] Far right leagues (Ligues dextrême droite) gathered several French far right movements opposed to parliamentarism, which mainly dedicate themselves to military parades, street brawls, demonstrations and riots. ... Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Xenophobia means fear of strangers or the unknown and comes from the Greek ξενοφοβια, xenophobia, literally meaning fear of the strange. It is often used to describe fear of or dislike of foreigners, but racism in general is sometimes described as a form of xenophobia, as are such prejudices as... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Croix de Feu was a French nationalist group of the Interwar period. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist demonstration organised in Paris by far-right leagues (antiparliamentarian militias), which finished by a riot on Place de la Concorde, which is located on the Right Bank of the Seine, in front of the Palais Bourbon, seat of the National... This sie is so crap it dont even give u the definition Signed by STAINLESS ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Like the founder of Action Française, Charles Maurras, for whom the collapse of the Republic was famously acclaimed as a "divine surprise",^[91] thousands of the extreme right strongly welcomed the Vichy Regime^[92] and participated in collaborationist movements. However, French nationalism drove equally as many to engage in resistance against the occupying German forces. Charles Maurras (April 20, 1868 Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône France – November 16, 1952) was a French author, poet, and critic. ...

In 1942, after an ambiguous period of collaboration, the former leader of Croix de Feu François de La Rocque founded the Klan Network, which provided information to the British intelligence services.^[93] Georges Loustaunau-Lacau and Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who had both supported La Cagoule, founded the Alliance Network, while Colonel Groussard, from the Vichy secret services, founded the Gilbert Network. Some members of Action Française engaged in the resistance for the same reasons, like Daniel Cordier, who became Jean Moulin's secretary, or Colonel Rémy, who founded the Confrérie de Notre Dame. These included Pierre de Bénouville, one of the leaders of Combat alongside Henri Frenay, and Jacques Renouvin, who founded the group Liberté. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... François de La Rocque (1885–1946) was leader of the French far right league named the Croix de Feu from 1930-1936, before forming the more moderate Parti Social Français (1936-1940), seen as a precursor of Gaullism [1]. // A veteran of World War I, lieutenant-colonel de... Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (1909 - 1989) was, during the occupation of France in the Second World War, the leader of the French Resistance network Alliance, after the arrest of its former leader George Loustaunau-Lacau. ... Jean Moulins most famous depiction Jean Moulin (June 20, 1899–July 8, 1943) was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his courage and death at the hands of the Germans. ... Combat (French for fight) was a French newspaper created during the Second World War. ... Henri Frenay (1905-1988) was a French military officer and French resistance member. ...

Sometimes, the contact with thousands of others in the resistance led participants to change their political philosophies. Many gradually moved away from their anti-semitic prejudices or their hatred of 'démocrassouille', 'dirty democracy', or simply from their traditional conservatism. Bénouville and Marie-Madeleine Fourcade became députés after the war, François Mitterrand moved towards the left, Henri Frenay evolved towards European socialism,^[94] and Daniel Cordier, whose family had supported Maurras for three generations, abandoned his views in favour of the republican Jean Moulin. Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (1909 - 1989) was, during the occupation of France in the Second World War, the leader of the French Resistance network Alliance, after the arrest of its former leader George Loustaunau-Lacau. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...   IPA: (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, elected as representative of the Socialist Party (PS). ... Henri Frenay (1905-1988) was a French military officer and French resistance member. ... Socialism refers to the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community. ... Jean Moulins most famous depiction Jean Moulin (June 20, 1899–July 8, 1943) was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his courage and death at the hands of the Germans. ...

The historian Jean-Pierre Azéma coined the term vichysto-résistant to describe those who at first supported the Vichy Regime (mostly the image of Pétain rather than the Révolution Nationale) but later joined the resistance.^[95] The founder of Ceux de la Libération Maurice Ripoche initially defended Vichy, but soon placed the liberation of France from the Germans above everything else, and in 1941 he opened the movement to the left-wing. In contrast, many extreme right resistance participants never renounced their attitudes towards Vichy, such as Gabriel Jeantet or Jacques Le Roy Ladurie. Jean-Pierre Azéma, born in 1937, is a French historian , and the son of the Réunionese poet Jean-Henri Azéma. ... The Révolution nationale (National Revolution) was the official ideological name under which the Vichy regime (the French state) established by Marshall Pétain in July 1940 presented its program. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

BCRA networks

Further information: Operation Jedburgh

In July 1940, after the defeat of the French armies and the consequent surrender of France to Germany, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked the Free French government-in-exile of General de Gaulle to set up a secret service agency in the occupied territory, to counter the threat of Operation Sealion - the possible cross-channel invasion of Britain. Colonel André Dewavrin, who had previously worked for France's military intelligence service the Deuxième Bureau, took on the responsibility of creating such a network, with the main goal of informing London of German military operations on the Atlantic coast and the English Channel.^[96] The Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (BCRA) was thus formed, and its actions were carried out by volunteers who were parachuted into France to create and unify local resistance networks.^[97] Jedburgh was an operation in World War II in which men from the Office of Strategic Services and the British Special Operations Executive parachuted into Nazi occupied France to conduct sabotage and guerilla warfare, and to lead French Maquis forces against the Germans. ... The Second Armistice at Compiègne, France was signed on June 22, 18:50, 1940, between Nazi Germany and France. ... Churchill redirects here. ... Flag De Jure territory Capital Paris Capital-in-exile London, Algiers Government Republic Leader Charles de Gaulle Historical era World War II  - de Gaulles appeal June 18, 1940  - Liberation of Paris August, 1944 The Free French Forces (French: , FFL) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (  listen?) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Operation Sealion (Unternehmen (Undertaking) Seelöwe in German) was a World War II German plan to invade the United Kingdom. ... Andre Dewavrin (June 9, 1911 - December 21, 1998) was a French officer who served with Free French Forces intelligence services during World War II. Andre Dewavrin was born in France, the son of a businessman. ... The Deuxième Bureau de lÉtat-major général (Second Bureau of the General Staff) was Frances external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. ... The Bureau Central de Renseignements et dAction (Intelligence and Operations Central Bureau), commonly referred as just BCRA is the World War II-era forrunner of the SDECE French intelligence service. ...

