Relationship Between The Special Operations Executive And The French Résistance
Abstract
The essay ask the question “To what extent was the relationship between the Special Operations executive and the French Résistance vital to struggle the Vichy and Nazi Regime during the German occupation? The essay begins with the introduction of the event that took place in Western Europe during WWII. As well, the essay focuses on the relation the French Resistance had with the Special Operations Executive. Furthermore, the essay analyzes the importance of the communication between the SOE and the French Resistance, especially the radio the developed. Later, the sabotage and distractions used by the rebels would be discussed with the danger they face. The essay concludes with a summary on the important points made throughout the …show more content…
essay and connects the significance of the French resistance with the novel written by grand-mother on her deportation to the camps.
Rationale
This was a big concern when I entered the I.B program. Since the beginning of the year, I knew it would be hard to choose a topic for such an important part of the I.B diploma. I have finally decided that it will be a history paper, probably regarding World War II. This period of time has been a passion for me ever since my grandfather told me his story. Even though, I couldn’t truly understand the horror that the people went through, his experience gave me a good sense. His mother, my great grandmother, wrote a book about her transportation to the camps as being part of the “French Resistance” movement. When she passed, my grandfather decided to edit it, so we always remember what she had done and been through for the people. The book is called “Souvenirs Tristes“ which translates into “ Sad Memories”. Furthermore, I know it would make my grandfather incredibly happy if I decided to base my paper on his story and reflect on the terrible events he has witnessed.
In order to research this topic, I will use my grandfather’s book and how it has change the way I see him and this period of history. Furthermore, I will further my understanding in the French Resistance by looking for articles and appropriate sources on this movement. I plan to elaborate the significance the French Resistance had over the people and how it held the Nazis until the American forces intervened to restore peace. As well, I can include some of my grandfather personal reflection on the topic. I will gladly add some of his anecdotes of his parent’s transportation and how he managed to live without them for two years. Finally, I will certainly buy a few books on this time period, which I believe are very easy to find because of its popularity.
Introduction
On the 22nd of June 1940, France surrendered to the German forces.
The leaders of the two countries were reunited in the forest of Compiègne to sign the armistice that would ultimately bring a stop to the hostilities between the two nations. That same month, on June 5th, the Nazis had entered France frontiers and eventually marched toward the capital. On June 17, France had no other option but surrender; Hitler then forced the French government to sign the armistice in the same forest where World War I was brought to an end. Following those events, a group called “La Resistance” formed to rebel against German occupation. The French were influenced by Charles de Gaulle to continue struggling with the German and resent the Vichy government. La Resistance provided significant information for the Allies, and was responsible for many sabotage in the German supply lines. Unfortunately, when German authorities arrested these groups, they were usually executed. The press, controlled by the Germans, frequently posted articles on what they did to protesters to scare people of rebelling against the …show more content…
system. When the Germans forced the Vichy government to become pro Nazi Regime, many French became more and more interested into joining the French Resistance. The French Police soon became part of the extermination project Hitler had in mind. Those interventions did not only occur in the occupied north but as well in the “free” south part of France. As Pepin, whom has the title of President of Council, collaborated more with the Germans as the French Population turned for another savior, Charles De Gaulle. The name “French Resistance” was given to describe all the anti-Nazi groups in France who followed orders from the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which was directed by Winston Churchill. They worked as an all to “undermine the Germans in the countries they had occupied”. The SOE main goal was to create a communication with the resistant movement in occupied Europe and send weapons to the groups they were in contact with. As the years passed, they tried to improve their communication because the news came in very slowly. The SOE invented probably the most vital tool used during this time period, the radio communications. They tried to send as much of them as possible in order to build a veritable connection between the two countries. In the end, no great achievements were done but the “remarkable progress was made in increased organization, centralization and planning.” It wasn’t until June 22nd 1941, a year after France’s surrender to Hitler, that all the communist parties in France decide to join together to form a respectable rebel party and represented a potential threat to the Germans. As the Vichy government lost supporters, the resistance movement in France was gaining popularity throughout the country. De Gaulle was becoming himself more popular by the French population and in regards of the SOE. Therefore, he became the head of the Comité Francais de Libération Nationale, which was responsible for given orders to all resistance movements in France. From that point on, the French Resistance became much more active, increasing from 130 sabotages to 530 sabotages by September 1943. The movement kept growing and reached 100,000 members by 1944. The most significant impact on the German transportations was made in this same year. It is concluded that the French Resistance had some successful sabotages and perhaps slowed down the German forces in their extermination and total domination of the continent. By understanding this brief history on the French Resistance and the Special Operations Executive, a question’s raised. If they hadn’t cooperated with one another, would the resistance movement proved it efficient? And how significant was the invention of the radio for communication? Many others question will be raised and answered throughout this essay. Furthermore, I will touched base on what my grandfather story has thought me and how brave it was for his parents and all the other Resistant to oppose themselves against that terrible regime. I will reflect back on the book my great-grandmother wrote on her own story “Souvenirs Tristes” and what my grandfather did to edit and later publish it for our family to understand what happened to our family.
