French Resistance

The French Resistance is the name used for resistance movements that fought military occupation of France by Nazi Germany and the Vichy France undemocratic regime during World War II after the government and the high command of France surrendered in 1940. Resistance groups included groups of armed men (usually referred to as the maquis), publishers of underground newspapers or even cinematography and escape networks that helped allied soldiers. French Resistance cooperated with Allied secret services (see Special Operations Executive), especially in providing intelligence on the Atlantic Wall and coordinating sabotages and other actions to contribute to the success of Operation Overlord.

Notable Persons

Other people involved with French Resistance include:

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• José Aboulker
• Berty Albrecht, (1893-1943)
• Dimitri Amilakhvari, (1906-1942)
• Louis Aragon, (1897-1982)
• Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie, (1900-1969)
• Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie
• Lucie Aubrac
• Jacqueline Auriol, (1917-2000)
• Josephine Baker
• Raoul Batany, (1926-1944)
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Gilbert Bécaud, (1927-2001)
• Samuel Beckett
• Robert Benoist
• Georges Bidault, (1899-1983)
• Denise Bloch
• Marc Bloch, (1886-1944)
• Marc Boegner, (1881-1970)
• Raoul Boulanger
• Claude Bourdet, (1909-1996)
• Albert Camus
• Roger Carcassonne
• Mathilde Carre
• Donald Caskie, (1902-1983)
• Peter Churchill
• Charlotte Delbo, (1913-1985)
• Marguerite Duras (novelist, playwright, filmmaker)
• Paul Eluard (poet, communist resistance)
• Honoré D'Estienne d'Orves, (1901-1941)
• Marie Fourcade
• Varian Fry
• Cristino Garcia, (1914-1946)
• Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz, (niece of general de Gaulle)
• André Gide
• Albert Guérisse
• Max Hymans
• Germain Jousse
• Bernard Karsenty
• Marcel Langer
• André Malraux ("Colonel Berger")
• Manouchian
• Julien Meline
• Pierre Mendès-France
• François Mitterrand (future President of France)
• Danielle Mitterrand (wife of future President of France)
• Jean Moulin
• Christian Pineau
• Odette Sansom
• Raymond Sommer
• Suzanne Spaak
• Evelyne Sullerot (historian and sociologist)
• Violette Szabo
• Germaine Tillion (anthropologist)
• Berthe Vicogne-Fraser
• Pierre de Vomécourt
• Philippe de Vomécourt
• Nancy Wake
• Gabrielle Weidner (1914-1945)
• Johan Hendrik Weidner (1912-1994)
• William Grover-Williams
• Jean-Pierre Wimille
• Joseph Epstein
• Tristan Tzara
• Simone Weil (philosopher)

After the war many Frenchmen falsely claimed to have had connections to resistance. Some—like Maurice Papon—even manufactured a false resistance past for themselves. Estimates range from 5% of French population to about 200,000 active armed members and possibly ten times that of supporters.

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