Of the nearly 2000 volunteers who were active by the end of the war, one of the most effective and well-known was the agent Gilbert Renault, who was awarded the Ordre de la Libération and later the Légion d'honneur for his deeds.^[98] Known mainly under the pseudonym of Colonel Rémy, he returned to occupied France in August 1940, not long after its surrender. He went on to organize one of the most active and important resistance networks of the BCRA; the Confrérie de Notre Dame, which provided the Allies with photographs, maps and important information on the Atlantic Wall.^[99] From 1941 onwards, multiple networks such as this allowed the BCRA to send weapons and armed parachutists into France to carry out missions on the Atlantic coast. Gilbert Renault (August 6 1904 in Vannes, France - July 29 1984 in Guingamp, France), was known during the resistance under the name Colonel Rémy. ... The Ordre de la Libération (Order of the Liberation) is a French Order (decoration) awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during the Second World War. ... Chiang Kai-sheks Légion dhonneur. ... German coastal artillery in the Pas-de-Calais area, with laborers at work on casemate. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

Foreigners

Spanish Maquis

Main article: Spanish Maquis

Following their defeat in the Spanish Civil War in early 1939, around 500,000 Republicans fled to France to escape imprisonment and execution.^[100] On the other side of the Pyrenees, refugees were confined in internment camps such as Camp Gurs or Camp Vernet.^[101][100] Although over half of the refugees had been repatriated by the time Pétain proclaimed the Vichy Regime,^[102] the 120,000 to 150,000 who remained^[103] became political prisoners, and the foreign equivalent to Compulsory Labour Service, the Compagnies de Travailleurs Etrangers or CTE, was begun.^[104] The CTE permitted prisoners to leave the interment camps if they would go to work in factories in Germany,^[105] and as many as 60,000 Republicans who were recruited to the labour service managed to escape and instead join the resistance.^[102] Thousands of suspected anti-fascist Republicans were also deported to concentration camps in Germany;^[106] most were sent to Mauthausen, where of the 10,000 Spaniards registered, only 2,000 survived the war.^[107] Members of the Basque branch of the Agrupación de Guerrilleros in 1944. ... Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pic de Bugatetin the Néouvielle Natural Reserve Central Pyrenees For the mountains in Victoria, Australia, see Pyrenees (Victoria). ... There have been internment camps and concentration camps in France before, during and after World War II. Beside the camps created during World War I to intern German, Austrian and Ottomans civilians prisoners, the Third Republic (1871-1940) opened various internment camps for the Spanish refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil... Camp Gurs was an internment and refugee camp constructed by the French government in 1939 in Southwest France after the fall of Catalonia at the end of the Spanish Civil War to control those who fled Spain out of fear of retaliation from Francisco Francos regime. ... The French département where Le Vernet is located. ... Mauthausen (from summer 1940, Mauthausen-Gusen) was a group of 49 Nazi concentration camps situated around the small town of Mauthausen in Upper Austria, about 20 kilometers east of the city of Linz. ...

Many Spanish escapees joined French resistance groups, while others formed autonomous groups. In April 1942, Spanish communists formed the XIV Corps, an armed guerrilla movement, which had a force of about 3,400 combatants by June 1944.^[103] Although the group at first worked closely with the Franc Tireurs et Partisans, it re-formed as the Agrupación de Guerrilleros Españoles (Group of Spanish Guerrillas, AGE) in May 1944^[108] to convey the group's composition of Spanish soldiers, who were ultimately advocating the fall of Franco.^[103] The Spanish maquis returned their focus to Spain after the German army was driven from France. Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Francs-tireurs. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Generalísimo Francisco Franco, caudillo de España por la gracia de Dios Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade (December 4, 1892 - November 20, 1975), abbreviated Francisco Franco Bahamonde and sometimes known as Generalísimo Francisco Franco, was dictator of Spain from 1939 until...

German anti-fascists

From spring 1943, German and Austrian anti-fascists, who had fought in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, fought in Lozère and in the Cévennes alongside the French resistance in the Franc Tireurs et Partisans.^[102] During the first years of the occupation they had been employed in the CTE, but following the German invasion of the southern zone in 1942 the threat increased and many joined the maquis. They were led by the militant German communist Otto Kühne, a former member of the Reichstag, who had over 2000 Germans in the FTP under his command by July 1944. He directly fought the Nazis, as in the battles of April 1944 in Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française, where they destroyed a Feldgendarmerie unit, or in an ambush of the Waffen-SS on June 5, 1944.^[109] Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The three-pointed red star, symbol of the International Brigades The International Brigades were Republican military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries who traveled to Spain, to fight for the republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. ... Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ... Lozère (in Occitan Losera), is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central. ... Fields in the Causse Mejean upland. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Francs-tireurs. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term maquis may refer to: The Cameroonian maquis, guerrillas from the outlawed Union des Populations Camerounaises political party; The Corsican maquis democracy of the 18th century; The maquis shrublands found in France, Corsica, and elsewhere around the Mediterranean Sea; The French maquis, who resisted the Nazis during World War... Reichstag may refer to: Reichstag (institution), the Diets or parliaments of the Holy Roman Empire, of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy and of Germany from 1871 to 1945 Reichstag building, Berlin location where the German legislature met from 1894 to 1933 and again since 1999 The Reichstag fire in 1933, which... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française is a commune of the Lozère département in France. ... The Feldgendarmerie (a French term roughly translating to Field Police) were the military police units of the armies of the German Empire (including the Wehrmacht) from post-Napoleonic times through its dissolution at the conclusion of World War II. // Early incarnations of the Feldgendarmerie came into being on a ad... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Italian anti-fascists

On March 3, 1943, representatives of the Italian Communist Party and the Italian Socialist Party, who had taken refuge in France, signed the "Pact of Lyon", which began their participation in the resistance. The Italians were particularly numerous in the Moselle industrial area, which had been annexed by Hitler, where they played a determining role in the creation of the département's main resistance organisation Groupe Mario.^[110] Vittorio Culpo is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Moselle is a département in the northeast of France named after the Moselle River. ...