The Importance of the Radio
The Special Operations Executive first developed this radio to build a new communication system that would work effectively and safely. Their goal was to send the maximum number of those radios to the French Resistance party so they will be able to communicate vital information. This became one of the SOE’s main tasks during the war against the Germans. Furthermore, different radios were built throughout these years, some of them were lighter but the range of the communication was far more restricted. On the other hand, radios such as the B2 were far more heaver but could communicate up to 500 miles apart. After developing this new technology, the SOE had to transport the radios to the French Resistance. As it is quoted in the Finer Times, “SOE agents parachuted into occupied territory to establish communications with local resistance movements and set up a command structure that would enable Great Britain to use to coordinate with local insurgents to strike out at the occupying Nazi armies”. As it can be understood through this statement, the SOE will take enormous risk to safely deliver the radios. They show themselves very strict when it came to secure transmissions, and they made sure that the German opposition could not lay their hands on the radios. Another major factor taken into account by the SOE was the quality of the product. Radios they will give out to other rebels in occupy territories were very sophisticated for the time period. The capabilities of those radios were far more ahead then the French Resistant group, therefore, SOE agents usually trained them in order to use them properly and taught them other sabotage methods that could be useful such as placing bombs or survival in extreme situations. Most of the training was done at nighttime to avoid drawing attention. Furthermore, the training was quick because they had little time to teach each resistant; the most important was to assure they will be able to use the radio properly on a secure line. Other methods of communications were used to share information, sometimes through code messages. Letters with highly important content were as well used and many times intercepted. People using these types of communications methods usually risked death or imprisonment in concentration camps if they were caught. Therefore, many French resistant decided to fight-off the opposition with their own mean and did not cooperate with the SOE. However, these independent individuals did not achieve the same impact and weren’t as helpful to La Resistance.
Sabotage and Distraction
Sabotage and distractions were used by the Special Operations Executive and the French Resistance to delay and push back the Germans as much as they could. SOE agents were sent to be parachuted into occupy territories to train the resistants’ “in close combat fighting, bomb construction and the use of high explosives for sabotage, survival training and other needed skills”. Even though their full accomplishment was never completely recorded, “Germans had to restrict their forces to protect the prisons, bridges and other buildings such as factories because the SOE attacks were so disruptive to their initial plans”. With help from the SOE, the French resistance has new strategies to delay Germans attacks in Western Europe. As well, since the SOE cannot operate much from their actual position located in Great Britain, they rely on the other rebels to do most of the dirty work for them. The SOE usually send equipment and some agents on occupied territory to train La Resistance but were not enough in numbers to sabotage a significant amount of German property. Furthermore, the rebelling forces used distractions as another way to gain time for the sabotage or to take them in the wrong direction during German occupation in Western Europe. As well, the SOE and the French resistance used other methods to fight-off the Nazi regime such as infiltrating or espionage. Agents would be sent near the German main headquarters located in invaded territory and would try to gather as much information as possible. They’re main purpose was to gain information such as dates, meeting points… Those individuals would share what they have fund to the SOE and other allies through the radios. The espionage squad would normally try to acquire information about the enemies timing and routines in order to intervene in their camps at the right time. However, those individuals took enormous risks in participating in these acts. Many times, the espionage squad would get caught and either killed or captured by the enemy. Those missions had to be very well prepared and organized to be successful, and it was important to not underestimate the security level in cases. Finally, if the plans proved to be successful, the Nazi party will have to delay their expansion on the territory since more forces had to be sent from Germany. In that case, the missions would be complete and the rebels would push even further to the point where some camps had to retreat. However, in many cases, the forces would arrive in time before this event and the resistants’ would be overpowered.
