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The Resistance - the French Fight Against the Nazis
The French resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II was a struggle in which ordinary people fought for their liberty, despite terrible odds and horrifying repression. Hundreds of thousands of Frenchmen and women carried out an armed struggle against the Nazis, producing underground anti-fascist publications and supplying the Allies with vital intelligence. Based on hundreds of French eye-witness accounts and including recently-released archival material, The Resistance uses dramatic personal stories to take the reader on one of the great adventures of the 20th century. The tale begins with the catastrophic Fall of France in 1940, and shatters the myth of a unified Resistance created by General de Gaulle. In fact, De Gaulle never understood the Resistance, and sought to use, dominate and channel it to his own ends. Brave men and women set up organisations, only to be betrayed or hunted down by the Nazis, and to die in front of the firing squad or in the concentration camps. Over time, the true story of the Resistance got blurred and distorted, its heroes and conflicts were forgotten as the movement became a myth. By turns exciting, tragic and insightful, The Resistance reveals how one of the most powerful modern myths came to be forged and provides a gripping account of one of the most striking events in the 20th century.
403 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
32 people are currently reading
794 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Cobb
29 books111 followersMatthew Cobb (born 4 February 1957) is a British zoologist and professor of zoology at the University of Manchester. He is known for his popular science books The Egg & Sperm Race: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unravelled the Secrets of Sex, Life and Growth; Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code; and The Idea of the Brain: A History. Cobb has appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage, The Life Scientific, and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, as well as on BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service.
Cobb has written and provided expert comments for publications including New Scientist and The Guardian, translated five books from French into English, and written two books on the history of France during World War II.
Cobb has written and provided expert comments for publications including New Scientist and The Guardian, translated five books from French into English, and written two books on the history of France during World War II.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 22, 2017
Europe was aghast when France fell to the Nazis in June, 1940. Even more horrifying was the division of the country into the Occupied Zone and Vichy, a puppet government with the WWI hero, Petain, as the nominal leader of a pseudo France. At first, the population was stunned and then they became angry and humiliated. Ordinary people decided to do something about it, to change things even though they had neither the organization nor the resources to make things happen. Thus the Résistance was born and its story has lived on, partially in fact and partially in myth. This book tackles the complex and political aspects of putting together a viable "army" of men and women with one objective....wrest their country back from the Nazis.
DeGaulle who fled to London, declared himself the leader of the Free French forces and the Résistance. But this was not the case to many of the résistants and he was despised by Churchill and Roosevelt.. The French Communists, labor unions and various other organizations did not recognize his leadership and formed their own groups and took action independently. It soon became apparent that planning and disciplined organization would be the key to success.
The author delves into the confusing and fragmented growth of the Résistance and the activities of the mostly unknown amazing people who participated, against overwhelming odds. He does not concentrate on the military actions but rather the problems of unifying these "soldiers" into a cohesive group. The author has done in-depth research and uses eye witness accounts and archival material that was not previously available. I would highly recommend this book
DeGaulle who fled to London, declared himself the leader of the Free French forces and the Résistance. But this was not the case to many of the résistants and he was despised by Churchill and Roosevelt.. The French Communists, labor unions and various other organizations did not recognize his leadership and formed their own groups and took action independently. It soon became apparent that planning and disciplined organization would be the key to success.
The author delves into the confusing and fragmented growth of the Résistance and the activities of the mostly unknown amazing people who participated, against overwhelming odds. He does not concentrate on the military actions but rather the problems of unifying these "soldiers" into a cohesive group. The author has done in-depth research and uses eye witness accounts and archival material that was not previously available. I would highly recommend this book
August 28, 2018
A great book. Really helps you to understand time, the players and the different missions the resistance had to undermine the Nazis.
