According to this guy not so much. I have read similar things myself.
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Was The French Resistance Worth A Damn?
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Last: 5 yr ago by RGV AG
These guys beg to differ.
Latrine!
Yeah I read they didn't do a whole lot and have been hyped up by the French to try and demonstrate they fought back against the Germans.
Of course there is that whole Vichy thing that is hard for them to explain away.
Oh, and most of them were commies.
Of course there is that whole Vichy thing that is hard for them to explain away.
Oh, and most of them were commies.
The first "French" soldiers to "liberate" Paris were actually exiled Spaniards commanded by a French officer.
...using American equipment.
French resistance was anything from a prostitute giving a German a transmissible disease to actual go slow corrupting German efficiency
The idea that the French Resistance was spending more time fighting other French groups is hilarious to me. Socialists fighting multiple different types of communists fighting patriot types. Raiding each other for weapons.
What a bunch of slap dicks.
What a bunch of slap dicks.
Several comments in the original video saying that prominent Germans after the war were not even aware that the French were resisting.
Am reading a book on the OSS activity in Yugoslavia during WWII. Their factions, royalist (chetnicks) vs communist (partisans) vs fascist were so busy fighting each other that it was nuts. The communist that had heavily infiltrated the British government were heavily influencing the British policy and support of these groups. That is why Tito came to power instead of the royalist.Madman said:
The idea that the French Resistance was spending more time fighting other French groups is hilarious to me. Socialists fighting multiple different types of communists fighting patriot types. Raiding each other for weapons.
What a bunch of slap dicks.
Seth Meyerowitz is the grandson of a Army Air corpsman shot down over France. His grandfather was rescued by the French Resistance who smuggled him out of the country. Seth's book about the event is called " The Lost Airman". It is a good read and may change your opinion about the French Resistance
Communist were also heavily involved in the OSS . Openly members of the Communist Party. Hoover and the FBI wanted them fired. Donovan told Hoover where to stick it; "I don't care as long as they kill Germans".Rabid Cougar said:Am reading a book on the OSS activity in Yugoslavia during WWII. Their factions, royalist (chetnicks) vs communist (partisans) vs fascist were so busy fighting each other that it was nuts. The communist that had heavily infiltrated the British government were heavily influencing the British policy and support of these groups. That is why Tito came to power instead of the royalist.Madman said:
The idea that the French Resistance was spending more time fighting other French groups is hilarious to me. Socialists fighting multiple different types of communists fighting patriot types. Raiding each other for weapons.
What a bunch of slap dicks.
BigJim49 AustinNowDallas
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AG
^ link ?
William Manchester wrote that allies were disturbed at how the French prospered under Nazi/Vichy rule. It could not have happened without large scale cooperation.
If you go to normandy, their attitudes and museums dont sugar coat their resistance, vichy, their army or anything about ww2. Their theme is basically 'we were a disgrace and god bless america. '
The american cemeteries where spr was filmed were full of french families and kids paying their respects.
It was moving and surprising.
You could also wander the beach and german fortifications, walk into a damp, puddled up concrete bunker that still has a blown up cannon in it all rusted up. You could look down the gunsights at the beaches.
Even pointe duhioc still had craters and barbed wire and no touristy ***** Just go look over the cliffs.
That was christmas 2008 though. The world has changed a lot since then.
The american cemeteries where spr was filmed were full of french families and kids paying their respects.
It was moving and surprising.
You could also wander the beach and german fortifications, walk into a damp, puddled up concrete bunker that still has a blown up cannon in it all rusted up. You could look down the gunsights at the beaches.
Even pointe duhioc still had craters and barbed wire and no touristy ***** Just go look over the cliffs.
That was christmas 2008 though. The world has changed a lot since then.
"The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II"BigJim49 AustinNowDallas said:
^ link ?
Gregory A. Freeman.
I'll second Forgotten 500.
As for the French Resistance, I'd say you're looking at it wrong. It's possible for two premises to be true simultaneously:
a. The French Resistance was successful.
b. Prominent Germans were not aware of it.
It depends on what their missions were. In terms of helping Allied air crew escape, ferreting out German information and getting intelligence to the allies, all of these activities were highly important and can be elements of a "successful" resistance without attracting German attention. In fact, the whole point is to NOT attract German attention.