The Story of Captain Maloubier
Captain Bob Maloubier was an SOE agent during the Nazi Regime. He took a part in a rigid program to become a specialist in the art of sabotage, espionage and dissimulation. He is today, one of the last agents of Churchill’s secret army, the Special Operation Executive. His story is remarkable and he was rewarded for his courageous involvement in the Resistance movement. He will then write his memoirs in “Churchill’s Secret Agent” explaining the importance of the SOE during the Nazi era. In his novel “Churchill’s Secret Agent” published in 2011, Maloubier recalls his story as one of the French members in the Special Operations Executive. Employed at the age of nineteen in the SOE, Maloubier as lived the 20th century seeing the most difficult moments of the war. In his book, he evokes events such as his escape from one of the many Nazi’s prison. As well, he “tells of parachuting into occupied France, of bombing a German naval vessel, of stockpiling weapons in preparation for D-Day”. After the war, Maloubier became a teacher at the French Secret Service and helped create “a French version of the Navy SEALS”. Not only that, Maloubier describes his life as it is now. He offers his honest opinion on the generation of today and the differences he noticed throughout the years. Maloubier claims, "Even though man wants to absolutely know what tomorrow will be made of, the excitement of life is from not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow is another day. That's all … something different. Something will happen, must happen. Otherwise, it's going to be dull. Life can only be made of unpredictable things." In this quote, Maloubier criticizes the new generation and how life shouldn’t be lived this way. He argues that, the new generation, does not take risk, and that life is about foreseeing rather than experiencing. Personally, I believe this philosophical topic that emerged in his novel is worth discussing. In my opinion, he decided to include this topic in his book to raise the question publically and challenge the new generation. However most importantly, this book raises the issue that Britain played a significant role during this time period. It is even more relevant because Maloubier’s book is the only French book addressing this particular connection. Moreover, as a member of this special committee, Maloubier provides personal anecdotes and point of views on the Special Operation Executive and a detailed explanation on the missions he received throughout his career. This inside look enables the French population to see the importance Britain played in defeating the Nazi’s. As Jean-Louis Cremieux-Brilhac said, an historian who was a member of De Gaulle's London-based provisional government, “In the minds of most French, two major groups were behind the resistance: De Gaulle's Free French Forces and French paramilitary units led by communist patriots”. He then later goes on and claims "But in reality, there was a third driving motor: the British. It's an idea that hasn't completely penetrated French opinion." In other words, the Special Operation Executive does not receive credit for the lives they sacrificed to help the Resistance hold back the Nazi forces.
The Role of Women
What made the Special Operations Executive so unique and efficient during this time period was the number of women they employed.
Large numbers that we're never seen before in such a highly sophisticated program like this one. This useful dissimulation technique was approved by Churchill in spring of 1942 and gained instantaneously an enormous role from that point on. The primary idea was that women could infiltrate the enemy territory easily without any suspicions. They were considered as less "conspicuous" than men. As well, they could more easily blend in with the rest of the occupied population such as France in this case. Many women many a notable impact during the Resistance period. However, even today, these courageous people are regarded as less ultimately due to the idea that they played an easier role and were never involved in dangerous missions such as the sabotage. As I researched this topic more in detail, I determined that the results of employing women had a positive effect, especially the idea that many more lives were saved. This is because women were rarely regarded as potential threat to the Nazi
forces. Here are some recognizable women figures of this time period. First of all is Virginia Hall, an American that lived in France during the Nazi invasion of the territory. With her artificial foot, it is unthinkable that a woman could be part of the SOE, this prestigious organization. But she fought her way through and became a member of the SOE until the D-Day. Another remarkable woman was Inayat Khan, a fluent French speaker specialized in radio transmission. She landed in Paris in early 1943 “to work with the ill-fated prosper network in Paris”. She would hide from the Gestapo for a very long time by constantly moving around the capital. However, she was unfortunately caught in October 1943 to finally be executed at Dachau, Germany of September 1944. Her contribution to the SOE operation with the Resistance was enormous, and risked her life to fight off Nazi opposition. These women are just some examples out of the forty women who sacrificed their lives as part of the Special Operations Executive Program. Many other notable names such as Violette Bushell, Christine Granville, Eileen Nearne… were essential for the complicity between the SOE and the French Resistance due to their ability to dissimulate themselves with crowd, and therefore, making it difficult from the Nazi police to catch them.