Networks and movements

Main article: List of networks and movements of the French Resistance

It is customary to distinguish the various organisations of the French Resistance between movements and networks. A resistance group or network was an organization created for a specific military purpose, primarily intelligence, sabotage, and aiding shot-down Allied pilots.^[111][112] Resistance movements, on the other hand, were primarily aimed at educating and organizing the population,^[112] stating their purpose was "to raise awareness and to organize the people as broadly as possible."^[111]

Beginnings

The concept of a thoroughly organized resistance that fought throughout the whole of France would not be an accurate portrayal for the first few years of the occupation, from 1940 to 1942. In the beginning, active opposition to the authorities was sporadic and carried out only by a tiny, disunited minority.^[113] Most French men and women held faith in the Vichy government and its patriarch Pétain, regarded as the "saviour" of France,^[114][115] and continued to do so until its unpopular policies and collaboration became apparent. Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The earliest resistance organisations had no contact with and received no material aid from London, and consequently most focused on propaganda through the distribution of underground newspapers.^[116] Many of the major movements grew around the distribution of the newspapers, such as Défense de la France, and although their activities gradually diversified over the following years, propaganda remained their most important occupation.^[117] Défense de la France is the name given to the French Resistance during the Second World War. ...

Early acts of resistance were often undertaken more out of instinct than ideology,^[118] but later several distinct political alignments and attitudes towards post-liberation France developed amongst the resistance organisations. These differences sometimes resulted in conflicts, but were on the whole assuaged by a mutual opposition to Vichy and the Germans.^[119]

Coordination

The majority of resistance movements in France were unified after Jean Moulin's formation of the Conseil National de la Résistance (CNR) in May 1943.^[120][121] CNR was coordinated with the Free French Forces under the authority of the French Generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle and their body, the Comité Français de Libération Nationale (CFLN). Jean Moulins most famous depiction Jean Moulin (June 20, 1899–July 8, 1943) was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his courage and death at the hands of the Germans. ... The Conseil National de la Résistance (CNR) or the National Council of the Resistance is the body that directed and coordinated the different movements of the French Resistance - the press, trade unions, and members of political parties hostile to the Vichy regime, starting from mid-1943. ... Flag De Jure territory Capital Paris Capital-in-exile London, Algiers Government Republic Leader Charles de Gaulle Historical era World War II  - de Gaulles appeal June 18, 1940  - Liberation of Paris August, 1944 The Free French Forces (French: , FFL) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to... Roosevelt and Henri Giraud in Casablanca, 19 January 1943 Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 13 March 1949) was a French general who fought in the First and Second World Wars. ... This article is about the person. ...

Power struggles

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2008)

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Cultural personalities

Main article: List of people involved with the French Resistance

The pre-war personalities of France - intellectuals, artists and entertainers - faced a serious dilemma over whether to emigrate or remain following the country's occupation. Their post-war reputations would become reliant on their conduct during the war years,^[122] and many were later ostracized from the cultural bourgeoisie following accusations of collaborationism. People involved with the French Resistance include: Abbé Pierre (Catholic priest, Maquis, transition of Jews to Switzerland and safe Spain) José Aboulker Gilbert Renault, (1904-1984) Berty Albrecht, (1893-1943) Dimitri Amilakhvari, (1906-1942) Louis Aragon, (1897-1982) Emmanuel dAstier de la Vigerie, (1900-1969) Henri dAstier de...

After the war, many Frenchmen falsely claimed to have been involved in the resistance. Some—like Maurice Papon—even manufactured a false resistance past for themselves.^[123] Maurice Papon (September 3, 1910 – February 17, 2007) was a former official of the French Vichy government who collaborated with Nazi Germany in World War II and was in charge of the Paris police during the Paris massacre of 1961. ...

Activities

The September 30, 1943 issue of the resistance newspaper Défense de la France.

is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Défense de la France is the name given to the French Resistance during the Second World War. ...

Clandestine press

The first action of many resistance movements was the publication and distribution of the clandestine press. This was not the case with all movements, as some refused civil action and preferred armed resistance, such as CDLR and CDLL. Most clandestine newspapers were not consistent in their issues and were often just a single sheet, because the sale of all raw materials - paper, ink, stencils - was prohibited.

In the northern zone, Pantagruel, the newspaper of Franc-Tireur, had a circulation of 10,000 by June 1941, and was quickly replaced by Libération-Nord which reached a circulation of 50,000. By January 1944, Défense de la France was distributing 450,000 copies.^[124] Franc-tireur is an informal term for an armed fighter who, if captured, is not entitled to prisoner of war status. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Défense de la France is the name given to the French Resistance during the Second World War. ...

