Let’s discover the Resistance in La Manche through a few objects

This small wooden coffin was sent in 1944 to a shopkeeper in the Saint-Lô area, a notorious economic collaborator, along with a letter full of “recommendations” for the years to come and how to behave… It reveals a strong spirit of resistance. The feeling of Resistance in La Manche began with the arrival of the Germans at the start of the war and was further strengthened by the Armistice and the increasing number of restrictions imposed by both Vichy and the occupying forces. Resistance in La Manche took many different forms, but was characterised by a refusal to submit.

These “Manchois” who refuse to be defeated

The first members of the Resistance were from Manche, they refused to accept defeat and decided to go to England. In the summer of 1940, they joined the troops that General de Gaulle was assembling. It was a small force, socially, militarily and geographically heterogeneous, numbering no more than 7,000 men in July 1940.

Some of these men came from La Manche, which they had managed to leave by sea, with the help of fishermen from Granville, Chausey, Coutainville, Carteret…

Like the four young men from Valognais who, on 18 June 1940, before Rommel’s troops had taken Cherbourg, reached the port of Goury, set sail for Guernsey and took the boat to England. And four days later, after various interrogations, they joined the Free French Forces.

Or the 20-year-old apprentice pastry chef from Coutances who decided to “do something” when the Germans arrived. With five friends and the help of a fisherman from Passous, he rowed to Jersey. Enlisted in his turn, he fought in Africa, Italy, landed in Provence, fought in the Alsace campaign and ended his career with the Victory Parade in Paris in 1945.

The Resistance in action

These Manchois, who had a spirit of resistance, who refused the Occupation and all those who served it, acted in two main ways. Firstly, there were acts hostile to Germany and Vichy, such as cutting German cables at the roadside, tearing down propaganda posters or adding comments, and moving German signposts. There was also the help given to escaped French prisoners, young patriots leaving for England and British soldiers. The people of Manche were also keen to show their patriotism by wearing the national colours, taking part in rallies to the call of the BBC, celebrating 11 November and laying wreaths at 14-18 monuments. From the spring of 1941, this spirit of opposition was evident in the increasing number of “V” (for victory) and Lorraine crosses on the walls.

A hostile mood that worried Vichy and the Germans

Quite widespread in the département, this initial refusal revealed a hostile state of mind at the start of the war, which Vichy and the Germans were worried about. The perpetrators of all these acts were sought out and severely punished when they were discovered. As the war dragged on, repression hardened and hostility grew. But it was above all the German defeats in the East and General de Gaulle’s messages, broadcast on the BBC, that led to widespread public support for the ideas of the Resistance. After October 1942, the sending of workers to Germany and the STO completed the discontent of the people of Manche. From then on, everything was done to avoid this. In spring 1944, the hardening of the Occupation and the imminence of D-Day further strengthened anti-German sentiment in La Manche.

The Manche Resistance relies on highly secret networks

Organised resistance in La Manche began in 1940, but became more structured from 1941 and 1942 onwards. It was based on highly secretive networks whose aim was to provide military intelligence to the Allies, and on broader movements that endeavoured to mobilise public opinion.

Dès l’été 1940, de petits groupes se sont formés dans la Manche, sans relations avec l’extérieur. C’est le cas du groupe de Maurice Marland à Granville ou ceux de Cherbourg et Saint-Lô. Then, between 1942 and 1944, around twenty networks were set up, recruiting from all walks of life and mainly looking for information on German defences.

The movements developed a little more quickly: at the beginning of 1941 for the communist Front National and from 1942 for the other two movements, “Libération-Nord” and the “Organisation Civile et Militaire”, then especially after Hitler’s attack on the USSR.

All their members were primarily involved in intelligence work, helping STO conscripts who refused to leave, providing false papers, hiding wanted persons, carrying out isolated sabotage and, above all, disseminating propaganda in favour of the Gaullists or Communists.

At the other end, “collaborators” were targeted by the Resistance, and it was not uncommon for some to receive a parcel with a small coffin and a warning letter. In the spring of 1944, there were around 1,800 Resistance fighters in Manche, now unified within the FFI (Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur). Small in number but determined, poorly equipped and tested by the many arrests, they were nevertheless ready for action.

To discover hundreds of other authentic artifacts and immerse yourself in history, we invite you to visit the Normandy Victory Museum in Carentan, La Manche.