November 3, 2019
It's a tour de force to capsule the entire variety of the French resistance away from the monolithic myth in under 300 pages, but Cobb has mined enough French language classics to do it. SOE wanted to make saboteurs out of them with plenty of bombs, De Gaulle wanted all of them under him to pave the way for his Free French forces, Moscow could never get a proper grip on the Communist wing and its ambition for a democratic welfare state. What this 1%of the young population wanted was guns, sometimes revenge, often a place to hide from compulsory labor in Germany. The leadership of the Resistance went through two generations as the first was decimated by Gestapo countermeasures by 1942 once the relaxed style of the Midi weakened the security of those cells in the occupied North. The complete occupation of the country triggered a swelling of the ranks from the city to the countryside's most inaccessible mountains, strongholds sufficient against Vichy milices but not against full scale SS assault. Overall, the Jewish Question went unaddressed :the reality of the industrial holocaust was too terrible to accept.
November 19, 2014
The resistants, as the Resistance fighters were called, held various and often conflicting political views but were all committed to the overthrow of the Nazi occupation by whatever means possible. Cobb's heavily researched work details the personal stories of the courageous men and women who risked - and often lost - their lives to defeat the Nazis and the collaborationist Vichy government that the Nazis established. Over 75,000 Jews were deported from France during the Occupation, with only one in thirty returning after the war. As the resistants fought in the cities and countryside, de Gaulle, who at the beginning of the war was a relatively minor and unknown general, appointed himself head of the opposition and attempted to control the war effort from England with a view toward his own political future as head of the country post-liberation, even going so far as to order the resistants not to engage in sabotage without his consent. They pretty much ignored his demands as he, in turn, refused to acknowledge their contributions to the war effort. It's not easy to keep track of the many factions of the Resistance with their often conflicting political agendas. Fortunately, Cobb provides an appendix of acronyms.
The actions of the resistants included everything from publishing and distributing underground newspapers to sabotaging vital transportation lines to assassination of German soldiers and French collaborators and betrayers. The response of the Nazis was immediate and merciless: execution, torture, deportation to concentration camps, and massacres of large numbers of ordinary citizens in retribution for acts committed by the Resistance. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 people took part in the Resistance and approximately 100,000 died.
What makes this history of the Resistance so compelling for me is the personalization of the individual resistants in all their human complexities and the vivid descriptions of their day-to-day lives as well as those of the rest of the French population who suffered appalling conditions and deprivations.
Full of historical information that is heavily footnoted, the narrative still reads like a fast-paced novel. The Resistance, Cobb says, has a mythic hold on the French psyche. "Over sixty years later, the Resistance still retains its power to inspire. These were ordinary people who made extraordinary sacrifices, and many of them paid a terrible price. They fought for a variety of reasons, with different means. But the main point is that they did fight, they did not accept what appeared to be the inevitable. And in doing so they discovered things about themselves." (p. 293)
The actions of the resistants included everything from publishing and distributing underground newspapers to sabotaging vital transportation lines to assassination of German soldiers and French collaborators and betrayers. The response of the Nazis was immediate and merciless: execution, torture, deportation to concentration camps, and massacres of large numbers of ordinary citizens in retribution for acts committed by the Resistance. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 people took part in the Resistance and approximately 100,000 died.
What makes this history of the Resistance so compelling for me is the personalization of the individual resistants in all their human complexities and the vivid descriptions of their day-to-day lives as well as those of the rest of the French population who suffered appalling conditions and deprivations.