In the southern zone, François de Menthon's newspaper Liberté merged with Henri Frenay's Vérité to form Combat, in December 1941, which grew to a circulation of 200,000 by 1944.^[125] During the same period, Pantagruel published 37 issues, Libération-Sud published 54 issues and Témoignage chrétien published 15. Henri Frenay (1905-1988) was a French military officer and French resistance member. ... Combat (French for fight) was a French newspaper created during the Second World War. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The underground press of France published books as well as newspapers through publishing houses such as Les Éditions de Minuit (the Midnight Press)^[126] which had been begun in order to circumvent Vichy and German censorship. The novel Le Silence de la Mer was written in 1942 by Jean Bruller, and quickly became a symbol of mental resistance through its story of how an old man and his niece do not speak to the German officer occupying their house.^[127][128] Cover of the first book clandestinely published by Les Éditions de Minuit, as part of the French Resistance during WWII Les Éditions de Minuit (midnight editions) is a French publishing house which has its origins in the French Resistance of World War II and still publishes books today. ... Le Silence de la mer (The Silence of the Sea) is a book written in early 1942 by Jean Bruller, under the codename Vercors. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jean Bruller (February 26, 1902 - June 10, 1991) was a French writer and illustrator who co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit with Pierre de Lescure. ...

Francs-tireurs and Allied paratroopers reporting on the situation during the Battle of Normandy in 1944.

The phrase Francs-tireurs was used to describe irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and from that usage is is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who fight outside the laws of war[1]. The term... An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ... This article is about the assault phase of Operation Overlord. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Intelligence

The intelligence networks were by far the most numerous and substantial of resistance activities. They collected information of military value, such as coastal fortifications of the Atlantic Wall or Wehrmacht deployments. There was often competition between the BCRA and the different British intelligence services to produce the most valuable information from their resistance networks in France.^[129][130] 19th century coastal artillery guns preserved in Suomenlinna fortress in Helsinki Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating mobile anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. ... German coastal artillery in the Pas-de-Calais area, with laborers at work on casemate. ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... The Bureau Central de Renseignements et dAction (Intelligence and Operations Central Bureau), commonly referred as just BCRA is the World War II-era forrunner of the SDECE French intelligence service. ...

The first agents of the Free French to arrive from Britain landed on the Brittany coast as early as July 1940. They were Lieutenant Mansion, Saint-Jacques, Corvisart and Colonel Rémy, and did not hesitate to get in touch with the thousands of anti-Germans in the Vichy military, such as Georges Loustaunau-Lacau and Georges Groussard. Flag De Jure territory Capital Paris Capital-in-exile London, Algiers Government Republic Leader Charles de Gaulle Historical era World War II  - de Gaulles appeal June 18, 1940  - Liberation of Paris August, 1944 The Free French Forces (French: , FFL) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to... This article is about the historical kingdom, duchy and French province, as well as one of the Celtic nations. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The various resistance movements in France had to understand the value of intelligence networks in order to be recognised or receive subsidies from the BCRA or the British. The intelligence service of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans was known by the code letters FANA^[131] and headed by Georges Beyer, the brother-in-law of Charles Tillon. Information from services such as it was often used as a bargaining chip to qualify for airdrops of weapons. Franc-tireur is an informal term for an armed fighter who, if captured, is not entitled to prisoner of war status. ... Charles Tillon is a French politician. ...

The transmission of information was first done by radio transmitter. Later, when air links by the Westland Lysander became more frequent, some information was also channeled through these courriers. By 1944, the BCRA was receiving 1000 telegrams by radio every day and 2000 plans every week.^[132] Many radio operators, called pianistes, were located by German goniometers. Their dangerous work resulted in them having an average life expectancy of around six months.^[133] According to the historian Jean-François Muracciole, "Throughout the war, it was communications which constituted the principal difficulty of intelligence networks. Not only were the operators few and inept, but their information was dangerous."^[134] Westland Lysander III (SD). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A goniometer is an instrument that either measures angles or allows an object to be rotated to a precise angular position. ...

USAAF B-17 Flying Fortresses dropping supplies to the Maquis du Vercors in 1944.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... USAAF recruitment poster. ... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... The Maquis du Vercors was a maquis used as a refuge and a sanctuary for the French Resistance against the 1940-1944 German occupation of France in World War II. Many members of a the maquis, called maquisards died fighting in 1944 in the Vercors Plateau. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sabotage

Sabotage is a form of resistance that was taken by groups who wanted to go further than the distribution of the clandestine press. Many laboratories were set up to produce explosives. In August 1941, the Parisian chemist France Bloch-Serazin assembled a small laboratory in her apartment to provide explosives to communist resistance fighters.^[135] The lab also produced cyanide capsules to allow the fighters to evade torture if they were arrested.^[135] France Bloch was arrested in February 1942, tortured, and deported to Hamburg where she was decapitated with an axe in February 1943. In the southern occupation zone, Jacques Renouvin engaged in the same activities on behalf of groups of francs-tireurs. Look up clandestine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... This article is about the chemical compound. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Hamburg (disambiguation). ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The phrase Francs-tireurs was used to describe irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and from that usage is is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who fight outside the laws of war[1]. The term...

Eventually, stealing dynamite from the Germans became preferred to handcrafting explosives. The British Special Operations Executive also parachuted tons of explosives to its agents in France for their essential sabotage missions.^[136] The railways were a favourite target of saboteurs, who soon understood that removing the bolts from the tracks was far more efficient than using explosives. This article is about a high explosive. ... The Special Operations Executive (SOE), sometimes referred to as the Baker Street Irregulars after Sherlock Holmess fictional group of spies, was a World War II organization initiated by Winston Churchill and Hugh Dalton in July 1940 as a mechanism for conducting warfare by means other than direct military engagement. ...

Train derailments were of disputable effectiveness as throughout the occupation the Germans managed to repair the tracks fairly quickly. Following the invasions of Normandy and Provence in 1944, however, the sabotage of rail transportation became much more frequent and was effective in preventing German troop deployments to the front and in hindering their retreat later on.^[137] It was also preferred as it caused less collateral damage and civilian casualties than Allied bombing.^[138] The only derailment of a Shinkansen in normal operations occurred as a result of the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake; no injuries were reported from this accident. ... Belligerents Western Allies Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Arthur Tedder (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (Ground Forces Commander in Chief) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (Air Commander in Chief) Bertram Ramsay (Naval Commander in Chief) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B) Strength 1,452,000... Combatants United States1 United Kingdom2 Free France3 Germany Commanders Lt. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Collateral damage is a U.S. Military term for unintended or incidental damage during a military operation. ...

