Organization of resistance of the army

See also: Ora

the Organization of Resistance of the Army , O.R.A. , was created on January 31st 1943 (following the German invasion of “free” zone in November 1942), as an apolitical organization gathering determined French former servicemen to resist in an active way against the occupant of the France.

Founded by the general Brother (stopped in 1943, off-set and died with the Struthof on June 13rd 1944), it was then directed by the general Verneau (stopped on October 23rd, 1943, died in deportation with Buchenwald on September 14th, 1944), then by the general Revers, who will have as an assistant the general Brisac.

The ORA develops quickly in Southern zone, thanks to the executives and with the armament camouflaged by the Armée with armistice. It is in the beginning close to the general Giraud. It amalgamates in February 1944 with the secret Armée (ACE) and ftp to form FFI, while preserving its autonomy.

First steps of resistance of the army. July 1940

The shortly after the defeat and signature of the armistice, a certain number of officers of the French Army, reduced to a body of 100.000 men, considers that all is not lost. The forces of the empire are intact and the reconquest of France with the support of the allies remains possible.

July 1940 certain services prepare revenge.

Thus colonel Rivet, chief of the 2nd Office brings together his collaborators and says to them: “The mission continues on Germany and Italy”. The Staff, before the armistice councils do not set up themselves, endeavors to dispatch in North Africa as much as possible of weapons and material, and carries out studies on the assumption of an unloading combined in France.

The Colson general sends a handwritten personal letter to the commanders of the military regions inviting them to camouflage material. More discreetly the commander Mollard creates a clandestine service of camouflage of material (CDM).

The colonel Of Vigier sets up of the units of reservists mobilized on the spot, the self-defense groups (GAD) charged to supervise the movements of the German troops in occupied zone.

Finally the Verneau general considers for the first time the tactics of the guerilla in the event of rupture of the armistice and the invasion of the southern zone, with fold of the army of the armistice in the mountainous areas.

The Organization of Resistance of the Army. November 1942

The shortly after this second disaster which for the Army the invasion of the nonoccupied zone with handing-over of its weapons was, a group of officers animated by the generals Verneau Grandsard and Olleris decide to create a clandestine military organization which will become the Organization of Resistance of the Army with the downstream of the Frère general.

The Giraud general before embarking clandestinely for North Africa indicates this last like his representative in Metropolitan France.

The year 1943 will be devoted to the installation of the Organization of Resistance of the Army in the six areas defined by the Combat movement in southern zone. This spot is allocated to colonel Pfister for south-west and to colonel Zeller for south-east.

In northern zone the establishment of the ORA is more difficult. The Verneau general directs this operation. The most important establishments are Brittany ordered by colonel Masnou, Indre and Indre and the Loire with the Brigade of colonel Chomel, the area of Expensive where colonel Bertrand gathers the old ones of his regiment dissolves the 1st IH, Burgundy under the orders of colonel Prats. To the east the area D including/understanding the Franche-Comté, the Jura and the Vosges, is directed by colonel Maurin.

March 1943 the ORA enters in connection with the other resistance movements including the Communist party in order to coordinate the immediate and future actions. The recognition in June 1943 by the ORA of the legitimacy of the CFLN in Algiers and the authority of the de Gaulle general facilitated these negotiations.

According to its manpower the ORA creates its own maquis or mobilizable groups or provides to the other movements the officers necessary to their framing.

This installation is not done without breakage. In March 43 of the massive arrests strike more than 50 officers. In June the services of Abwehr stop the generals Olleris, Gilliot and Frère. This last will die in the camp of Struthof. In July it will be the turn of the Grandsard general, then in October of the Verneau general who either will not return to him from deportation. It will be replaced with the head of the ORA by the Revers general.

Open fight June 6th, 1944

June 5th the Allied High command diffuses the messages giving the order to apply all the plans of destruction envisaged and to start the guerilla on the whole of the French territory.

The zone of unloading i.e. the Apple-brandy and the few square kilometers of the English Channel is not favourable with the maquis because of the strong concentration of the German forces and the allied intense bombardments.