Full of historical information that is heavily footnoted, the narrative still reads like a fast-paced novel. The Resistance, Cobb says, has a mythic hold on the French psyche. "Over sixty years later, the Resistance still retains its power to inspire. These were ordinary people who made extraordinary sacrifices, and many of them paid a terrible price. They fought for a variety of reasons, with different means. But the main point is that they did fight, they did not accept what appeared to be the inevitable. And in doing so they discovered things about themselves." (p. 293)
June 9, 2012
In Resistance, Matthew Cobb provides a broad social and political history of the French resistance movement in France during the Second World War, drawing on extensive archival and interview research. What his analysis demonstrates is that the Resistance was, in fact, many resistances, made up of hundreds of groups and cells working in broad alliances, cross-cut with deep political schisms, clashes of personalities, differences in opinion, tactics and strategies, and answering to different masters. A real strength of the book is that Cobb manages to, on the one hand, contextualise resistance within wider European and global politics and the war, and within what was happening in France with respect to the Vichy regime and the apparatus of Nazi oppression, and on the other, to provide in-depth discussion of particular individuals and groups, and their motivations, aspirations, actions and fate. As such, he provides by both breadth and depth, dispassionate contextualisation and poignant intimacy. It’s a powerful combination that leads to a huge amount of information being crammed into a relatively short book without it ever feeling rushed or truncated. In addition, rather than simply describing events as with many historical texts, Cobb provides an explanatory framework, seeking to interpret why certain decisions were undertaken, and he does so from a relatively neutral position, detailing how others have interpreted the same events and why his view concurs or differs. In my view, it’s an excellent piece of work, covering a huge amount of ground in a lively, engaging and informative voice. If you want a rounded, synoptic introduction to the various Resistance movements in France, this is a great place to start.
June 6, 2018
If you’re looking for research material on the French Resistance or simply would love to learn the details of their operations, “The Resistance” is a perfect read for this purpose. It’s very detailed, includes multiple witnesses’ accounts, historical speeches, and documents. The photographs were also a very nice addition to the narration and helped me better visualize everything that was taking place. Separate stories told by (or about) different participants were also incredibly fascinating. Each chapter deals with a separate period of time and stage of the movement’s development: the birth of the very first clandestine newspapers, first sabotage operations, the SOE involvement, the Maquis, the liberation, the aftermath, and many more. What I also highly appreciated about this book is that it was purely historical, presenting the facts and historical accounts for a reader to judge for themselves who was the hero, who was the villain, and who was a simple opportunist. A true must-read for all WWII history lovers - I really can’t recommend it enough!
December 10, 2012
This is clearly a well researched book, and I don't want my rating to detract from it. However, for me it was just too in depth in terms of the political situation of France during WW2. I found it very hard to keep track of who was who and what side they were on, which dulled my interest in the subject quite quickly. If you're in to the detail of this kind of thing it would be a fantastic read I'm sure.
January 16, 2014
This was too stolid a retelling for my tastes. It focused more on the political situation surrounding the French Resistance than the acts of resistance. That might float someone else's boat, but it left me wanting a bit cold. Even when Mr Cobb described the action, it was dull and lacked any tension.
This would be a better book if it was written less as a lecture and more as a series of stories. I realised it's a factual book, but that doesn't mean it has to be dull. Basic things like shorter sentences and using active instead of passive voice would make a huge difference.
I also bumped up against a couple of inaccuracies that jarred for me. Basic things like the author stating the Battle of Britain had not yet begun by 31 July 1940 and wrongly referring to D-Day as Operation Overload instead of Overlord, not once but twice. It made me wonder what else was incorrect. Mr Cobb's habit of repeatedly calling the German army "Nazi soldiers" at the same time as explicitly stating that the rank and file were generally not Nazis, just soldiers following orders also bothered me.
It's not a bad book, but it's not as interesting as a book about this fascinating slice of history should be.
As an aside, I read the Kindle edition and the book itself finishes at 58%. The rest of the space is taken up with the glossary, bibliography, further reading, notes and a list of people and what happened to them. It made the book seem very slow going.
This would be a better book if it was written less as a lecture and more as a series of stories. I realised it's a factual book, but that doesn't mean it has to be dull. Basic things like shorter sentences and using active instead of passive voice would make a huge difference.
I also bumped up against a couple of inaccuracies that jarred for me. Basic things like the author stating the Battle of Britain had not yet begun by 31 July 1940 and wrongly referring to D-Day as Operation Overload instead of Overlord, not once but twice. It made me wonder what else was incorrect. Mr Cobb's habit of repeatedly calling the German army "Nazi soldiers" at the same time as explicitly stating that the rank and file were generally not Nazis, just soldiers following orders also bothered me.
It's not a bad book, but it's not as interesting as a book about this fascinating slice of history should be.
