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Resistance during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means like guerrilla warfare, sabotage, propaganda, disinformation, hiding refugees and aiding the other side (like helping stranded pilots).
Among the most notable resistance movements were the French Maquis, the Polish Home Army, and the Yugoslav Partisans.
Many countries had resistance movements dedicated to fighting the Axis invaders, and Germany itself also had an anti-Nazi movement. Although mainland Britain did not suffer invasion in World War II, the British made preparations for a British resistance movement, called the Auxiliary Units, in the event of a German invasion. Various organizations were also formed to establish foreign resistance cells or support existing resistance movements, like the British SOE and the American OSS (the forerunner of the CIA).
Famous resistance operations
An intricate series of resistance operations were launched in France prior to, and during, Operation Overlord.
On June 5 1944, the BBC broadcasted a group of unusual sentences, which the Germans knew were code words—possibly for the invasion of Normandy. The BBC would regularly transmit hundreds of personal messages, of which only a few were really significant. A few days before D-Day, the commanding officers of the Resistance heard the first line of Verlaine's poem , Chanson d'Automne, "Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne" (Long sobs of autumn violins) which meant that the "day" was imminent. When the second line "Blessent mon coeur d'une langueur monotone" (wound my heart with a montonous langour) was heard, the Resistance knew that the invasion would take place within the next 48 hours. They then knew it was time to go about their respective pre-assigned missions. All over France resistance groups had been coordinated, and various groups throughout the country increased their sabotage. Communications were cut, trains derailed, roads, water towers and ammunition depots destroyed and German garrisons were attacked. Some relayed info about German defensive positions on the beaches of Normandy to American and British commanders by radio, just prior to 6 June. Victory did not come easily; in June and July, in the Vercors plateau a newly reinforced maquis group fought 15,000 Waffen SS soldiers under General Karl Pflaum and was defeated with 600 casualties. On June 10 Major Otto Dickmann's troops wiped out the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in retaliation. The resistance also assisted later Allied invasions in south of France in Operations Dragoon and Anvil.
Other famous resistance operations were the Norwegian sabotages of the German nuclear program (see Norwegian heavy water sabotage).
Resistance movements during World War II
- Auxiliary Units (planned British resistance movement against German invaders)
- Albanian resistance movement
- Baltic "Forest brothers" (Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian resistance movements)
- Czech Resistance movement
- Danish resistance movement
- Dutch resistance movement
- French resistance movement, including the Maquis
- German resistance movements:
- The White Rose
- The Red Orchestra
- Greek resistance movement
- Hong Kong resistance movements
- Gangjiu dadui (Hong Kong-Kowloon big army)
- Dongjiang Guerillas (East River Guerillas, Southern China and Hong Kong organization)
- Italian resistance movement
- Norwegian resistance movement
- Philippine resistance movement
- Polish resistance movements:
- Armia Krajowa (the Home Army)
- Armia Ludowa (the Peoples' Army)
- Gwardia Ludowa (the Peoples' Guard)
- Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ZOB, the Jewish Fighting Organisation)
- Zydowski Zwiazek Walki (ZZW, the Jewish Fighting Union)
- Romanian resistance movement
- Slovak resistance movement
- Soviet resistance movement
- Ukrainian Insurgent Army
- Yugoslav resistance movements:
- People's Liberation Army – the partisans
- Yugoslav Royal Army in the Fatherland aka Chetniks
Notable individuals
Documentaries
- Confusion was their business (from the BBC series "Secrets of World War II" is a documentary about the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and its operations
- The Real Heroes of the Telemark (from the BBC series "Secrets of World War II" is a documentary about the Norwegian sabotage of the German nuclear program
Dramatizations
- The Longest Day (1962) features scenes of the resistance operations during Operation Overlord
- The Heroes of Telemark (1965) is based on the Norwegian sabotage of the German nuclear program
See also
- British S.O.E. - The Special Operations Executive
- British S.I.S. - The Secret Intelligence Service
- British S.A.S. - The Special Air Service
- American O.S.S. - Office of Strategic Services
- Polish Secret State
- Quotes about resistance
- Collaboration (the opposite of resistance)
- Covert cell