Allied troops fought alongside French partisans to retake their cities.

The sabotage of equipment leaving armaments factories was a more discreet form of resistance, but probably at least as effective as the bombings. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1242x1234, 204 KB) Summary http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1242x1234, 204 KB) Summary http://www. ...

Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare was primarily undertaken by communists, who attacked German forces at the hearts of French cities. In July 1942, the Allies' failure to open up a second front resulted in a wave of guerrilla attacks being carried out by communists, with the intention of maximising the number of Germans deployed in the West in order to relieve the USSR.^[139] Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The assassinations that took place during summer and autumn 1941, beginning with Colonel Pierre-Georges Fabien's shooting of a German officer in the Paris Métro, caused fierce reprisals and hundreds of French hostages were executed. As a result the clandestine press was very discreet about the events and the communists soon chose to end the assassinations. For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Métro redirects here. ...

From July to October 1943, groups in Paris engaging in attacks against occupying soldiers were better organised. Joseph Epstein was assigned responsibility for training resistance fighters across the city, and his new commandos of fifteen men allowed a number of attacks that would not have previously been possible to be carried out. The commandos were composed of the foreign branch of the Franc Tireurs et Partisans, and the most famous of them was the Manouchian Group. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph Epstein, also known as Colonel Gilles, was a leader of the French Resistance during the Second World War. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Francs-tireurs. ... Missak Manouchian (Armenian: Միսաք Մանուշյան; September 1, 1906, Adyaman, in Ottoman-ruled Armenia—February 21, 1944, Fort Mont-Valérien) was an Armenian-French communist militant in the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans de la Main dOeuvre Immigrée (FTP-MOI) and the Resistance movement. ...

Role in the liberation of France

A group of resistants at the time of their joining forces with the Canadian army at Boulogne, in September 1944.

In determining the role of the French resistance during the German Occupation, or addressing its military importance alongside the Allied Forces during the liberation of France, it is difficult to give a direct answer. The two forms of resistance, active and passive,^[140] and the north-south occupational divide,^[141] allow for many different interpretations, but what can broadly be agreed on is a synopsis of the events which took place. Image File history File links Members_of_the_Maquis_in_La_Tresorerie. ... Image File history File links Members_of_the_Maquis_in_La_Tresorerie. ... Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city and commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location of Vichy France (green). ...

Following the Italian surrender in September 1943, a significant example of resistance strength was displayed, when the Corsican Resistance, with the assistance of the Free French, began a movement which liberated the island from Albert Kesselring's remaining German forces.^[142] Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Corsica (disambiguation). ... Flag De Jure territory Capital Paris Capital-in-exile London, Algiers Government Republic Leader Charles de Gaulle Historical era World War II  - de Gaulles appeal June 18, 1940  - Liberation of Paris August, 1944 The Free French Forces (French: , FFL) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to... ==Biography== Albrecht von Kesselring (August 8, 1881 - July 16, 1960) was a Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. One of the most respected and skillful generals of Nazi Germany, he was nicknamed Smiling Albert or Smiling Kesselring. At least one source claims that Kesselring was born on August 8, 1881 [2...

On mainland France itself, from the onset of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944, the FFI and the communist FTP movements, theoretically unified under the command of General Pierre Kœnig,^[143] fought alongside the Allies to free the rest of France. Several colour-coded plans were co-ordinated for sabotage, with the most important being Plan Vert (Green) for railways, Plan Bleu (Blue) for power installations and Plan Violet (Purple) for telecommunications.^{[144][145][146]} To complement these missions, smaller plans were prepared: Plan Rouge (Red) for German ammunition depots, Plan Jaune (Yellow) for German command posts, Plan Noir (Black) for German fuel depots and Plan Tortue (Tortoise) for road traffic.^[147] The paralyzing of German infrastructure is widely thought to have been very effective.^[148] British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later wrote in his memoirs of the role the resistance played in the liberation of Brittany, "The French Resistance Movement, which here numbered 30,000 men, played a notable part, and the peninsula was quickly overrun."^[149] Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The French Forces of the Interior (Fr. ... The phrase Francs-tireurs was used to describe irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and from that usage is is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who fight outside the laws of war[1]. The term... Marie Pierre Koenig (October 10, 1898 – September 2, 1970) was a French general. ... Churchill redirects here. ...

Leclerc's 2nd Armoured Division parading after the Battle for Paris, August 1944.

The Liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944, with the support of Leclerc's French 2nd Armored Division, was one of the most famous and glorious moments of the French Resistance. Although it is again difficult to determine their effectiveness, popular anti-German demonstrations, such as general strikes by the Paris Métro, the Gendarmerie and the Police, took place, and fighting between the opposing forces ensued. The liberation of most of the southwest, central France, and the southeast was finally completed with the progression of the 1st French Army of General de Lattre de Tassigny, which landed in Provence in August 1944 and was assisted by over 25,000 maquis.^[150] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 769 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (3000 × 2338 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 769 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (3000 × 2338 pixel, file size: 2. ... Arms of the , the Second Armoured Division commanded by Lerclerc. ... Combatants Armée de la Libération, United States, French Forces of the Interior Germany Commanders Henri Rol-Tanguy, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Philippe Leclerc Dietrich von Choltitz # Strength 2nd Armoured Division, Unknown French resistance, U.S. 28th Infantry Division (After the liberation) 20,000 Casualties 1,500 dead French resistance... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Belligerents Free French Forces Germany Commanders Philippe Leclerc Raymond Dronne Henri Rol-Tanguy Jacques Chaban-Delmas Dietrich von Choltitz # Strength 2nd Armoured Division, French resistance 5,000 Inside Paris, 15,000 At outskirts Casualties and losses 1,500 dead French resistance 71 dead, 225 wounded Free French Forces[1] 3... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Philippe de Hauteclocque, often known by his French resistance alias Leclerc (November 22, 1902 - November 28, 1947), was a Marshal of France. ... M4 Sherman of the 2e DB in Normandy The 2nd Armored Division (French: 2e Division Blindée, 2e DB), commanded by General Leclerc, fought during the final phases of World War II in the Western Front. ... Métro redirects here. ... Gendarmes Gendarmes guarding the Paris Hall of Justice Gendarmerie motorcyclists police the roads and autoroutes of rural France. ... // Organizations Agencies France has two national general-purpose law enforcement agencies: the Police Nationale (civilian force; primary responsibility in urban areas; run under the Ministry of the Interior) the Gendarmerie Nationale (military force; primary responsibility in rural areas and military installations; run under the Ministry of Defence and under operational... French First Army was a field army that fought during World War I and World War II. At the beginning of WWI the First Army was put in charge of General Auguste Dubail and took part, along with the French Second Army, in the Invasion of Lorraine. ... Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (February 2, 1889 - January 11, 1952) was a French military hero of World War II. Born at Mouilleron-en-Pareds (during the time of Georges Clemenceau, who was also born there), he graduated from school in 1911, and fought in World War I. He specialized... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One source often referred to is General Eisenhower's comment in his military memoir, Crusade in Europe: Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... Crusade in Europe is a book by Dwight David Eisenhower, published in 1948, and concerning his work in the European Theater of Operations as Supreme Allied Commander. ...

General Eisenhower also estimated the value of the resistance to have been equal to 15 divisions at the time of the landings.^[152][153] One infantry division (ID) represented about 10,000 men. The conversion of the resistance forces into infantry divisions had its limits, since the value of information the French resistance provided to the Allies could not be converted into military terms. In any analysis, Eisenhower was likely over-valuing the resistance's military importance with the intent of raising its morale.

Memories

Civilians shave the head of a young woman as punishment for wartime collaboration, Montélimar, August 29, 1944.

Veterans of the resistance raise flags at the annual commemoration ceremony of Canjuers military camp.

In coming to terms with the events of the occupation, several different attitudes have emerged in France, in an evolution the historian Henry Rousso has called the "Vichy Syndrome".^[154] original source: National Archives, 111-SC-193785. ... original source: National Archives, 111-SC-193785. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Henry Rousso (born 1954 in Cairo) is a contemporary French Historian specializing in World War II France. ...

Immediately following the liberation, France was swept by a wave of executions, public humiliations, assaults and detentions of suspected collaborators, known as the épuration sauvage (wild purge).^[155] This period succeeded the German occupational administration but preceded the authority of the French Provisional Government, and therefore lacked a form of institutional justice.^[155] Approximately 9,000 were executed, mostly without trial.^[155] Head shaving was a common feature of the purges,^[156] and between 10,000 and 30,000 women accused of having collaborated with the Germans were subjected to the practice,^[157] becoming known as les tondues (the shorn).^[158] The pursuit of Nazi collaborators refers to the post-WWII pursuit and apprehension of individuals who were not citizens of the Third Reich at the outbreak of World War II and collaborated with the Nazi regime during the war. ... The Provisional Government of the French Republic was an interim government which governed France from 1944 to 1946. ...

The official épuration légale began following a June 1944 decree that established a three-tier system of judicial courts;^[159] a High Court of Justice, which dealt with Vichy ministers and officials; Courts of Justice for other serious cases of collaboration; and regular Civic Courts for lesser cases of collaboration.^[160][161] The phase of the purge trials ended with a series of amnesty laws passed between 1951 and 1953^[162] which reduced the number of imprisoned collaborators from 40,000 to 62,^[163] and was ensued by a period of official "repression" that lasted between 1954 and 1971.^[162] During this period, and particularly after de Gaulle's return to power in 1958,^[164] the collective memory of "résistancialisme" tended to propose a very much resistant France opposed to the collaboration of the Vichy Regime.^[165] This period ended when the aftermath of the events of May 1968, which had divided France between the conservative war generation and the younger, more liberal students and workers,^[166] led many to question the resistance ideals of the official history.^[167] Épuration légale (French legal epuration) is the name of a wave of trials which occurred at the Liberation, following the fall of the Vichy regime. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Jan. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ... A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with stereotypical silhouette of General de Gaulle. ...

Because so many resistance members were shot there, it is at Fort Mont-Valérien, in Suresnes, that the memorial of the France Combattante was installed.

The questioning of France's past had become a national obsession by the 1980s,^[168] fuelled by the highly-publicised trials of war criminals such as Klaus Barbie and Maurice Papon.^[169] Although the occupation often remains a sensitive subject in the twenty-first century,^[170] contrary to some interpretations the French as a whole have acknowledged their past and no longer deny their conduct during the war.^[171] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 1. ... Fort Mont-Valérien (Fort du mont Valérien; sometimes called, simply, Mont-Valérien) was a prison at Suresnes, near Paris, that served as the site for Nazi executions during the German occupation of France (1940-1944) in World War II. It overlooks the Bois de Boulogne. ... Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. ... Klaus Barbie posing with the other OKW officers. ... Maurice Papon (September 3, 1910 – February 17, 2007) was a former official of the French Vichy government who collaborated with Nazi Germany in World War II and was in charge of the Paris police during the Paris massacre of 1961. ...