As an aside, I read the Kindle edition and the book itself finishes at 58%. The rest of the space is taken up with the glossary, bibliography, further reading, notes and a list of people and what happened to them. It made the book seem very slow going.
May 5, 2010
This book has really knocked me sideways. Of course we learn about the resistance at school and through films, and my image was of a well-organised and controlled underground group including just about every French man and woman.
In reality it was highly fragmented, highly disorganized and highly political, and only 2 per cent of the French population were involved: their courage and sacrifice immeasurable. The extraordinary waste of life is overwhelming – one in five involved was killed. And yet the quote from a member of the resistance used at the beginning of the book just won’t leave me: “I want to say to all the young people watching, who do not know what it was like to be in the résistance: it was one of the greatest times to be alive’’
In reality it was highly fragmented, highly disorganized and highly political, and only 2 per cent of the French population were involved: their courage and sacrifice immeasurable. The extraordinary waste of life is overwhelming – one in five involved was killed. And yet the quote from a member of the resistance used at the beginning of the book just won’t leave me: “I want to say to all the young people watching, who do not know what it was like to be in the résistance: it was one of the greatest times to be alive’’
September 27, 2013
I loved this book. Filled with first hand accounts, it captures the intrigue and danger of being a part of the French Resistance, whilst also describing in detail what life was like for people under Occupation. Incredibly moving in places, some of the stories of people's (including teenagers) bravery blew my mind. A must for anyone who has any interest in World War II.
January 6, 2014
The topic is fascinating, but it is written in a way that is difficult to follow with many acronyms used for the various resistant factions of war time France. It seems the author could have broken topics down differently; perhaps covering one resistance group at a time, culminating in their ultimate convergence with the Allies towards the end of the war.
August 9, 2021
“When the scales of success turn in favor of England, the barricades will emerge from the pavements of the towns of France, the snipers will appear behind the attic windows, and the people will fight as in the old days. But not before.”
-Arthur Koestler
France is not alone among countries who wish to view their past in a light that has clear heroes and villains as well as moral clarity not sullied by nuance or complexity.
There is perhaps no better example of this in the case of France than the underground movements that fought the German occupation during WWII.
Collectively known as “The Resistance”, it was in fact made up of a dizzying patchwork of men and women from all across the political and class spectrum. Often fractured in decisions of what actions to take, often beset by traitors, often lacking in even the most basic arms and training to fight the world’s most modern army equipped with thousands of planes and tanks, these people somehow managed to for the most part put political differences aside and work for the good of their country. For many, the practicality of removing the Germans from French soil took precedent over communism, monarchism, or socialism. Everything else could be dealt with in the postwar (this in practice turned out to be more than a little optimistic).
They were not all heroes of course. As many historians estimate, perhaps no more than 5% of the population was actively involved in attacks on the Germans or their infrastructure. Many were, understandably so, more concerned with their immediate survival and thus while not active collaborators with the Germans, did not resist them either.
The author rightly states that it is difficult to cast judgement on those who chose that path as most of us have no frame of reference as to what we would do in similar circumstances when our lives or the lives of our loved ones are in constant danger.
Active collaborationists however, from the Vichy government officials who helped deport Jews from their towns, to local business leaders who profited from their collaboration either financially or from the power it gave them, are perhaps a different story. I will leave it to history to judge their choices.
These examples however make the actions of the 5% who did actively resist under the specter of constant death, that much more remarkable. Yes they were complex men and women who were prone to the same human foibles as all human beings such as vanity and hubris, but one thing that can never be called into question is their selflessness or their courage.
I don’t know what I would do under similar circumstances but if it is even a tenth of what these brave people did, I could hold my head up high.
As an aside, I highly recommend anyone interested in this period of history to watch the French miniseries “A French Village”. It does a masterful job of portraying the nuances of what occupation looks like in a small village. Sometimes people act heroically, often not. But always like human beings
-Arthur Koestler
France is not alone among countries who wish to view their past in a light that has clear heroes and villains as well as moral clarity not sullied by nuance or complexity.
