Sneaky Frenchmen place dynamite on train tracks on a bridge and blow up a German train causing it to plunge into a river. That’s one image that comes to mind when you hear “French resistance”. Images were created by Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (which was about Spanish guerrillas in the Spanish Civil War) and movies like “The Longest Day”. Eisenhower claimed that the French Resistance was worth six divisions. That claim is a proven exaggeration based on post-war research.
When France fell to the Germans in 1940, French civilians had a choice to make. Most just tried to go on with their lives. This was easy to do because the German occupiers treated French civilians well. A shocking number collaborated with the occupiers. This included women who slept with Germans. Collaboration made creating and maintaining resistance cells very dangerous. It was not uncommon for traitors to rat out the cell. About 8% resisted passively. They might read an anti-German newsletter, listen to a clandestine radio broadcast, celebrate patriotic holidays secretly, or give moral support to the resistance. It is estimated that as little as 2% were active resisters. But they did little sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Their most common and valuable acts involved intelligence gathering. While certainly not worth six divisions, it did provide information on troop movements and beach defenses. Some participated in an “underground railroad” network for getting downed airmen to Spain. After the war, the French would claim much more for the Resistance. Some of this exaggeration was for national self-esteem since the French army had hardly covered itself in glory and to cover up the lack of effort against the Germans. The fact was that there were many more collaborators than resisters. Shockingly, 7,000 French were in the Charlemagne Division which fought on the Eastern Front.
Why did some resist? Motives included shame over relatives’ performance in WWI, witnessing an atrocity, being humiliated by Germans, or anti-Nazi feelings. Speaking of which, the most effective resistance cells were French communists. Another effective group was made up of Polish Jews who came to Paris. It called itself “Solidarity”. About 15-20% of resisters were Jewish. Solidarity managed to save 14,000 Jews from being rounded up to be sent to camps. In 1943, when Vichy France agreed to the Nazi demand for forced laborers, many young Frenchmen escaped to the countryside. They became known as the Maquis, which means “woods”. These desperate individuals were more into sabotage and killings than their northern counterparts. Overall, the Resistance claimed many dead Germans. This has been contradicted by historians. For instance, it was claimed that 5,000 soldiers of the Das Reich division were killed when the unit moved to launch a counterattack after D-Day. Historian Max Hastings looked at records for the division and found that the actual number was 35.
While the truth about the French Resistance cuts through much of its mystique, one must be reminded that it is easy to take shots at it, but one does not know how one would respond under conditions of occupation. And one must remember that there were certainly brave Frenchmen who resisted occupation. And many died. The acts of resistance that appear in films did occur, just not as commonly as is implied.
P.S. the French Resistance looks measly in comparison to resistance in the east. Partisans in the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Greece were much more active in killing Germans. This despite the savage reprisals.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-real-story-of-the-french-resistance
https://www.historynet.com/french-resistance-resistant/
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