(Prosper Network)
Conclusion
The French Resistance was created to fight back against the Nazi encounters. It was then supported by the Special Operations Executive to sabotage German trade-lines, transportation, and troops… Throughout the years of 1940 and 1944, they showed a large increased in number and rebelled themselves against the Vichy Regime directed by the Marshall Pépin. As the Vichy Regime adopted the Nazi Regime, more and more rebellion were shown by the population. They knew the Gestapo (the German Police) will be after them but decided to not succumb to the German forces. As the troops marched there way through every city terrorizing their people and installing a constant threat for the Jews. It is important to recognize that La Resistance was a community, not necessarily Jewish, but fighting to restore peace and freedom in their country. They put their own lives in danger to show justice and that show the Germans that they aren’t welcomed in their frontiers. However, people will argue that the French Resistance movement came too late in the fight against the Nazi Regime, and therefore did not make a significant impact on the enemy. The communication between the SOE and the French Resistance was necessary to pursue their plan to destroy any German possession in the country. The radio that was created by the SOE was a revolution for the development of the resistance. The information travelled faster and made it possible for both to fight against the Nazi Regime. Furthermore, from the successful sabotage created by the anti-Nazi regime groups, it is fair to say that the relationship they have was fundamental and vital to stop the Germans forces into further terror in the West Europe. I have never witnessed France’s invasion so I am not in place to explain the traumatizing event that occurred throughout the territory. However, my grandfather, at the age of 8, has witnessed the German invasion in his house to capture his parents for being part of La Resistance. He will live with his neighbor for the next year until both his parents will return from the camps. When she finally returned, my great-grandmother will write her memoirs in “Souvenir Tristes” based on her own experience. She describes in her book the “terror”, the “fear” when the Gestapo had introduced themselves in their lives. Furthermore, in this eighty page manuscript, she will tell the story of the camps, and explains later her necessary departure to Tangier in Morocco until they could safely return to their native land. After his mother death, my grandfather decided to edit and translate the book from Spanish to French (the book was originally written in Spanish). He published 40 copies representing the number of children, grand children and loved ones he thought needed to own a copy. He gave one to each of us, to keep safely in our room and to feel thankful for the lives we have being given.
The essay ask the question “To what extent was the relationship between the Special Operations executive and the French Résistance vital to struggle the Vichy and Nazi Regime during the German occupation? The essay begins with the introduction of the event that took place in Western Europe during WWII. As well, the essay focuses on the relation the French Resistance had with the Special Operations Executive. Furthermore, the essay analyzes the importance of the communication between the SOE and the French Resistance, especially the radio the developed. Later, the sabotage and distractions used by the rebels would be discussed with the danger they face. The essay concludes with a summary on the important points made throughout the …show more content…
essay and connects the significance of the French resistance with the novel written by grand-mother on her deportation to the camps.
Rationale
This was a big concern when I entered the I.B program. Since the beginning of the year, I knew it would be hard to choose a topic for such an important part of the I.B diploma. I have finally decided that it will be a history paper, probably regarding World War II. This period of time has been a passion for me ever since my grandfather told me his story. Even though, I couldn’t truly understand the horror that the people went through, his experience gave me a good sense. His mother, my great grandmother, wrote a book about her transportation to the camps as being part of the “French Resistance” movement. When she passed, my grandfather decided to edit it, so we always remember what she had done and been through for the people. The book is called “Souvenirs Tristes“ which translates into “ Sad Memories”. Furthermore, I know it would make my grandfather incredibly happy if I decided to base my paper on his story and reflect on the terrible events he has witnessed.
In order to research this topic, I will use my grandfather’s book and how it has change the way I see him and this period of history. Furthermore, I will further my understanding in the French Resistance by looking for articles and appropriate sources on this movement. I plan to elaborate the significance the French Resistance had over the people and how it held the Nazis until the American forces intervened to restore peace. As well, I can include some of my grandfather personal reflection on the topic. I will gladly add some of his anecdotes of his parent’s transportation and how he managed to live without them for two years. Finally, I will certainly buy a few books on this time period, which I believe are very easy to find because of its popularity.
Introduction
On the 22nd of June 1940, France surrendered to the German forces.
