The Birth of the French Resistance

June 18, 1940. While the French government surrenders, a lonely voice

echoes from London over the BBC. General Charles de Gaulle issues his Appel.

Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished. At first,

it was a war of shadows. Ordinary people like Jean Moulin and Lucie Aubrac began

to organize. They started small: cutting phone lines, sabotaging German trucks, and printing the

underground newspaper Combat. These brave souls became the Maquis, the ghost army. They lived in

forests and mountains, waiting for the right moment to strike. They were teachers,

farmers, and students. They were the soul of a nation that refused