There is perhaps no better example of this in the case of France than the underground movements that fought the German occupation during WWII.
Collectively known as “The Resistance”, it was in fact made up of a dizzying patchwork of men and women from all across the political and class spectrum. Often fractured in decisions of what actions to take, often beset by traitors, often lacking in even the most basic arms and training to fight the world’s most modern army equipped with thousands of planes and tanks, these people somehow managed to for the most part put political differences aside and work for the good of their country. For many, the practicality of removing the Germans from French soil took precedent over communism, monarchism, or socialism. Everything else could be dealt with in the postwar (this in practice turned out to be more than a little optimistic).
They were not all heroes of course. As many historians estimate, perhaps no more than 5% of the population was actively involved in attacks on the Germans or their infrastructure. Many were, understandably so, more concerned with their immediate survival and thus while not active collaborators with the Germans, did not resist them either.
The author rightly states that it is difficult to cast judgement on those who chose that path as most of us have no frame of reference as to what we would do in similar circumstances when our lives or the lives of our loved ones are in constant danger.
Active collaborationists however, from the Vichy government officials who helped deport Jews from their towns, to local business leaders who profited from their collaboration either financially or from the power it gave them, are perhaps a different story. I will leave it to history to judge their choices.
These examples however make the actions of the 5% who did actively resist under the specter of constant death, that much more remarkable. Yes they were complex men and women who were prone to the same human foibles as all human beings such as vanity and hubris, but one thing that can never be called into question is their selflessness or their courage.
I don’t know what I would do under similar circumstances but if it is even a tenth of what these brave people did, I could hold my head up high.
As an aside, I highly recommend anyone interested in this period of history to watch the French miniseries “A French Village”. It does a masterful job of portraying the nuances of what occupation looks like in a small village. Sometimes people act heroically, often not. But always like human beings
February 14, 2021
There are some 3,000 books in French on the resistance, and this is a great summary for English-speakers. It combines an overview of the myriad resistance factions with countless exciting spy stories. A highly entertaining read, although not much space is dedicated to the political and structural causes of the war and the occupation. The most exciting question for me — could the resistance struggle have led to a revolution? — is only mentioned briefly at the end. The author has a Marxist / Trotskyist background, but that unfortunately only shines through in a few brilliant passages.
January 16, 2020
Matthew Cobb has dispassionately reviewed the rise and victory of the French Resistance, nicely avoiding the acrimonious polemics that tainted the Resistance from its underground days through its postwar historiography and mythologizing. As we see, the ferocious war against Nazi occupation was only half the battle. The struggle between de Gaulle and the Resistance could have erupted into civil war, had it not been for the fact of Anglo-American occupation and the French Communist Party's (and Stalin's) decision to recognize de Gaulle's authority as leader of a restored Republic.
In the inner politics between the Resistance factions, the Resistance and de Gaulle, and both contra the Anglo-American allies, we see the origins of the subsequent cold war: the fear of the old order that newly-empowered forces would sweep away traditional power structures in the name of national liberation. But for France's sake Thorez was no Mao, and de Gaulle no compliant Chiang Kai-Shek. The unique features of French society made it an odd man within the West for the rest of de Gaulle's life and beyond.
My criticism of Cobb's book falls on two relatively minor points. When he writes of two other wartime undergrounds of any significance, the Yugoslav and Greek, he forgets Poland. There two contending liberation armies, backed by rival allies, also vied for power in a muted but genuine civil war. Cobb also offers an encyclopedic section of footnotes comprising a quarter of the book, with vital information that would have been better integrated into the main text. Lazier readers who bypass them will - unfortunately but predictably - miss a lot.
All in all, a superb rendition - the best summary in English - of a dark but heroic period of French history, with all the main actors - Petain, de Gaulle, Jean Moulin, Henri Frenay, Pierre Brossolette, the Aubracs - present and accounted for. The Resistance lives on, not only in popular culture but in human dimensions: the reader will soon be coming to terms with himself, as to whether he could have summoned the courage of these often quixotic men and women; or found good reasons for accommodation as do most of us in similar straits.
