The Vichy government stepped up its collaboration with the Nazis, while, on French soil, members of the Maquis carried out sporadic acts of sabotage and harassment operations against the enemy and prepared to take part in the country’s uprising. M.O.I. resistance groups are particularly active in the southern region, and Jewish resistance fighters are joining them.
General de Gaulle, leader of the Resistance abroad, heads the French National Committee in London, which was established on September 24, 1941. He tasked Jean Moulin, his representative in France, with uniting the domestic Resistance movements—opponents of the Vichy regime and defenders of the Republic. The task is difficult; Jean Moulin faces numerous obstacles, but the Resistance is taking shape. The National Council of the Resistance (CNR) It was established on May 27, 1943, with Jean Moulin serving as its president.
On June 3, 1943, General de Gaulle became head of the French National Liberation Committee (CFLN), which was formed by the merger of the French National Committee and the civil and military command based in Algiers and led by General Giraud. The goal was to unify French military forces in the global war against Nazi Germany. Together with the Allied armies (notably those of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and the USSR), the CFLN prepared for the Liberation.
With this in mind, the Communist Party—whose military wing consists of the FTPF and the FTP-M.O.I.—is reactivating its National Front for the Struggle for the Liberation and Independence of France founded in 1941 and a key member of the CNR. These clandestine Resistance organizations linked to the Communists are preparing for a national uprising by recruiting on a large scale.
There was no doubt that there was competition among the various Resistance movements, but the prevailing sentiment was one of unity, and the task was twofold: to fight the Nazis and their collaborators and to prepare for the postwar period.