It is the Tortue plan developped at the point by the Grenier captain installed in Ferté-Macé which will be applied by the teams of colonel Perret. They will delay 48 hours the arrival on the face of Panzer division stationed in the area of Mans, delay which will contribute to the success of the Overlord operation. A report/ratio of the Fayard captain gives a report on the destruction of eight road bridges, of a hundred vehicles, sabotages of railways and rupture of telephone cables in the days which followed the unloading.

In Brittany Resistance although not informed operation brings an invaluable help to the commandos of the commander Bourgouin who must according to the allied plans make accept the Germans that a second unloading will have place on the Breton coasts.

Four precursory “sticks” parachuted in the night from June 5th to 6th are dealt with by the Resistance which has several thousands of men/ftp, ACE, ORA.

They are followed by the dropping of “Red Berets” which with the groups of resistant carry out many actions of sabotages and ambushes. Enormous German superiority the constrained one to fold up itself on Saint-Marcel. It is there that the commander Bourgouin will be parachuted with his men like several tons of material. This base will count to 3500 armed men. The ORA provides four battalions. They will take part in its defense and its particularly difficult evacuation on June 18th. Dispersed, the forces of Resistance and the men of Bourgouin will rejoin various maquis and will continue the fight by an action generalized starting from August 3rd until the release of Brittany. Three battalions ORA will take part in the head office of Lorient. In the south of the Loire, the ORA which developed where the units of the Army of the Armistice stationed before its dissolution, carries out a series of sabotages (dynamiting of bridges, obstructions of the roads, destruction of fuel depots) in order to delay the rise of the German reinforcements towards the face of Normandy. After August 15th the reception of many parachutings of weapons allows the release of the guerilla generalized and in particular the constitution of two important units: the Brigade Charles Martel ordered by colonel Chomel strong of 2300 men in Indre and the 1st IH. reconstituted by colonel Bertrand having 11 companies in Expensive.

In addition in south-west, after the release of Toulouse, on August 19th, under the impulse of Chevance-Bertin FFI of the released areas whose Irregular force of Pommies is gathered to form a great unit of combat: mobile Grouping of South-west made up of two divisions: the Light Division of Toulouse ordered by colonel Redon of the ORA in fact part as well as Light Division of Auvergne also ordered by an officer ORA colonel Fayard.

The whole of these forces takes part in an big operation which will lead to the rendering of a strong German column of 20.000 men ordered by the Elster general. Left Bordeaux on August 22nd this heteroclite but strongly armed column, is badgered in Vienna by the maquis with Guingouin, then in Indre by the Brigade Charles Martel de Chomel. This last having established a radio contact with the Americans thanks to a Jedburgh team obtains a support of air raids obliging Elster to make movement only the night. In Expensive the column runs up against the 1st IH reinforced by two squadrons of Jeeps provided by SAS of colonel Bourgouin.

Divisions Beech and Redon quoted above, are spread on a line Saincoins and the Nozzle Allier. The whole of this device FFI, although inferior of number and weapons prevents Elster whose troops spread out between Cher and the Loire to cross the Loire with Décize.

In addition another strong German column of 5000 men ordered by the Bauer general goes up towards Autun. It is attacked by the ftp of the Saone and the Loire then by the Irregular force Pommiès transported by train, prowess of Resistance-Iron, and by the elements of the 1st dB (the 2nd Dragon of colonel Demetz) charged to seize Autun. The Bauer general goes without condition on September 10th to colonel Demetz whom chiefs FFI surround.

Private the Elster general of the support of Bauer agrees to go the same day to the Macon general ordering 83e D.I.US in Issoudin in the presence of colonel Chomel. The following day the Elster general must negotiate in Arçay (Expensive) with colonel Bertrand the conditions of his movements to go to the Americans.