In the inner politics between the Resistance factions, the Resistance and de Gaulle, and both contra the Anglo-American allies, we see the origins of the subsequent cold war: the fear of the old order that newly-empowered forces would sweep away traditional power structures in the name of national liberation. But for France's sake Thorez was no Mao, and de Gaulle no compliant Chiang Kai-Shek. The unique features of French society made it an odd man within the West for the rest of de Gaulle's life and beyond.
My criticism of Cobb's book falls on two relatively minor points. When he writes of two other wartime undergrounds of any significance, the Yugoslav and Greek, he forgets Poland. There two contending liberation armies, backed by rival allies, also vied for power in a muted but genuine civil war. Cobb also offers an encyclopedic section of footnotes comprising a quarter of the book, with vital information that would have been better integrated into the main text. Lazier readers who bypass them will - unfortunately but predictably - miss a lot.
All in all, a superb rendition - the best summary in English - of a dark but heroic period of French history, with all the main actors - Petain, de Gaulle, Jean Moulin, Henri Frenay, Pierre Brossolette, the Aubracs - present and accounted for. The Resistance lives on, not only in popular culture but in human dimensions: the reader will soon be coming to terms with himself, as to whether he could have summoned the courage of these often quixotic men and women; or found good reasons for accommodation as do most of us in similar straits.
January 31, 2014
Excellent piece of research with great number of references to various sources. If you are looking for an action thriller with lots of battle scenes, this book is not for you. But if you want to understand the social and political complexities of the Resistance and its interaction with De Gaulle's Free French government in exile, this is an excellent starting point. It has been written with great integrity and compassion for those who really mattered: The French People. I found it a refreshing and exciting read.
August 8, 2016
I found this to be really an informative read and formatted so that while it was quite factual, I didn't feel that I was reading a text book. It was a little choppy in spots and maybe could have flowed more smoothly to keep me engaged for longer periods but overall I found it to be an amazing account of most details the world is unaware of about the sacrifice, horrors and commitment a few men, women and young adults made to reclaim their country.
August 8, 2017
Well l never expected this.....it seems the resistance was a hot bed of political intrigue only with more political schemes and players than can be imagined-at the top at least. Across the rest of occupied France the resistants were the truly brave individuals of what is fast becoming folklore. This book explores both sides in depth and opened a wholly unknown (to me at least), page of WW2 history.
June 16, 2016
While I was hoping this would go into more detail about the maquis and the lives of the "working class" of the resistance, I did enjoy the well-researched look at the larger picture and what the people at the top of the resistance were dealing with.
January 22, 2018
It was a fascinating read on how the French chose to fight against the Nazis when the Vichy government appallingly chose to collaborate with the Nazis. Ordinary citizens chose to stand up against the vast injustice inflicted on so many people!
July 14, 2013
This was very good, but a bit too focused on the politics and relations between leaders of different resistant groups, rather than the ordinary resistants...
April 4, 2014
More about politics than I thought it would be, but I did end up getting an even better understanding and appreciation of how only a few people at a time can make a difference.
November 23, 2015
3.5 stars
April 12, 2016
Very useful for me as I write novels set in that period. It's well written and researched. Thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in those times.
June 6, 2016
Good Read a real insight into the Resistance
September 4, 2023
If you think you know all about the French Resistance, you are almost certainly wrong. This book will give most people a wider understanding of this complex subject. There were many different resistance groups, from the communists who toed the Soviet line (and were therefore delayed in joining the struggle while the Soviet Union was still in a peace pact with Germany), the communists who refused to toe the party line (and who were among the first and most ardent résistants), the Trotskyists (who were often more feared and disliked than the Nazis by the Communist Party apparatchiks), to the moderates, to the conservatives and ultra-conservatives. Of course, many ultra-conservatives were also pro-Nazi, or pro-Vichy (which wasn't very different), but others were staunchly anti-Nazi.
As well as the various Resistance groups, the SOE and MI6 were involved (and much later the OSS). Many of the Resistance groups were barely on speaking terms, which was probably just as well because their security was often dangerously lax (as was the SOE's).
