French Resistance and the SOE

After the inglorious fall of France in 1940, in what the French term ‘Le Débâcle’, small numbers of brave and patriotic men and women began acts of resistance against the new rulers of their homeland. Gradually, fledgling groups of all political persuasion, personal belief and background emerged from the spitting embers of occupation to make a stand. This work brings to the fore the magnificent role the Resistance played against a frightening backdrop of collaboration and enemy security services.

Through the early days of occupation to the build up of D-Day, the gripping story unfolds of how the Resistance in Normandy evolved from small disparate groups to highly organised and coherent networks capable of carrying out vital intelligence and sabotage operations.

As the Allied generals honed their plans for D-Day SOE agents were parachuted into Normandy to organise, supply and galvanise the Resistance networks. Their orders were to keep a low profile whilst preparing for D-Day when the Resistance would be activated to carry out vital intelligence and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. 

This comprehensive work weeds out the truth from the chaff and drags into context the complicated history of the Resistance in Normandy with clarity and precision. Vivid accounts tell tales of courage, fear and individual sacrifice. How everyday civilians from every walk of life faced up to the enemy from behind the shadows, sharing acute danger and terrifying risk with frightening consequences if captured - all for the pride and honour of fighting against a common enemy for what they individually or collectively thought was right.