French+Resistance

by Amea, grade 6

The French Resistance had many courageous people who fought against the German occupation. In 1914 the French army surrendered to the Germans during WWII. The French government let the Germans into France. When the Germans occupied the country, they occupied most of France.

In June, 1940, the Franco-German Armistice divided France into two parts: one part to be ruled by the German military and the other part of France to be ruled by the Vichy government. The Vichy regime was the French government for four and a half years. The French state collaborated with the Nazi Germans. Vichy took that name from the center of the government. Paris remained the official capital. Many French held that the Vichy government was an illegal government run by traitors.

When the French resisted, they did it in many different ways. They sabotaged the Germans, published antifascist newspapers, and cut phone lines. Young people went to the country and formed guerrilla groups. They did this in case allies of Germany Invaded France. People who worked for postal services sabotaged where mail was supposed to go.

When the Germans caught resisters they would put them in concentration camps. What happened in the concentration camps was like torture. A concentration camp is what Nazis would put Jewish people in during the Holocaust. In the camp people got treated badly. They were not getting fed as they needed. Some people died of starvation or malnourishment. Another thing that would happen was that the Nazis would put Jews in gas chambers. The gas chambers would release gas and it would kill you. When a resister was taken, there would always be another.

With belief and determination, and help from the Allies, the resisters got the Germans out of France. The resisters came from all walks of life and worked together to help get the German out of their country.