French Resistance and Charles de Gaulle in World War II, 1940-1944

Hugo Joncquel

Senior Division, Historical Paper

2014 Words

Introduction

From the Black Plague to the French revolution for a more equal life with democracy,

France has known many events of both triumph and tragedy. During the twentieth century, this

has been shown through, for example, World War I and II, causing millions of people to die and

destroying the country’s economy. During World War II, Nazi Germany’s occupation of France

awoke a will of rebellion in the country that lead to French units resisting and hindering the Nazi

Germany by fighting back. The French Resistance grew through the year and fought to play an

important role in the Triumph of France over the Nazi Germany occupation of France.

Historical context of the French Resistance

After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28 in 1919,

subjected Germany to severe conditions: a 33-billion-dollar bill for the war, a reduced territory

and the creation of nine new nations in eastern Europe. Germany, Britain and France had to

rebuild what had been destroyed. The standard of living in Germany only got worse as other

countries were asking for their loans to be paid back. Germany’s currency was at its lowest value

because of the overprinting of bills . In addition to the tough conditions of the treaty, it would 1

require hard work to rebuild the country again. Germany was upset and left hopeless. This

atmosphere of hopelessness lead the German people to support Hitler and allowed him to rise to

power as he seeked and promised a better future. The nationalists were blaming the Treaty of

Versailles. Hindenburg didn’t have the Reichstag on his side. He eventually offered Hitler the 2 3

role of vice chancellor, but he refused and instead asked to be chancellor. Hitler became

1 “German Papiermark.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Papiermark. 2 Paul von Hinderburg, German chancellor from May 12, 1925 to August 2, 1934 3 German Parliament

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chancellor on January 30,1933 and as soon as he became chancellor, Hitler circumvented the

Treaty of Versailles, grew an army and produced weapons to get ready for a new war.

Fall of France

In 1939, Hitler started taking over territories that were formerly German. He invaded

Poland on September 1, 1939 to make Germany one land again as the Treaty of Versailles gave

Poland an access to the Baltic sea. On September 3rd 1939, Great Britain and France declared

war on Germany. The first months of the war were called the Phoney War as no military actions

took place . It was this way until April 9 in 1940 when Hitler invaded the two Scandinavian 4

countries Denmark and Norway. This operation was called Operation Weserübung and lasted 5

two months. After conquering there, Hitler launched his Blitzkrieg on Holland and Belgium with

the hopes of reaching France on May 10, 1940. The German army overrides the French army

with more advanced and effective technology. The Germans reached and occupied Paris on June

14, 1940. Many French people emigrated to England to initiate a French Resistance by sending

supplies to France and organizing the forces together. French army officer Charles de Gaulle 6

was one of them and without doubt the most important. He lead the French Resistance through

the war until D-day and inspired more French people into resisting against the occupation. On

June 18, 1940, the famous “Appeal of June 18th” was heard on the radio for the first time and

would come to be on the radio again during the next four years. The speech was a message to the

4 Trueman. “The Phoney War.” History Learning Site, History Learning Site, 20 Apr. 2015, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/the-phoney-war/. 5 “Operation Weserübung.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Weserübung. 6 Charles de Gaulle was a french army officer who led French Resistance against Nazi Germany during World War II. He chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic in order to re-establish democracy in France.

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French people telling them to fight for France and the country’s freedom. At the end of the

speech De Gaulle said : “Whatever happens, the flame of French Resistance must not be blown

out- and shall not be blown out” which became one of his most famous quotes. 7

Division of France, Occupied France and Vichy regime

After an overwhelming victory for the Germans on June 22, 1940, Marshall Pétain 8

signed an armistice with the Germans, taking France into German occupation. This armistice was

the start of four years of tragedy in the history of France. Paris was supplanted by swastika flags.

France was divided into two parts: Occupied France, where all access to the ocean was removed,

and the Vichy regime which was a free zone controlled and directed by the Vichy regime (See 9

Appendix A). France had to provide its resources to Germany, including harvests and coal to

help Germany in the war effort. On October 3rd, 1940, Vichy’s anti-Jewish legislation was

established. This legislation designate Jews as inferior and deprived them of their citizenship.

Jews were deported to Nazi concentration camps where they were often killed. The Vichy

regime was adopting Hitler’s ideas without Germany asking for it, meaning they were getting

closer to the Nazi Germany’s ideology.

