Various groups of resistance
in Marseilles

Resistance indicates the whole of the actions of partisans carried out in Europe against Germany de Hitler and Italy de Mussolini during the Second World war, and the political movements and military clandestine which took a dominating share there. Resistance the fact initially of a state of mind of opposition on the totalitarian diets which then dominate Europe, then it is organized in networks from which the methods of action will differ according to the sensitivities and situations' national, but which, all, convergent worms only one goal: to kill Reich Nazi and the fascistic State.
As all these resistant starts from nothing, it is necessary for them everywhere to innovate, therefore the beginnings are they often very humble: modest and spontaneous epic or popular gatherings, for example in Marseilles, March 27, 1941, in front of the commemorative plate of the assassination of king de Yougoslavie, which has just declared the war in Reich; execution of instructions launched of mouth with ear or propagation of the " V " of the victory traced on the walls...

Christian Resistance

The second world war upset the diocese of Marseilles deeply, in its urban structure, its population, in the heart of its faithful and the defeat struck of a painful astonishment the Marseillais as the remainder of the French.
But the arrival with the capacity of the Pétain Marshal reassured the greatest number of it, to start with the bishop Mgr Jean Delay, who was ex-serviceman of the Large War.
When the Marshal came to Marseilles, it solemnly accomodated it with the cathedral. But little by little a deaf person concern seized the population. The prisoners did not return, food became rare.
As the horizon darkened, the frequentation of the churches increased. If the catholics of French Action and the members of the P.P.F. of Simon Sabiani continued to approve the mode bruyamment, others started to take their distances and some tied contacts with the first movements of Resistance.
Christian resistance
 Me Jules-Xavier Perrin diffused autumn 1940 until October 1942, a clandestine sheet, the voice of the Vatican, which published the strongest texts of Vatican Radio. Then, it contributed to the diffusion of the Christian Testimony, created in Lyon by the Chaillet Father.
In Marseilles, the abbot Paul Ardoin took the head of the network of Christian Testimony. But denounced it was stopped and off-set, with Robert Maddalena, the Cognac abbots, Cas and Hermelin.
Other initiatives were done day. Alexandre Chazeaux, active member of the social Secretariat,
since 1941 the Marseilles section of the popular Movement of the families created to relieve the difficult living conditions of the poorest families.
To increase
Jecists and members of the J.O.C. distributed leaflets and newspapers of Resistance. Young professor de Lettres with the College Saint-Charles, Raymond Cayol, took the direction of the Young Christians combatants, directly implied in the armed struggle, after the invasion of the southern zone in November 1942.
Alexandre Chazeaux became in 1944 the director of the Christian action and Coordinating committee, the CCAC, which in this decisive year was going to prepare the participation of the Christians in the Release of their city and their diocese.
In the clergy, excesses Nazis, the persecution of the Jews, the impotence of Vichy, had involved a progressive disaffection towards the Marshal and his mode.
Mgr Delay had published a severe letter against the deportation of the Jews in September 1942.
Before releasebeing released, Marseilles undergoes a terrible bleeding on May 27, 1944, the American flying fortresses bombarded the surrounding Saint-Charles station and districts. Officially one recorded 2000 dead, one counted some probably more than 3500.
If the Release involved a certain number of summary executions and payments of account, it did not cause in spite of the pressure of the Communists of movements of violent anticlericalism. The courageous attitude of the bishop, at the time of the catch of Our-Lady of the Guard, the presence of many Christians in resistance allowed a transition without clash.
The reaction of the MRP which gathered the resistant Christians, the birth of the Southerner that Alexandre Chazeaux directed at his beginnings gave to the Marseilles catholics the means of being expressed in the new political and social context.
With the first elections after the return to peace, the MRP counted to three deputies, militants, Christians convinced, Alexandre Chazeaux, Raymond Cayol and Germaine Poinso-Chapuis, first woman with becoming minister of full exercise in the government Robert Schuman in 1947.
According to the site :


The National Face

In May 1941, the French Communist Party created a movement of resistance, the " National Face of fight for the independence of France ". The National Face obeyed, with a political requirement: to gather, in Northern zone as in Southern zone, all the resistant fellow travellers of the party. This movement of resistance gathered the women, the young people, the academics or the writers, without forgetting his armed branch, the Franc-tireurs and Partisans (ftp).
It also clandestinely published a review the " Letters French ".

