French Resistance had a rather broader profile in relatively remote, rural areas, particularly where hills, mountains and wilderness might be involved.  While positive Resistance activity in cities might have consisted of the usual Gaulllist, Communist, Jewish and so on categories, out in the hills this profile broadened to include really large bodies of "Maquisards" whose main (often only) contribution to the struggle was to hide in the hills so as to avoid transportation to Germany as forced labourers, and other groups which consisted of what can only be described as armed bandits.  One type of "Resistance" shaded into another, and different groups variously connected with one another, in such a way that it is difficult to get a fixed understanding of the overall reality.  Oh well.  On the basis of what happened in liberation struggles and revolutions elsewhere (including in my own country), I am sure they all claimed pensions after the war ...  Just kidding (I think), JR.

Young Maquisard, South of France.

Régine-Ariane Knout, daughter of Russian composer Alexandr Scriabin, convert to Judaism and wife of Jewish poet David Knout.  Ariane Knout was not a child-rescuer; she was a founder/organiser of the Armeé Juive (AJ) an armed resistance group active in the Langedoc-Rousillon area of the South of France.  She was involved in arms procurement for the group, and liaison between the AJ and other Resisistance groups in the region.  Ariane Knout was killed in action in an ambush by the Vichy Milicé in July, 1944.  Best regards, JR.

French Jewish resistant fighter.

After the fall of France in 1940, from exile in Britain, Charles de Gaulle rallied remaining French forces from around the world to form the Free French Forces. The first significant campaign for the Free French came in North Africa, where they fought first against their own Vichy countrymen, then against the Germans and Italians. In May 1942, the Free French came up against the might of Rommel’s Afrika Corp at Bir Hakeim, an oasis in the Libyan desert. Defending an old Turkish fort, the 1st Free French Division under General Marie Pierre Koenig held off the much larger German and Italian force for 14 days, before successfully evacuating under cover of darkness on 11 June. The action was significant because it delayed Rommel long enough for the British to re-group their forces. Although Rommel succeeded in capturing Tobruk 10 days later, Bit Hakeim and other delaying actions were successful in giving the British the vital time needed to pull together the forces which eventually defeated Rommel at El Alamein in July. The Bir Hakeim action was trumpeted by De Gaulle as an indication that France was not out of the war and was still a force to be reckoned with by the Germans. Hitler was infuriated by the French actions and ordered Rommel to execute all Free French prisoners. Rommel ignored the order and the Afrika Corps continued to treat Free French prisoners as legitimate POWs, which reinforced the Free French assertion that they were a genuine army and not simply a group of partisans.