Attracting German attention by blowing up key infrastructure is counter productive. At least until the allies are ready to invade. Blowing stuff up early just destroys your cover and causes raids, arrests and executions while damaging infrastructure that can be easily repaired. I don't know enough to judge how successful the French ultimately were, but I'd caution against declaring them a failure because it wasn't a full-blown insurgency.
As for the French Resistance, I'd say you're looking at it wrong. It's possible for two premises to be true simultaneously:
a. The French Resistance was successful.
b. Prominent Germans were not aware of it.
It depends on what their missions were. In terms of helping Allied air crew escape, ferreting out German information and getting intelligence to the allies, all of these activities were highly important and can be elements of a "successful" resistance without attracting German attention. In fact, the whole point is to NOT attract German attention.
Attracting German attention by blowing up key infrastructure is counter productive. At least until the allies are ready to invade. Blowing stuff up early just destroys your cover and causes raids, arrests and executions while damaging infrastructure that can be easily repaired. I don't know enough to judge how successful the French ultimately were, but I'd caution against declaring them a failure because it wasn't a full-blown insurgency.
To really understand the French Resistance is actually pretty complicated. There are two really good books on it, I can't remember the name of either one of them of course, that related the history of the French underground, albeit from different angles. One thing to remember about the underground was that there were several factions, groups, variations, and what not of it. By no means were they united and by no means were the allies in complete control of all of it and in some cases had no control of it at all.
Probably the most belligerent was the communist,i.e. USSR supported, groups. These groups probably spent as much time infighting, fighting each other, and jockeying for position as they did overtly and covertly opposing the Germans. As Aalan mentions, one of the most important portions of the underground, at least those cooperating with the Allies, was to provide information and support downed air crews. There was quite a bit of valuable information supplied by the French underground, especially leading up to D-Day, and immediately after it as well. Also the French underground, the pro Allied portion, proved valuable after the fact in and during the cold war.
One of the opinions or positions I read about years ago regarding the French underground was that truly by D-Day most figured that that the Nazi's were either beaten and or going to make a peace, thus a portion of the latter period efforts were spent too much focusing on the position "after". Equally, the Allies did not do a good job of coordinating with the Underground and a large portion of the Underground did a poor job of being "team players". At the time France was a pretty big country, with a variety of movements and directions, bringing all of those to bear in a directed effort was never going to be possible.
My paternal grandfather was born in Toulon and left France with my great grandmother about 1928 or so. He returned for a like a year sometime in the mid to late 30's. He had a first cousin and an uncle killed by the Germans during the occupation, and he was very bitter towards the Germans to what they did to his family. I got some of the info, but apparently they were involved in the resistance in some fashion. Also, of note the Germans did a very, very good job of marginalizing and co-opting the resistance, the most effective French Resistance were the small cells that stayed very low key and passed on information.
Probably the most belligerent was the communist,i.e. USSR supported, groups. These groups probably spent as much time infighting, fighting each other, and jockeying for position as they did overtly and covertly opposing the Germans. As Aalan mentions, one of the most important portions of the underground, at least those cooperating with the Allies, was to provide information and support downed air crews. There was quite a bit of valuable information supplied by the French underground, especially leading up to D-Day, and immediately after it as well. Also the French underground, the pro Allied portion, proved valuable after the fact in and during the cold war.
One of the opinions or positions I read about years ago regarding the French underground was that truly by D-Day most figured that that the Nazi's were either beaten and or going to make a peace, thus a portion of the latter period efforts were spent too much focusing on the position "after". Equally, the Allies did not do a good job of coordinating with the Underground and a large portion of the Underground did a poor job of being "team players". At the time France was a pretty big country, with a variety of movements and directions, bringing all of those to bear in a directed effort was never going to be possible.
My paternal grandfather was born in Toulon and left France with my great grandmother about 1928 or so. He returned for a like a year sometime in the mid to late 30's. He had a first cousin and an uncle killed by the Germans during the occupation, and he was very bitter towards the Germans to what they did to his family. I got some of the info, but apparently they were involved in the resistance in some fashion. Also, of note the Germans did a very, very good job of marginalizing and co-opting the resistance, the most effective French Resistance were the small cells that stayed very low key and passed on information.