Studied by 3 people
Resistance in France
People from all backgrounds joined FR resistance
Mostly driven by patriotism + desire to see FR free from foreign control
Women often joined resistance because gave chance for freedom, away from male-dominated FR life
Acts of resistance could be small gestures of defiance
e.g. when FR signed armistice with GER in 1940, two boys tried to lay flowers at tomb of Unknown Soldier
Acts of resistance also more significant
e.g. helping FR POWs escape before transportation
Organised resistance in France
Being in organised resistance = dangerous
If caught, Nazis would retaliate harshly
Resister may be executed themselves, but Nazis might also take anger out on family + friends
Difficult to form effective resistance
Resistance movements made of civilians
Not many had military experience
Shortage of weapons
Therefore many acts of resistance, esp in early days of occupation, focused on printing + circulating underground newspapers
Shared intel across network of resistance groups, and with BR authorities when possible
Links made with British Special Operations Executive
Small org to support resistance groups in occupied Europe + carry out sabotage operations
French resistance and Allies
FR resistance played important part in success of Allied invasion of Normandy, June 1944
Provided Allies with info about GER defences
Sabotaged rail network to stop supplies reaching Germans
Damaged telephone + telegram comms
→ GER had to use radio → messages easier for Allies to intercept
Peaceful acts of resistance like strikes + deliberately slow work
Delayed movement of GER troops + supplies to invasion area
Factories + industrial centres targeted to slow war production
Resistance in Malaya
Malay People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA)
Jointly organised by BR ex-colonial authority and Malay Comm Party
Most members Chinese
1942: started with 3000 men + women
1945: grew to 7000
BR supplied some military supplies for MPAJA, provided it followed their instructions
Main purpose was to fight JAP in guerrilla war
Only partly successful because Japanese stayed put in Malaya + Singapore
Punished local Malays who collaborated with JAP
Conducted guerrilla warfare + harassed JAP occupiers
→ Travel disruption, comm breakdowns and deaths
But never strong enough to push JAP out of Malaya
Effectiveness of resistance in Malaya
At end of war, one estimate suggests MPAJA lost 1000 + caused 5500 JAP deaths
→ Partly effective by being regular nuisance that JAP had to deal with
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