The Vichy regime was, itself, a puzzling phenomenon. Many who worked for it, including the future Socialist President, François Mitterand, later claimed to have been working for the Resistance at the same time. Some (possibly including Mitterand) may have been, others were not. Certainly, many members of the Vichy government's Deuxième Bureau were working with the Resistance. On the whole, though, the Vichy government was stuffed with fascists and anti-Semites.
General de Gaulle was far from a unifying force in the Resistance. As a military man, he rather disapproved of paramilitary groups and he particularly mistrusted the Communists. Both Churchill and Roosevelt found him an extremely difficult man to work with and Roosevelt disliked and distrusted him so much that, for a long time, American policy was to try and work with the Vichy government.
There were many, many brave and honourable members of the Resistance. Some lost their lives through carelessness, others through betrayal, or simply bad luck. This book wipes away the myths and presents an fascinating and moving history of this extremely important part of French history.
As well as the various Resistance groups, the SOE and MI6 were involved (and much later the OSS). Many of the Resistance groups were barely on speaking terms, which was probably just as well because their security was often dangerously lax (as was the SOE's).
The Vichy regime was, itself, a puzzling phenomenon. Many who worked for it, including the future Socialist President, François Mitterand, later claimed to have been working for the Resistance at the same time. Some (possibly including Mitterand) may have been, others were not. Certainly, many members of the Vichy government's Deuxième Bureau were working with the Resistance. On the whole, though, the Vichy government was stuffed with fascists and anti-Semites.
General de Gaulle was far from a unifying force in the Resistance. As a military man, he rather disapproved of paramilitary groups and he particularly mistrusted the Communists. Both Churchill and Roosevelt found him an extremely difficult man to work with and Roosevelt disliked and distrusted him so much that, for a long time, American policy was to try and work with the Vichy government.
There were many, many brave and honourable members of the Resistance. Some lost their lives through carelessness, others through betrayal, or simply bad luck. This book wipes away the myths and presents an fascinating and moving history of this extremely important part of French history.
October 31, 2025
Mr. Cobb's well researched history of the French Resistance is a labor of love. As an Englishman, his fascination with the resistance comes across clearly. For its history is quite complex. French society memory and history went thru many variations in the post-war decades. Its memory is of the brave underground fighter in trenchcoat, beret, and Sten gun blowing up German troop trains in the middle of the night.
Mr. Cobb created a fine high-level summary of the resistance's history. He writes of the many different splinter groups: Communists, Free French, nationalists, unions, and young men to name some. Its origins sprouted following defeat by the Nazis. People wanted to do something against the Nazis, but what? The book gives readers insight into the politics among the resistance groups and the allies. It contains stories of espionage, sabotage, assisting downed pilots, raids, arrests, assassinations, betrayals, combat, and atrocities.
Mr. Cobb created a fine high-level summary of the resistance's history. He writes of the many different splinter groups: Communists, Free French, nationalists, unions, and young men to name some. Its origins sprouted following defeat by the Nazis. People wanted to do something against the Nazis, but what? The book gives readers insight into the politics among the resistance groups and the allies. It contains stories of espionage, sabotage, assisting downed pilots, raids, arrests, assassinations, betrayals, combat, and atrocities.
October 26, 2021
A very detailed and comprehensive look at the French resistance. There were some parts that could be a little dry, lots of names being dropped and the focus was at times a little too top down to my liking (political arguments between various factions for example which left less space for more in depth studies of specific resistance actions or individuals). Nevertheless, vital reading to truly understand the complexity of the resistance, it's actors, as well as how it has become mythologised and understood today.
August 13, 2023
A very thorough, and often moving, account of the hundreds of thousands of ordinary French men and women who fought the Nazis during WWII. 100,000 of them paid for it with the ultimate sacrifice. These brave people should be an example for us all in these troubling times.
February 4, 2021
IDK how to work this how do i get to read
July 14, 2024
Incroyable, such an interesting, well-researched book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews