French Forces of the Interior

The French Forces of the interior ( FFI ) is the name given in 1944 to the whole of the clandestine military groupings which had been constituted in occupied France (secret Armée, Organization of resistance of the army, Francs-tireurs and in favor, etc). The FFI, placed in March 1944 under the command of the general Kœnig, played a considerable part in the preparation of the unloading of June 1944 and in the release of the French territory.

The colonel Rol-Tanguy directed the FFI at the time of the Libération of Paris in 1944.

The commander of the allied forces in Europe, the general Eisenhower considered the assistance brought by the FFI with the equivalent of fifteen regular divisions.

Central command of the FFI

The leading authorities of the FFI were not always clear because of the fights of influence between resistant of the interior and outside, the gaullists and the Communists. One can nevertheless raise:

the Staff of FFI (EMFFI) (created in April 1944), directed by the general Marie Pierre Koenig.

As of front, the GPRF had indicated:

a national military Delegate ( DMN ) in France: the commander Louis Mangin (1943-1944), then the commander Maurice Bourges-Maunoury, then the colonel Paul Ely, then the general Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
two Deputy soldiers of zone ( DMZ ) (set up by the BCRA be 1943.

DMZ: commander Pierre Marchal (1943), the general Jacques Chaban-Delmas (1943) then the colonel Andre Rondenay " Jarry" (1944).
DMZ: colonel Paul Ély (1943), then the commander Maurice Bourges-Maunoury (1944).

12 Deputy regional soldiers ( DMR ).
of the departmental military Delegates (DMD).

the COMAC or Comidac, supposed to gather at the same time of the representative of Algiers (CFLN-GPRA) and resistant of interior (CNR). Members

movements of southern zone: Maurice Chevance-Bertin, Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont
movements of northern zone: Jean de Vogüé known as " Vaillant".
National front: Pierre Villon
representing CNR: Marcel Degliame, Pierre Villon
chief of the national staff of the FFI: general Pierre Dejussieu. Then representing FFI: Alfred Malleret.
deputy national soldier representing CFLN of Algiers: Louis-Eugene Mangin then Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
adviser technical: general Georges Reverse.

another Comidac in Algiers.

Regional organization of the FFI

Areas southern Zone

Area R1 : The Rhone-Alps (Lyon).

Chiefs FFI R1: colonel Albert Chambonnet (military mechanic, resistant to Combat, ACE, Companion of the Release, shot 07/1944). Then Alban Vistel.
DMR R1 : Maurice Bourges-Maunoury (X, engineer, companion of the Release) (towards 09/1943).

Area 2 : Provence-coast of Azure (Marseilles)

R2 covers: The Alpes-Maritimes, Stops of the Rhone, the Low Alps, Gard, the High Alps, Vaucluse, Var.

Chief FFI R2: Rossi.
DMR R2 : xxxx known as " Circonférence".

Area R3 : Languedoc-Roussillon (Montpellier) (Aude, Aveyron, Herault, Lozere, the Pyrenees Eastern).

Chief FFI R3: August 1st
DMR R3: Lucien Cambas (fireman, companion of the Release) (06/1944) known as " Trapèze" , then colonel J. Picardy known as " Sultan".

Area R4 : South-west (Toulouse) (Batch, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Ariège and Haute-Garonne).

Chiefs FFI R4: Serge Ravanel (communist), then Jean-Pierre Vernant says colonel Berthier.
DMR R4 : to supplement.

Area R5 : The Limousin (Brive-the-Strapping woman then Limoges) (Corrèze, Digs, the Dordogne, Vienna, High-Vienna)

Chef FFI R5: Colonel Rousselier, alias " Rivier".
DMR R5 : Eugene Déchelette, alias " Ellipse" or " Chasseigne" (administrator of company, companion of the Release)

Area R6 : Auvergne (Clermont-Ferrand) (To combine, Cantal, Haute-Loire, Puy de Dôme).

Chief FFI R6: Emile Coulaudon, alias " colonel Gaspard" (business manager, resistant of the movement Fights, companion of the Release).
DMR R6 : to supplement.

northern Zone In Northern zone, the areas were defined by letters: P: area of Paris. A: area of Amiens. B: area of Bordeaux. C: area of Châlons-sur-Marne. D: area of Dijon. M: Area of Mans

Area Brittany (m2): General Audibert, then Colonel Eon.

Deputy regional soldier for the Countries of the Loire, Anjou and Normandy: Jean-François Clouet of Pesruches (officer of aviation of active, Companion of the Release).

Departmental organization of the FFI

Méthodologie

the list of the departmental chiefs of the FFI is difficult to establish because fluctuating with the sandstone of the arrests and the combat. There can be confusions between chief of the FFI (chiefs with the military profiles) and chief of the Departmental committees of Release (CDL) (chiefs with the civil profiles).
gathered We them, by facility according to the current administrative areas of France (possibly different of " régions" resistance).
This list illustrates the diversity of Resistance well, from where interest to find the profession and the political commitment of these men:
It appears that the departmental chiefs of the FFI often carried the rank of commander or colonel of Resistance.

Ile de France

Chief FFI of the Ile-de-France: Henri Rol-Tanguy (communist ouvier).

Paris : Henri Rol-Tanguy, Aime Lepercq (engineer, industrialist).

Chief of the Parisian Committee of the Release: Andre Tollet (communist, secretary of the CGT Federation of European and International Public Service Unions clandestine of the Paris region).

Northern Area Nord-Pas-de-Calais

:
Pas-de-Calais:

Area Picardy

Somme:
Aisne:
Oise:

Area the Champagne-Ardennes

the Marne: commander Pierre Stop (resistant CDLR, reserve officer, employers' person in charge of Rheims).

The President of the Departmental committee of Release (CDL) is Michel Sicre (communist trade unionist).

the Ardennes: Commander Fournier (hairdresser's assistant, resistant of OCM).

President of the Departmental committee of Release (CDL): Doctor Jullich (former president radical socialist of the general advice).

the High Marne: Colonel of GROUCHY (resistant of the ORA, officer with the retirement).

President of the CDL: Robert Vauthier (Socialist party).

Paddle: Commander Alagiraude (directing of the Center of release of the prisoners of war of Troyes, resistant of the secret Army).

President of the CDL: Gabriel Thierry (Libé-North).

Lorraine Area

Meuse: Yvan Beausire (Known as " Leclerc) (Former chief of groups F.F.I and the maquis of Senon)
the Vosges:
Meurthe-et-Moselle: Charles Thomas (Known as " César") (Former Captain foreign regiment)
the Moselle: Alfred Krieger (" commander Grégor") (come from the Mithridate network).

Area Alsace

(annexed to Reich)

Area Franche-Comté

Haute-Saône: Paul Guépratte.
Doubs:
the Jura: Commander Foucaud (officer of active) (killed in April 1944). Then in May 1944: Romuald Vandelle (known as " commander Louis") (polytechnician, type-setter of music).

Area Burgundy

Saône-et-Loire:
Coast of Gold:
Nievre: the Colonel Roche.

President of the CDL of Nievre: P.Gauthe.

Yonne : Commander Chollet (05/1944, then killed) then Colonel Chevrier. FFI of Yonne become the 1st Regiment of Morvan (to be specified).

Région Centers

Loiret:
Dear Nord: the colonel " Colomb" (Arnaud of Vogue).
Indre: the Colonel Chomel.
Eure-et-Loire: Pierre July
Loir-et-Cher:
Indre-et-Loire:

Area High-Normandy

Seine-maritime: lieutenant colonel Michel Multrier (polytechnician and officer, chief of DRILLED theLower).

Chief of the CDL: Guénard (National front (resistance)).
" Manpower of Resistance into Seine-Lower: October 15th, 1943, 3800 men and women. June 1st, 1944, 10.330 men and women. (.) June 20th, 1944, the FFI laid out approximately 2500 men badly armed who came from the FTPF, the ORA, the BOA, and Libé-North and with various groups FN or independent. August 1st Until September 2nd, the German losses are quantified to the Multrier lieutenant-colonel, ordering the FFI, with 625 killed and 8649 prisoners. From June 6th to September 13rd, losses FFI of 149 were killed and 97 blessés" ().

the Eure: Marcel Baudot, archivist departmental, known as " commander Breteuil".

Area Basse-Normandie

Flowering ash: Daniel Desmeullesn stopped June 1944. Then Andre Mazeline (6/20/1944).
Apple-brandy:
Handle:

President CDL Handle: Yves Gresselin (" Colibri") (grocer in Cherbourg).

Area Brittany

Morbihan: Commander Bourgoin then the commander Paul Chenailler, alias Morice.
Ille-et-Vilaine: General Allard?
Finistere: colonel Paul Jules Fonferrier (officer of Colonial, known as the " Nightingale ") then Henri Provostic. Daniel Trellu.

Chief of district of Brest: Garion (acknowledged in Brest), said " commander Nap-Py " Chief of the districts except Brest: Commander Faucher, known as " commander Louis ".

Coast-of-North (Coasts of Armor): Jean Smallholding

President of the CDL Coast-of-North: Henri April.