The leaders of the two countries were reunited in the forest of Compiègne to sign the armistice that would ultimately bring a stop to the hostilities between the two nations. That same month, on June 5th, the Nazis had entered France frontiers and eventually marched toward the capital. On June 17, France had no other option but surrender; Hitler then forced the French government to sign the armistice in the same forest where World War I was brought to an end. Following those events, a group called “La Resistance” formed to rebel against German occupation. The French were influenced by Charles de Gaulle to continue struggling with the German and resent the Vichy government. La Resistance provided significant information for the Allies, and was responsible for many sabotage in the German supply lines. Unfortunately, when German authorities arrested these groups, they were usually executed. The press, controlled by the Germans, frequently posted articles on what they did to protesters to scare people of rebelling against the …show more content…
system. When the Germans forced the Vichy government to become pro Nazi Regime, many French became more and more interested into joining the French Resistance. The French Police soon became part of the extermination project Hitler had in mind. Those interventions did not only occur in the occupied north but as well in the “free” south part of France. As Pepin, whom has the title of President of Council, collaborated more with the Germans as the French Population turned for another savior, Charles De Gaulle. The name “French Resistance” was given to describe all the anti-Nazi groups in France who followed orders from the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which was directed by Winston Churchill. They worked as an all to “undermine the Germans in the countries they had occupied”. The SOE main goal was to create a communication with the resistant movement in occupied Europe and send weapons to the groups they were in contact with. As the years passed, they tried to improve their communication because the news came in very slowly. The SOE invented probably the most vital tool used during this time period, the radio communications. They tried to send as much of them as possible in order to build a veritable connection between the two countries. In the end, no great achievements were done but the “remarkable progress was made in increased organization, centralization and planning.” It wasn’t until June 22nd 1941, a year after France’s surrender to Hitler, that all the communist parties in France decide to join together to form a respectable rebel party and represented a potential threat to the Germans. As the Vichy government lost supporters, the resistance movement in France was gaining popularity throughout the country. De Gaulle was becoming himself more popular by the French population and in regards of the SOE. Therefore, he became the head of the Comité Francais de Libération Nationale, which was responsible for given orders to all resistance movements in France. From that point on, the French Resistance became much more active, increasing from 130 sabotages to 530 sabotages by September 1943. The movement kept growing and reached 100,000 members by 1944. The most significant impact on the German transportations was made in this same year. It is concluded that the French Resistance had some successful sabotages and perhaps slowed down the German forces in their extermination and total domination of the continent. By understanding this brief history on the French Resistance and the Special Operations Executive, a question’s raised. If they hadn’t cooperated with one another, would the resistance movement proved it efficient? And how significant was the invention of the radio for communication? Many others question will be raised and answered throughout this essay. Furthermore, I will touched base on what my grandfather story has thought me and how brave it was for his parents and all the other Resistant to oppose themselves against that terrible regime. I will reflect back on the book my great-grandmother wrote on her own story “Souvenirs Tristes” and what my grandfather did to edit and later publish it for our family to understand what happened to our family.
The Importance of the Radio
The Special Operations Executive first developed this radio to build a new communication system that would work effectively and safely. Their goal was to send the maximum number of those radios to the French Resistance party so they will be able to communicate vital information. This became one of the SOE’s main tasks during the war against the Germans. Furthermore, different radios were built throughout these years, some of them were lighter but the range of the communication was far more restricted. On the other hand, radios such as the B2 were far more heaver but could communicate up to 500 miles apart. After developing this new technology, the SOE had to transport the radios to the French Resistance. As it is quoted in the Finer Times, “SOE agents parachuted into occupied territory to establish communications with local resistance movements and set up a command structure that would enable Great Britain to use to coordinate with local insurgents to strike out at the occupying Nazi armies”. As it can be understood through this statement, the SOE will take enormous risk to safely deliver the radios. They show themselves very strict when it came to secure transmissions, and they made sure that the German opposition could not lay their hands on the radios. Another major factor taken into account by the SOE was the quality of the product. Radios they will give out to other rebels in occupy territories were very sophisticated for the time period. The capabilities of those radios were far more ahead then the French Resistant group, therefore, SOE agents usually trained them in order to use them properly and taught them other sabotage methods that could be useful such as placing bombs or survival in extreme situations. Most of the training was done at nighttime to avoid drawing attention. Furthermore, the training was quick because they had little time to teach each resistant; the most important was to assure they will be able to use the radio properly on a secure line. Other methods of communications were used to share information, sometimes through code messages. Letters with highly important content were as well used and many times intercepted. People using these types of communications methods usually risked death or imprisonment in concentration camps if they were caught. Therefore, many French resistant decided to fight-off the opposition with their own mean and did not cooperate with the SOE. However, these independent individuals did not achieve the same impact and weren’t as helpful to La Resistance.
