During World War II, the radio became a tool of immense political power. By 1936, 4 million French citizens possessed a radio in their homes, with a choice of three main stations (Tour-Eiffel, Paris-PTT and Radio-Paris) as well as smaller private and provincial stations. After the signing of the Armistice, the Nazis took control of all the northern stations, focusing heavily on Radio-Paris, and Vichy took control of the south. In the meantime, another primary station named Radio-Londres developed, broadcast from London and featuring a special programme every evening: Les Français parlent aux Français (the French speak to the French). Thanks to this influential platform for music, the composition of wartime songs flourished, to increasingly acerbic political ends.
Radio Londres
Set up on 18 June 1940, Radio-Londres was the voice of the Free French Forces, broadcasting up to five hours a day. The first broadcast, given by Charles de Gaulle, is often considered to be the origin of the French Resistance. De Gaulle declared that France was not yet beaten, and invited anyone who was able to, to join him in London. He ended with the iconic line: ‘Whatever happens, the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished, and will not be extinguished.’
One of the important features of Radio-Londres was its focus on music. Some French songs were written in England and broadcast on Radio-Londres, such as ‘Le Chant des Partisans’ (The Song of the Partisans) sung by Anna Marly, and ‘La Chanson du Maquis’ (The Song of the Maquis - guerrilla Resistance fighters) by Maurice van Moppes and Francis Chagrin, which was also dropped by RAF aircraft into occupied France.
The French Resistance Interactive Map
The French Resistance Timeline
| 21 Aug 1941 | A German naval cadet became the first victim of French Resistance, shot in a Metro station in Paris, France. Over 150 Parisians were shot in reprisal. |
| 24 Aug 1941 | Vichy France passed anti-terrorist laws, punishable with death sentences, to deal with the resistance movement. |
| 15 Sep 1941 | German soldiers were attacked by resistance fighters in Paris, France. |
| 1 Jan 1942 | Jean Moulin, the former mayor of Chartes, parachuted into France in an effort to coordinate and unify resistance groups. |
| 15 Apr 1942 | German headquarters at Arras, France was attacked by members of the French Resistance. |
| 31 Jan 1943 | The Milice was created in Vichy France under Joseph Darnand to counter the Resistance. This organization became another force of the German occupation, reaching a strength of over 20,000 by the Allied invasion in 1944. |
| 27 May 1943 | The first unified meeting of French resistance groups took place, chaired by Jean Moulin; it recognized de Gaulle as the leader of the movement. Moulin would be betrayed to the Gestapo a month later, dying en route to a concentration camp. |
| 29 May 1943 | Berthe Albrecht was captured by German agents in Mâcon, France. |
| 31 May 1943 | Berthe Albrecht was executed by hanging at the Fresnes Prison in Fresnes, France. |
| 3 Jun 1943 | French Resistance saboteurs destroyed 300 tons of tires in the Michelin factory at Clermont-Ferrant. |
| 19 Dec 1943 | French Résistants engaged in heavy fighting with Germans in Bernex, France. |
| 19 Jan 1944 | Resistance fighters blew up the Usines Ratier airscrew works, in southwetern France, wrecking it so thoroughly that it never resumed production in wartime. The charges with 30-minute fuses, laid while German guards patrolled the yards outside, detonated with such force that one 30-ton press was sent 25ft into the air. |
| 1 May 1944 | British Squadron Leader Maurice Southgate, whose task it was to coordinate the various Marquis groups between the Loire River and the Pyrenees mountains, was arrested by the Gestapo in Paris, France. |
| 10 May 1944 | The French Resistance claimed a membership of over 100,000 and requested more military aid from the Allies. |
| 28 Jun 1944 | French resistance fighters killed Minister of Information and local Milice leader Phillipe Henriot. Milice leader in Lyon, Paul Touvier, was ordered to conduct reprisal killings. |
| 30 Jun 1944 | Milice leader in French city of Lyon, Paul Touvier, selected 7 Jewish prisoners to be executed by firing squad as reprisal for the killing of Minister of Information and local Milice leader Phillipe Henriot two days earlier by the French resistance. |
| 19 Jul 1944 | From Britain, US 8th Air Force dispatched 5 B-17 bombers to drop propaganda leaflets in France and Belgium while 5 B-24 bombers paradropped supplies to French resistance fighters. |
| 20 Jul 1944 | 6 US B-17 bombers were launched after sundown to drop propaganda leaflets over France while 12 B-24 bombers dropped supplies to resistance fighters. |
| 16 Aug 1944 | French resistance fighters captured three German posts along the Swiss border. |
| 20 Aug 1944 | French resistance fighters liberated Toulouse, France. |