First steps of the French Resistance

After such a defeat, French people deserted by their government and figured that the only

way for them to revoke the occupation was by fighting back by themselves. French Resistance

7 “The Appeal of June 18th, 1940, The Grand Master of the Order - Museum of the Order of the Liberation.” Musée De L'Ordre De La Libération, 8 Philippe Pétain, French General and french war hero for his victory at the Bataille of Verdun in World War I and chief of state of the French government at Vichy in World War II. 9 Vichy France is the name of the French State headed by Marshall Pétain during World War II.

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began during the summer of 1940 with the first underground paper (See Appendix B) and acts of

vandalism such as taking down propaganda posters or slashing tires. In both parts of France,

people were finding ways to get around the restrictions set by the occupying forces. Solidarity

grew to help people stay away and stay safe from the Gestapo. In the north of France, it

reminded people of what happened during World War I and when Nazi Germany came, people

emigrated west or south to flee. However this effort was useless as the progression of the enemy

was way faster than what people could have expected.

Years of fighting

From 1940 to 1944, French people formed groups of resistance throughout the whole

country. The resistance started with non-violent missions, but as the war went on, French

Resistance became more organized and well supplied with weapons with the help of Great

Britain. The armed resistance started in 1941 when the SOE (Special Operations Executive) 10

provided bombs, weapons, false papers, money and other fighting gear (See Appendix C).

Bombings became more and more frequent and went from the intention to slow down the

exportation of goods to killing Germans themselves. On February 16, 1943, the STO (Service du

Travail Obligatoire) was created, requiring able-bodied Frenchmen to work in Germany. The 11

deal was that, for every three Frenchmen workers that were sent to work in Germany, one

political prisoner would be freed. The STO caused the French to flee to the countryside and take

part in the resistance as maquis . During this period, the resistance grew really fast as young 12

10 British World War II organisation. Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe. 11 Universalis, Encyclopædia. “SERVICE DU TRAVAIL OBLIGATOIRE.” Encyclopædia Universalis, www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/service-du-travail-obligatoire/. 12 Name for resistant in the countryside.

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men refused to serve and work for Nazi Germany. ( because of that, more than 40,000 men or

80% of the resistance at this time, fled to the countryside and took part in the Resistance). Jean

Moulin was a resistant and war hero. He refused to cooperate with the German army. He got

arrested and tortured and also attempted to commit suicide while in prison by cutting his throat

with a piece of broken glass, but he didn’t succeed and was released from prison after

recovering. Moulin was against the Vichy regime and wanted to overthrow it which explains

why he went and visited Charles de Gaulle in London in 1941. Because of his knowledge of the

situation, Charles de Gaulle decided that Moulin should become leader of the French Resistance

in France. Jean Moulin was parachuted in France on January 1, 1942. He used money to develop

the underground press and bring more people together to resist. Moulin was arrested by the

Gestapo on June 21, 1943 and died on July 8, 1943 while being tortured. Today he is

remembered as a war hero for his work on uniting the different groups of resistance throughout

France and amplifying its effects on the war. He wrote a letter to his mom and sister before

dying(See Appendix D).

Role of resistance in D-day and liberation of France

Before Operation Overlord (or D-day) , the Allies of France encouraged the French 13

Resistance to increase their acts of sabotage. The goal was to set up the way to Paris for the

imminent landing on Normandy beaches (See Appendix E) even though the French Resistance

didn’t know about it. French Resistance had different plans to slow down Nazi Germany and

prevent them from focusing their forces on Normandy. Some plans before D-day were Plan Vert

13 Editors, History.com. “D-Day.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day. Landing on the beaches of France’s Normandy region on D-day. Some 156,000 american, british and canadian soldier landed of the beaches of Normandy.

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(sabotaging the railway system), Plan Tortue (sabotaging the road network), Plan Violet

(destroying phone lines), and Plan Noir (attacking enemy fuel depots) . 14

These operations were part of the “Maximum effort” to make D-day’s landing easier. On top of

that, the French Resistance provided really important and accurate information about the location

of German troops or the consequences of their operations to the Allies.

Comeback of France in the war and end of the war in France

After D-Day the way that France bounced back was by bringing all the resistance that

they have at the time to one place and push Germany away from France. All the groups of

resistants coalesced together as an army to fight in Germany to help its allies defeat Hitler. The

end of the fightings in France is symbolically represented by the speech “Paris liberated” from

Charles de Gaulle . Another of his famous quotes comes from this speech where he said 15

“PARIS OUTRAGED, PARIS BROKEN, BUT PARIS LIBERATED!”(See Appendix F). After

the tragedy and the years of fighting comes the triumph over the Nazi Germany’s occupation.