Sabotage and Distraction
Sabotage and distractions were used by the Special Operations Executive and the French Resistance to delay and push back the Germans as much as they could. SOE agents were sent to be parachuted into occupy territories to train the resistants’ “in close combat fighting, bomb construction and the use of high explosives for sabotage, survival training and other needed skills”. Even though their full accomplishment was never completely recorded, “Germans had to restrict their forces to protect the prisons, bridges and other buildings such as factories because the SOE attacks were so disruptive to their initial plans”. With help from the SOE, the French resistance has new strategies to delay Germans attacks in Western Europe. As well, since the SOE cannot operate much from their actual position located in Great Britain, they rely on the other rebels to do most of the dirty work for them. The SOE usually send equipment and some agents on occupied territory to train La Resistance but were not enough in numbers to sabotage a significant amount of German property. Furthermore, the rebelling forces used distractions as another way to gain time for the sabotage or to take them in the wrong direction during German occupation in Western Europe. As well, the SOE and the French resistance used other methods to fight-off the Nazi regime such as infiltrating or espionage. Agents would be sent near the German main headquarters located in invaded territory and would try to gather as much information as possible. They’re main purpose was to gain information such as dates, meeting points… Those individuals would share what they have fund to the SOE and other allies through the radios. The espionage squad would normally try to acquire information about the enemies timing and routines in order to intervene in their camps at the right time. However, those individuals took enormous risks in participating in these acts. Many times, the espionage squad would get caught and either killed or captured by the enemy. Those missions had to be very well prepared and organized to be successful, and it was important to not underestimate the security level in cases. Finally, if the plans proved to be successful, the Nazi party will have to delay their expansion on the territory since more forces had to be sent from Germany. In that case, the missions would be complete and the rebels would push even further to the point where some camps had to retreat. However, in many cases, the forces would arrive in time before this event and the resistants’ would be overpowered.
The Story of Captain Maloubier
Captain Bob Maloubier was an SOE agent during the Nazi Regime. He took a part in a rigid program to become a specialist in the art of sabotage, espionage and dissimulation. He is today, one of the last agents of Churchill’s secret army, the Special Operation Executive. His story is remarkable and he was rewarded for his courageous involvement in the Resistance movement. He will then write his memoirs in “Churchill’s Secret Agent” explaining the importance of the SOE during the Nazi era. In his novel “Churchill’s Secret Agent” published in 2011, Maloubier recalls his story as one of the French members in the Special Operations Executive. Employed at the age of nineteen in the SOE, Maloubier as lived the 20th century seeing the most difficult moments of the war. In his book, he evokes events such as his escape from one of the many Nazi’s prison. As well, he “tells of parachuting into occupied France, of bombing a German naval vessel, of stockpiling weapons in preparation for D-Day”. After the war, Maloubier became a teacher at the French Secret Service and helped create “a French version of the Navy SEALS”. Not only that, Maloubier describes his life as it is now. He offers his honest opinion on the generation of today and the differences he noticed throughout the years. Maloubier claims, "Even though man wants to absolutely know what tomorrow will be made of, the excitement of life is from not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow is another day. That's all … something different. Something will happen, must happen. Otherwise, it's going to be dull. Life can only be made of unpredictable things." In this quote, Maloubier criticizes the new generation and how life shouldn’t be lived this way. He argues that, the new generation, does not take risk, and that life is about foreseeing rather than experiencing. Personally, I believe this philosophical topic that emerged in his novel is worth discussing. In my opinion, he decided to include this topic in his book to raise the question publically and challenge the new generation. However most importantly, this book raises the issue that Britain played a significant role during this time period. It is even more relevant because Maloubier’s book is the only French book addressing this particular connection. Moreover, as a member of this special committee, Maloubier provides personal anecdotes and point of views on the Special Operation Executive and a detailed explanation on the missions he received throughout his career. This inside look enables the French population to see the importance Britain played in defeating the Nazi’s. As Jean-Louis Cremieux-Brilhac said, an historian who was a member of De Gaulle's London-based provisional government, “In the minds of most French, two major groups were behind the resistance: De Gaulle's Free French Forces and French paramilitary units led by communist patriots”. He then later goes on and claims "But in reality, there was a third driving motor: the British. It's an idea that hasn't completely penetrated French opinion." In other words, the Special Operation Executive does not receive credit for the lives they sacrificed to help the Resistance hold back the Nazi forces.