Area Country of the Loire

Mayenne: Jean Seailles (" Commander Grégoire") (assistant chief of the

network Aristide-Buckmaster); Mr. Counord.

the Sarthe:
Maine-et-Loire: Jean Eynaud de Faÿ says 'Rousseau" (naval officer of active, resistant OCM, ORA). Then the " commander Blanche". The FFI of Maine-etLoire become 135e IH.
Loire-Inférieure (current Loire-Atlantique): Jacques Chombart de Lauwe, alias " colonel Félix".
the Vendée:

Area Poitou-Charentes

Two-Sevres: Edmond Proust, alias " Gapit" ou" Chaumette" (resistant OCM, ACE).
Vienna:
Charente-Maritime:
Charente:

Area the Limousin

High-Vienna: Georges Guingouin (communist teacher)
Digs (and south of Expensive): lieutenant colonel Albert Fossey (commercial with the PUF, SFIO, companion of the Release).
Corrèze: colonel Rivière

Area Auvergne

To combine:
Puy-de-Dôme:
Cantal: Colonel Thollon.
Haute-Loire:

Aquitaine region

the Dordogne: Roger Ranoux (" colonel Hercule").
Lot-et-Garonne:
the Gironde:
Moors:
the Pyrenees-Atlantic:

Area the Midday-Pyrenees

Batch: Commander Georges; Roger Lecharbonnier (teacher, resistant ftp) in 07/1944.
Aveyron: Bonnafous (Commander " Richard")
Tarn: Maurice Redon

Whose Zone has of the Tarn (southern): Charles d' Aragon, then Pierre Dunoyer de Segonzac.

Tarn-et-Garonne
the High Pyrenees:
the High Garonne: Jean-Pierre Vernant, known as " Colonel Berthier " (academic, large specialist in ancient Greece, Companion of the Release).
Ariège: Camille Sourys says Aubert lieutenant-colonel.

Area Languedoc-Roussillon

the Eastern Pyrenees:
Aude: Jean Bringer.
Herault:
Gard:
Lozere: colonel Emile Peytavin.

Area Provence

Vaucluse:
Rhone delta:
VAr: Captain Salvatori (departmental ex-chief of the ACE).

President of the CDL of the VAr: Louis Martin-Bret.

the Alpes-Maritimes:
Alp-of-High-Provence: Andre Melen known as " Denan".
Hautes-Alpes: Paul Héraud known as " commander Dumont" (killed in operation the 8/9/44, companion of the release).

Area the Rhone-Alps

Savoy: General Heir, known as " Blanchard" captain;.
Haute-Savoie: Colonel Nizier.

and Jean Rosenthal (companion of the Release).

Ain (and the High-Jura): colonel Novel-Small Henri.
Isere: Albert Seguin de Reynies (stopped by Gestapo), Alain Ray (officer of active), Sam Job (reserve officer)
Drome: Jean-Pierre de Lassus Holy Geniuses (known as " Legrand") (officer of active)
Ardeche: Rene Calloud.
the Rhone: Raymond Basset hound known as " commander Mary" (companion of the release).
the Loire: Raymond Basset hound known as " commander Mary" ; Jean Marey (former teacher become officer).
of Ain, of the Jura, of the Saône-et-Loire: Henri Jaboulay (industrial, companion of the Release).

Other local chiefs FFI

Etienne Poiteau, known as the " Captain Stephan " , ordering the " Company Stephan " in Isere (1st Battalion of walk FFI of Isere).
commander Andre Pommiès (chief of the area of Toulouse)
Jacques Chapou (professor of college revoked in 1941 because freemason) known as " Philippe" captain;. In May 1944, it takes the command of the maquis of Corrèze, then those of Hollow, Indre and High-Vienna, under the name of “Kléber”.

See too

Resistance
List of the networks and movements of French interior Resistance
List of resistant the

COMAC
Maquis (resistance)

Maquis of Vabre in the Tarn
Maquis of Vercors

Sources on Resistance and the FFI

the Champagne-Ardennes : http://www.crdp-reims.fr/memoire/enseigner/memoire_resistance/resistance_CA.htm and * Lorraine

Meuse : “The Summer of the partisans. The ftp and the organization of Resistance in Meuse”, university Presses of Nancy; 234 pages and http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/1992-03-30/1992-03-30-650691 and.

Franche-Comté

the Jura : http://jeanmichel.guyon.free.fr/monsite/histoire/e2m/vauthier.htm and * Provence (R2): the ORA in R2: http://www.stratisc.org/partenaires/ihcc/ihcc_44prov_Lecuyer.html and.
VAr : http://www.ldh-toulon.net/article.php3?id_article=131 and ** VAr (on PCF): http://www.rene-merle.com/article.php3?id_article=123 and * Seine-lower Normandy
: CGT and resistance in Seine-Maritime ().

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