Armenian Resistance

Fidelity in France which had accomodated them in 1920 and 1921, where they had their business, their family, unanimously dictated a negative response to the German proposals to them which were made to them until 1942.
The Armenians make owe them for their adoptive fatherland as they would have done for their country of origin. A friendship several times secular links the two people and it is in the pain that the true friendship gives all its measurement.
The Armenians are in resistance to the sides of their French brothers, armed with courage and devotion. In Paris, Lyon, in Grenoble, in Nice and Marseilles, they form groups of Franc-tireurs and Partisans. The Armenian National Face was born. It coordinates its activity with that of Resistant French.
The Armenian F.T.P. competed of audacity and heroism. Everywhere, the Franc-tireurs and In favour Armenian, organized Armenian F.N. assist the action of the F.F.I. in Marseilles, in Saint-Anthony, Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Loup. To Marseilles, they bring a support of most effective in the combat of the Baille-Castellane boulevard and the Prefecture, and penetrate in the city the weapons with the hand. The Armenians which took part in the release of Marseilles were grouped in a named detachmentDETACHMENT SARKIS.
In Saint-Tropez and Toulon, the Armenian battalions supported the unloading of the allied troops.
Many Armenians contributed to Resistance. Missak Manouchian, of course, but well of others gave their life to the combat in France: Azad Niguerresian, killed in Marseilles, Nechan Dermardirossian, died in Nice, Sarkis Bedoukian, Edmon Perian, Samoue Topalian and Veravant Kechikian, all killed during the insurrection of Marseilles, all death for France.
According to the site :


The F.T.P.-M.O.I.

If one meets foreigners in all the forms of resistance - networks, maquis... -, there is a formation specifically composed from abroad: F.T.P. - M.O.I, i.e. the Francs Gunners and In favour of the Immigrant Labour.
La MOI the day in 1923 saw, on the initiative of the Communist Party French, anxious to extend its influence among the million workers made to France, fleeing their country of origin as well for economic reasons as political. The tendency among the immigrants to organize itself as of their arrival in France is a fact generalized and included/understood well political governments and parties.

La MOI initials of three letters which mean Immigrant Labour count from now on among the large currents of French resistance and enjoy a prestige which is explained by the width of its engagement and the repressive eagerness of the fonts joined together Frenchwoman and allemande. A eagerness which will also appear, during years 1942-1943, on the political level whose stake is of paramount importance for the occupant and Vichy: to stop the rise of the spirit of resistance among the French while trying to make them believe that " the Army of release is the army of the crime " made up " foreign gangsters and Jews with the pay from abroad."
The reconstitution of the structures in clandestinity of EGO, followed closely those of pre-war period. Was added there a specific training, the Franc-tireurs and Partisans (ftp ME). Organized at the beginning on the principle of a " detachment by ethnique group ", the undergone losses obliged the direction to form mixed groups where Juifs, Italian, Armenian and Spaniards of foreign, or naturalized nationality French fought and died fraternally plain.
According to the site :


Anarchistic Resistance

September 3, 1939, Jean-Rene Saulière, of the anarchistic group of Bordeaux, enters clandestinity. There will remain hidden in Bordeaux for five months, time to get and falsify the military record of a reformed friend, Marcel-Andre Arru. Sought for insubordination, it will join Marseilles and set up a clandestine anarchistic group which will succeed in until August 1943 carrying out a libertarian propaganda. An activity, rather significant, is undertaken during these three years: " a leaflet doubles page (2lx27) entitled: " With the workers of the arms and the thought "; a poster (3lx24) against Fascism and the dictatorships; the poster: " Died with the Cows "; the booklet " culprits ", (14x2l), 40 P.; the newspaper the Reason (16x25), 12 pages; each one of them drawn with 1000 specimens or more. It is necessary to add to it " the dispensary of forged identity paperss " which allowed a serious help to comrades and to not comrades in difficulty with the French or occupying authorities "
Before being stopped by the French font, August 3, 1943, André Arru joins again contacts with anarchistic companions several towns of France, which will end, July 19, in Toulouse, with the behaviour of a clandestine anarchistic congress. " There were present delegates of Toulouse, Agen, Villeneuve-on-Batch, Paris, Marseilles, the individual ones and two observers on behalf of the C.N.T.-F.A.I., Voline was present. The discussions were theoretical so much which practise. It could not be of it differently at that time when we confronted ourselves daily with the other antifascists. Was it necessary to join them or to remain with against current? The question was often distressing on the ground " Imprisoned with the Chave prison, with the companion Chauvet, it " will be forgotten " by the communist person in charge at the time of the escape organized by the Francs Groups in the night from the 22 to March 23, 1944. Transferred to the prison from Aix-en-Provence, it will escape some thanks to an action assembled by the communist prisoners and of the members from the F.T.P. (Francs Gunners In favour, of communist obedience) during the night from the 24 to April 25, 1944. At the end of June, it gains Toulouse and as of the release of this city, in August 44, takes part in the diffusion of a leaflet entitled " Proclamation of the libertarian groups with tendency anarcho-trade unionist ". October the 29 and 30 is held the pre-congress of Agen, joining together André Arru, Laurent Lapeyre, Voline and some others, to reconstitute a national anarchistic organization being able to gather all the tendencies and all the militants.
According to the sit :


Les F.F.I.

French forces of Interior (F.F.I.) Constituted in February 1944 by the fusion of the A.S., the F.T.P. (Franc-tireurs In favour) communist, of the O.R.A. (Organization of the Resistance of the Army) and of the maquis.
They depend on the C.N.R. (the National Council of Resistance).