After the war, the influential French Communist Party (PCF) projected itself as "Le Parti des Fusillés" (The Party of those shot), in recognition of the thousands of Communists executed for their resistance activities.^{[172][173][174]} The number of communists killed was in reality considerably less than the Party's figure of 75,000, and it is now estimated that nearer to 30,000 Frenchmen of all political movements combined were shot,^[175][176] of whom only a few thousand were communists.^[176] This does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Vichy Regime's prejudicial policies had discredited traditional conservatism in France by the end of the war,^[177] but following the liberation many former Pétainistes became critical of the official résistancialisme, using expressions such as "la mythe de la Résistance" (the myth of the resistance),^[178] with one concluding, "The 'Gaullist' régime is therefore built on a fundamental lie."^[179]

The French Resistance has had a great influence on literature, particularly in France. A famous example is the poem Strophes pour se souvenir, which was written by the communist academic Louis Aragon in 1955 to commemorate the heroism of the Manouchian Group, whose 23 members were shot by the Nazis. Strophes pour se souvenir, as inscribed on the monument honoring the FTP-MOI in Père Lachaise cemetery. ... Louis Aragon (October 3, 1897 - December 24, 1982), French historian, poet and novelist. ... Missak Manouchian (Armenian: Միսաք Մանուշյան; September 1, 1906, Adyaman, in Ottoman-ruled Armenia—February 21, 1944, Fort Mont-Valérien) was an Armenian-French communist militant in the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans de la Main dOeuvre Immigrée (FTP-MOI) and the Resistance movement. ...

In cinema

The original movie poster for Is Paris Burning?.

In the immediate post-war years, French cinema produced a number of films that portrayed a France broadly present in the resistance.^[180][181] The 1946 La Bataille du rail depicted the courageous efforts of French railway workers to sabotage German reinforcement trains,^[182] and in the same year Le Père tranquille told the story of a quiet insurance agent secretly involved in the bombing of a factory.^[182] Collaborators were hatefully presented as a rare minority, as played by Pierre Brewer in Jéricho (1946) or Serge Reggiani in Les Portes de la nuit (1946), and movements such as the Milice were rarely evoked. Image File history File links Paris1324. ... Image File history File links Paris1324. ... Is Paris Burning? (French: Paris brûle-t-il ?) is a 1966 French-American film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by Allied forces. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... La bataille du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) is a 1945 war movie which tells the courageous efforts by French railway workers to sabotage Nazi reinforcement-troop trains. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Serge Reggiani (May 2, 1922 - July 23, 2004) was an Italian-born French singer, painter and actor. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A recruitment poster for the Milice. ...

In the 1950s, a less heroic interpretation of the occupation gradually began to emerge.^[182] In Claude Autant-Lara's La Traversée de Paris (1956), the portrayal of the city's black market and general mediocrity revealed the reality of war-profiteering during the occupation.^[183] In the same year, Robert Bresson presented A Man Escaped, in which an imprisoned resistance activist works with a reformed collaborator inmate to escape.^[184] A cautious reappearance of the image of Vichy emerged in Le Passage du Rhin (1960), in which a crowd successively acclaim both Pétain and de Gaulle.^[185] Claude Autant-Lara (b. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Bresson (French IPA: ) (September 25, 1901 – December 18, 1999) was a French film director known for his spiritual, ascetic style. ... A Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth is the English title of the 1956 French film Un condamné à mort sest échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut, directed by Robert Bresson. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After General de Gaulle's return to power in 1958, the portrayal of the resistance returned to its earlier résistancialisme. In this manner, in Is Paris Burning? (1966), "the role of the resistant was revalued according to [de Gaulle's] political trajectory".^[186] The comic form of films such as La Grande Vadrouille (1966) widened the image of resistance heroes to average Frenchmen.^[187] The most famous and critically acclaimed of all the résistancialisme movies is Army of Shadows (L'Armee des ombres), which was made by the French film-maker Jean-Pierre Melville in 1969. The film was inspired by Joseph Kessel's 1943 book, as well as Melville's own experiences, as he had fought in the resistance himself and participated in Operation Dragoon. A 1995 television screening of L'Armee des ombres described it as "the best film made about the fighters of the shadows, those anti-heroes."^[188] Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (  listen?) (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Jan. ... Is Paris Burning? (French: Paris brûle-t-il ?) is a 1966 French-American film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by Allied forces. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... La Grande Vadrouille (literally: The Grand Stroll. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Army of Shadows (French: LArmée des ombres) is a 1969 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. ... Jean-Pierre Melville (born Jean-Pierre Grumbach) (October 20, 1917 – August 2, 1973) was a noted French director. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Joseph Kessel (February 10, 1898 - July 23, 1979) was a French journalist and novelist of Russian origins. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants United States1 United Kingdom2 Free France3 Germany Commanders Lt. ...

The shattering of France's résistancialisme following the events of May 1968 emerged particularly clearly in French cinema. The honest manner of the 1971 documentary The Sorrow and the Pity pointed the finger on anti-Semitism in France and disputed the official resistance ideals.^[189][190] TIME magazine's positive review of the film wrote that director Marcel Ophüls "tries to puncture the bourgeois myth—or protectively askew memory—that allows France generally to act as if hardly any Frenchmen collaborated with the Germans."^[191] A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with stereotypical silhouette of General de Gaulle. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... The Sorrow and the Pity is a two part documentary by Marcel Ophüls that concerns the French resistance and collaboration with the Vichy government and the Nazis during World War II. This 1969 film used interviews of a German officer, collaborators, and resistance fighters from Clermont-Ferrand. ... This article is about the concept of time. ... Marcel Ophüls (born November 1, 1927) is a documentary film maker. ...

