Small Beginnings

• After the escape of Charles de Gaulle to England in 1940, the French Resistance got off to a slow start. The first activity of the small underground was to publish underground newspapers while de Gaulle made speeches over the British airwaves. During this slow beginning, one particularly important development occurred. The British developed a strong and positive relationship with the underground because of the ability of the French dissidents to spy on German troops.
  
  

Communists and Socialists

• Some of the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of the Resistance were members of the Communist and Socialist parties. These individuals were much hated and reviled by Hitler and the Nazis and as a result were often rounded up and either imprisoned or executed. In 1941 the Communists of the French Resistance were able to organize into one group. When Germany attacked Russia, the numbers and strength of the Communists grew within the anti-German movement. Partly due to a long history of conflict with the Nazis, these political malcontents sometimes attacked their old enemies, but for the most part the heart of the French Resistance was subversive more than it was combative.
  
  

The Movement Grows

• During 1943 the opposition movement grew better organized and began to have an impact in France. For one thing, de Gaulle now had firm control of the Resistance, even though he was confined to Great Britain. With an improved chain of command, the ability of the French opposition to disrupt transportation and rail networks was very much enhanced. By the end of 1943, the resistance was carrying out several hundred acts of destruction every month against German targets in France.
  
  

Before D-Day

• In the six months preceding the Allied invasion, the movement grew to 100,000 members operating in 60 different cells. During the German occupation, the French Resistance is credited with destroying 18,000 railroad engines, thus underscoring the fact that the main activities of the movement were sabotage and supplying information to the Allies.