The Role of Women
What made the Special Operations Executive so unique and efficient during this time period was the number of women they employed.
Large numbers that we're never seen before in such a highly sophisticated program like this one. This useful dissimulation technique was approved by Churchill in spring of 1942 and gained instantaneously an enormous role from that point on. The primary idea was that women could infiltrate the enemy territory easily without any suspicions. They were considered as less "conspicuous" than men. As well, they could more easily blend in with the rest of the occupied population such as France in this case. Many women many a notable impact during the Resistance period. However, even today, these courageous people are regarded as less ultimately due to the idea that they played an easier role and were never involved in dangerous missions such as the sabotage. As I researched this topic more in detail, I determined that the results of employing women had a positive effect, especially the idea that many more lives were saved. This is because women were rarely regarded as potential threat to the Nazi
forces. Here are some recognizable women figures of this time period. First of all is Virginia Hall, an American that lived in France during the Nazi invasion of the territory. With her artificial foot, it is unthinkable that a woman could be part of the SOE, this prestigious organization. But she fought her way through and became a member of the SOE until the D-Day. Another remarkable woman was Inayat Khan, a fluent French speaker specialized in radio transmission. She landed in Paris in early 1943 “to work with the ill-fated prosper network in Paris”. She would hide from the Gestapo for a very long time by constantly moving around the capital. However, she was unfortunately caught in October 1943 to finally be executed at Dachau, Germany of September 1944. Her contribution to the SOE operation with the Resistance was enormous, and risked her life to fight off Nazi opposition. These women are just some examples out of the forty women who sacrificed their lives as part of the Special Operations Executive Program. Many other notable names such as Violette Bushell, Christine Granville, Eileen Nearne… were essential for the complicity between the SOE and the French Resistance due to their ability to dissimulate themselves with crowd, and therefore, making it difficult from the Nazi police to catch them.
(Prosper Network)
Conclusion
The French Resistance was created to fight back against the Nazi encounters. It was then supported by the Special Operations Executive to sabotage German trade-lines, transportation, and troops… Throughout the years of 1940 and 1944, they showed a large increased in number and rebelled themselves against the Vichy Regime directed by the Marshall Pépin. As the Vichy Regime adopted the Nazi Regime, more and more rebellion were shown by the population. They knew the Gestapo (the German Police) will be after them but decided to not succumb to the German forces. As the troops marched there way through every city terrorizing their people and installing a constant threat for the Jews. It is important to recognize that La Resistance was a community, not necessarily Jewish, but fighting to restore peace and freedom in their country. They put their own lives in danger to show justice and that show the Germans that they aren’t welcomed in their frontiers. However, people will argue that the French Resistance movement came too late in the fight against the Nazi Regime, and therefore did not make a significant impact on the enemy. The communication between the SOE and the French Resistance was necessary to pursue their plan to destroy any German possession in the country. The radio that was created by the SOE was a revolution for the development of the resistance. The information travelled faster and made it possible for both to fight against the Nazi Regime. Furthermore, from the successful sabotage created by the anti-Nazi regime groups, it is fair to say that the relationship they have was fundamental and vital to stop the Germans forces into further terror in the West Europe. I have never witnessed France’s invasion so I am not in place to explain the traumatizing event that occurred throughout the territory. However, my grandfather, at the age of 8, has witnessed the German invasion in his house to capture his parents for being part of La Resistance. He will live with his neighbor for the next year until both his parents will return from the camps. When she finally returned, my great-grandmother will write her memoirs in “Souvenir Tristes” based on her own experience. She describes in her book the “terror”, the “fear” when the Gestapo had introduced themselves in their lives. Furthermore, in this eighty page manuscript, she will tell the story of the camps, and explains later her necessary departure to Tangier in Morocco until they could safely return to their native land. After his mother death, my grandfather decided to edit and translate the book from Spanish to French (the book was originally written in Spanish). He published 40 copies representing the number of children, grand children and loved ones he thought needed to own a copy. He gave one to each of us, to keep safely in our room and to feel thankful for the lives we have being given.