The Resistance: The French Fight Against the Nazis

Plenty has been written about the French Resistance, but no dedicated English volume comes close to this superb, comprehensive account. When the Nazis invaded France in 1940, scores of ordinary people made the extraordinary decision to take action, no matter the risks, in order to oust their occupiers. Cobb (The Egg and Sperm Race) relies on hundreds of interviews, diaries, Resistance newspapers and literature, as well as vast stores of European archival material to present a riveting account of the period. The book covers all levels of the movement, shifting seamlessly from the point of view of the young high school kids clashing with police and soldiers in the streets of Paris; to communist hit squads boldly gunning down German officers; the strategizing of leaders like de Gaulle, Pétain, and Churchill; and the confusion and excitement of the liberation of Paris. Expanding his viewpoint, Cobb explores in detail the Resistance’s relationship to the Holocaust and its subsequent impact on French history, as well as the overstated role of de Gaulle. Cobb’s work is an important contribution to the English literature on World War II and will appeal to anyone interested in military or French history. 20 b&w photos, 2 maps, and a glossary. Agent: Peter Tallack, Science Factory (U.K.). (July)