Franck Cassenti, with L'Affiche Rouge (1976), Gilson, with La Brigade (1975), and Mosco with the documentary Des terroristes à la retraite at the time directed their films on resistant foreigners of the EGO, who were relatively unknown. In 1974, Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien caused scandal and polemic because of his absence of moral judgment with regards to the behavior of a collaborator.^[192] The same man later portrayed the resistance of Catholic priests who protected Jewish children in his 1987 film Au revoir, les enfants. François Truffaut's 1980 film Le Dernier Métro was set during the German occupation of Paris and won ten Césars for its story of a theatre production taking place while its Jewish director is concealed by his wife in the theatre's basement.^[193] The more alleviated 1980s began to portray the resistance of working women, as in Blanche et Marie (1984).^[194] Later, Jacques Audiard's Un héros très discret (1996) told the story of a young man travelling to Paris and manufacturing a resistance past for himself, suggesting that many heroes of the resistance were imposters.^[195][196] In 1997, Claude Berri produced the biopic Lucie Aubrac based on the life of the resistance heroine of the same name, which attracted criticism for its Gaullist portrayal of the resistance and over-emphasis on the relationship between Aubrac and her husband.^[197] Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Louis Malle (October 30, 1932 – November 23, 1995) was an Academy Award nominated French film director, working in both French and English. ... Lacombe, Lucien is a 1974 French motion picture that tells the story of a young boy living under German occupation in France during World War II. Based in part on director Louis Malles own experiences, the film was selected by the New York Times as one of the The... This article is about the year 1987. ... Au revoir les enfants (English: goodbye children) is a 1987 film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. ... François Roland Truffaut (French IPA: ) (February 6, 1932 – October 21, 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking, and remains an icon of the French film industry. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The Last Metro (original French title: Le Dernier Métro) is a 1980 film written and directed by the French filmmaker François Truffaut, and starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu. ... The César Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... This article is about the year. ... Jacques Audiard (born April 30, 1952 in Paris) is a French film director . ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Claude Berri (born July 1, 1934) is a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. ... A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ... Lucie Aubrac is a French biopic of the World War II French Resistance member Lucie Aubrac. ...

In popular culture

• In the British television sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!, René Artois is a French café owner who also helps out the French Resistance, which is led by a woman called Michelle, who often thinks up very far-fetched plots.^[198] For much of the series, the Resistance are primarily concerned with helping two British airmen get home to Britain. In the latter part of the series, they are concerned with spreading propaganda messages to the local French people. The town also boasts a chapter of the all-female communist Resistance, who are much more ruthless than the de Gaulle Resistance. Allo Allo is a parody of the Belgian-set BBC drama Secret Army.

• In the first-person shooter game Medal of Honor: Underground, players control French Resistance operative Manon Batiste whereupon she is recruited by the OSS.

• In the multi-platform game Call of Duty 3, the player can fight as a Special Air Service member alongside the French Resistance and the Maquis taking part in sabotage and rescue missions.

• In Highlander: The Series, the leading character, the Immortal Duncan MacLeod, was a member of one of the French Resistance organizations.

Allo Allo! was a long-running British sitcom broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. ... Secret Army was a BBC television drama series created by Gerard Glaister that ran for three series from September 7, 1977 to December 15, 1979. ... Medal of Honor: Underground is the direct sequel to the World War II hit Medal of Honor. ... Manon Batiste Manon Batiste is the main character in Medal of Honor: Underground as well as a minor character who appeared in Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and Medal of Honor: European Assault. ... Oss is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. ... Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series. ... Immortals are a group of fictional characters seen in the movies and series of the Highlander franchise. ... Duncan MacLeod, also known as the Highlander, is a fictional character from the Highlander (series) universe. ...

See also

The military history of France during World War II covers the period from 1939 until 1940, which witnessed French military participation under the Third Republic, and the period from 1940 until 1945, which was marked by colonial struggles between Vichy France and the Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with History of Breton nationalism. ... The Chant des Partisans was the most popular song of the Free France. ... Members of the Maquis in La Tresorerie For other uses, see Maquis. ... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet in... Cover of the first book clandestinely published by Les Éditions de Minuit, as part of the French Resistance during WWII Les Éditions de Minuit (midnight editions) is a French publishing house which has its origins in the French Resistance of World War II and still publishes books today. ... A woman with a sword, from a Medieval manuscript. ... The French Forces of the Interior (Fr. ... La bataille du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) is a 1945 war movie which tells the courageous efforts by French railway workers to sabotage Nazi reinforcement-troop trains. ... Polish Secret State (also known as Polish Underground State; Polish Polskie Państwo Podziemne) is a term coined by Jan Karski in his book Story of a Secret State; it is used to refer to all underground resistance organizations in Poland during World War II, both military and civilian. ... Belligerents Free French Forces Germany Commanders Philippe Leclerc Raymond Dronne Henri Rol-Tanguy Jacques Chaban-Delmas Dietrich von Choltitz # Strength 2nd Armoured Division, French resistance 5,000 Inside Paris, 15,000 At outskirts Casualties and losses 1,500 dead French resistance 71 dead, 225 wounded Free French Forces[1] 3...

References

Notes

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Book references

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Rousso, Henry (1991). The Vichy Syndrome: History and Memory in France Since 1944. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 067493539X
• Knight, Frida (1975). The French Resistance, 1940-44. London: Lawrence and Wishart. ISBN 0853153310
• Ousby, Ian (1999). Occupation: The Ordeal of France, 1940-44. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6513-7
• Schoenbrun, David (1980). Soldiers of the Night, The Story of the French Resistance. New American Library. ISBN 0-452-00612-0

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

French resistance

• Encarta Encyclopedia - History of France - The Resistance
• History Learning Site - The French Resistance
• Scrapbookpages.com - The French Resistance
• Spartacus Educational - The French Resistance
• Geocities.com - Jean Moulin and the French Resistance
• Northwest Historical Association - Building the French Resistance Movement, 1940-1944
• Order of the Liberation - Chronology 1940-1945
• Special Forces Roll of Honour - French Secret Agents
• European Resistance Archive - Video Interviews with Resistance Members
• Pierre Albert - The Journalism of the French Resistance
• Rebecca Halbreich, The San Francisco State University - Women in the French Resistance