France is finally free and the French people are relieved from the occupation.

Even if the SS and Wehrmacht were fleeing and committing massacre on French citizens. 16 17 18

Such events traumatized the French people especially Robert Hébras, last survivor out of six of

the Oradour-sur-Glane’s massacre on June 10, 1944. 642 people died under the fire of the Nazi

Germany’s soldiers. This is one of the biggest massacre committed. Robert Hébras is now 93 and

had been working on the commemoration of this tragic event. He said “The truth is what I lived”

14 Knighton, Andrew. “Bravery: The Amazing French Resistance and D-Day Including 21 Images.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 11 May 2018, www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/the-french-resistance-and-d-day.html. 15 Leader of the French Resistance. French people are finally able to match his voice with his face as he walks, triumphant, on Paris on August 25, 1944. 16 Scutzstaffel, primarily a protection organization for Hitler which became a more-widely-spread police for the Nazi. 17 Nazi Germany’s police. 18 Porch, Douglas. “France After the Liberation: Settling the Score.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 July 1986, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1986/07/06/france-after-the-liberation-settling-the-score/1da560c2-6b3d-4da0-a551-124f36c131dc/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.26cbe2578d4d.

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to recall people of the level barbarism of the massacre . By September 1944, most of France had 19

been liberated and the FFI , regrouping all the French fighters, kept on fighting in the far east of 20

France and the Alps until the capitulation of Germany in 1945 . Some resistant were honoured 21

after their death by joining the Pantheon (See Appendix G). It was the case for four resistants on

May 27, 2015. Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz, Germaine Tillon, Jean Zay et Pierre Brossolette

joined the Pantheon for the role they played in the success of the French Resistance (See

Appendix H).

Even though World War II was a tragic event for France and the whole world, French

people, by fighting back for their country, found a way to triumph and put and end to the conflict

thanks to their will to fight and the help of their Allies.

19 “24 Hours with Robert Hébras, the Last Survivor of the Oradour Massacre.” Bienvenue Au Sanctuaire Notre-Dame De Lourdes, 12 Nov. 2018, www.lourdes-france.org/en/robert-hebras-oradour/. 20 FFI, Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur (French Forces of the Interior), main group of resistant under whose most resistant groups were united in 1944. 21 “Free France.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_France#Liberation_of_France.

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Appendix A

Http://Www.gdnonline.com/Gdnimages/20160822/20160822110336SAXoPicture-07549AA8-326

67096.Jpg, TVNewser, goo.gl/images/JjVLyQ.

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Appendix B

“Journal Défense De La France.” Musée De La Résistance En Ligne, museedelaresistanceenligne.org/expo.php?expo=44&theme=40&stheme=129#media1610

Newspaper "Défense de la France", n°4, early December 1941. Clandestine press.

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Appendix C

“THE FRENCH RESISTANCE, 1944.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205206871.Wrecked locomotives in an engine shed at

the Annemasse railway depot after being sabotaged by members of the French Resistance.

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Appendix D

Ilian. Facts For Kids- Egypt, Tongues,INC., www.oocities.org/resistancehistory/caluire.html.

Moulin's last letter his mother and sister, dated June 17, 1943.

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Appendix E

Knighton, Andrew. “Bravery: The Amazing French Resistance and D-Day Including 21 Images.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 11 May 2018, www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/the-french-resistance-and-d-day.html.

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Appendix F

“Paris Liberated - Charles De Gaulle 1944.” The Crime Against Kansas - Charles Sumner 1856, www.emersonkent.com/speeches/paris_liberated.htm “PARIS OUTRAGED, PARIS BROKEN

BUT PARIS LIBERATED!”, Charles de Gaulle, Paris, 1944.

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Appendix G

“French Resistance Heroes Inducted into Pantheon in Paris.” BBC News, BBC, 27 May 2015,

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32910113. French President Francois Hollande praised the

spirit of Resistance fighters at a ceremony in the Pantheon.

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Appendix H

Google, www.google.com/search?q=jean zay

ww2&rlz=1caasuj_enus813&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=x&ved=0ahukewj5jcwvlnrfahwi5om

khq8qal4q_auidigb&biw=1366&bih=641&surl=1&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=mTPO-iCPPM

9KiM: , The four resistants who joined the Pantheon in 2015.

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