In the R4 Area (south-western) with the receipt of the messages of London, the mobilization is done in enthusiasm. With the points of rallying one attends an massive arrival of men whom one cannot all arm. The Brigades of Pommies go up more than twenty ambushes and face many fixings, sabotages of railways and the destruction of pylons multiplies in all the area until at the end of June. It is more for lack of weapons and explosives that Pommies orders a partial demobilization and a fold on maquis out of reach German garrisons.

The Germans on the other hand, surprised by the number of the first actions of the Irregular force Pomies react with force by constituting detachments counter insurgency helped by the Militia of Darnand. At the end of July parachutings of weapons allow the reconstitution of many units and the resumption of the ambushes. Allied unloading of August 15th, in connection with the other groups of resistance (ftp, ACE, CFL, VENY) the Irregular force Pommiès will take part in the release of many cities and will prohibit the Franco-Spanish Frontière with the German units which would seek refuge in Spain. After the battle of Autun (see above) the Irregular force Pommiès becomes the 49 {{E}} Régiment of Infantry attached to the 1st Army. It takes part in the countryside of Germany and will ravel in Berlin on May 8th, 1945.

In the Area R2 Provence-Coast of Azure the captain Jacques Lécuyer orders advertisement of the unloading in Normandy the mobilization of the maquis in the mountainous areas. Violent ones engagements take place in the Vallée of Ubaye, the throats of Cians and Daluis, the High Verdon and more in north in Vaucluse. At the end of July it reigns in all the alpine area a total climate of insecurity for the German troops. Colonel Zeller, chief ORA for the Alps decides to go to Algiers to see the de Gaulle general to make a statement on this situation to him. The de Gaulle general reveals with this last which the unloading in Provence is fixed at August 15th and which the plan provides a slow increase by the valley of the Rhone to reach Lyon with J+90. Also Zeller suggests a daring and fast operation through the alpine zone controlled by the maquis with an abrupt folding back more in possible north to cut the valley of the Rhone and to reach Lyon with J+15 to the maximum. De Gaulle approves and asks Zeller to go to Naples to expose this plan to the Patch general, ordering forces of unloading. This one says to him that it cannot modify the initial plan but which it will on the spot decide on the action to undertake. As of the unloading, Lecuyer accompanied by an important agent of the S.O.E., major Gun, is presented to the PC of the Frederick general whose First Airborne Task force had just been parachuted in the area of Muy and assure him that its northern right side is protected by resistance to the confluence from the VAr and Vésubie. A similar mission is carried out by major Gun and lieutenant de Boisfleury near the Dahlquist general, ordering 36e D.I.US assure him that the road of the Alps almost free, is controlled by the maquis. The Patch general still at sea then decides to send an important motorized brigade ordered by the Butler general who will arrive in front of Lyon on September 3rd is more than two months before the date envisaged. In the east colonel Maurin who, in addition to the Franche-Comté, orders Haut-Rhin and the Vosges, having received few weapons, decides not to apply the Red Plan immediately, but to devote all his efforts to the operations of sabotages of transportation and the destruction routes of material. In July and August massive parachutings of weapons allow the constitution of an important maquis on the plate of Lhomont gathering more than 3000 men and which will receive a commando SAS of 82 parachutists. This force carries out many knacks against small German garrisons and dealt with two important attacks before giving this strategic position to the 1st Army.

As it was indicated, the Organization of Resistance of the Army took part in the combat of the release either with its own forces (Irregular force Pommiès, Brigade Charles Martel, 1st IH.), or by providing executives to the maquis or while taking part in the command of the operations (Vercors, Région R2, Light Division of Auvergne). The quoted examples are only one outline of the action of the ORA on the whole of the territory.

In addition, it is necessary to underline, that the ORA were not a movement like were Combat, Libération, Franc-Tireur, the National Franc and well of others still, with their newspapers, their concerns political and their combat units, but a clandestine military unit organized methodically after November 1942 but prepared July 1940 by certain chiefs of the Army of the Armistice. Those called upon the soldiers that they had known in the service, but very quickly recruitment was extended to resistant attracted by the strictly military character of the concerns of the ORA. The latter knew to bring the their experiment of the clandestine fight and to make them accept an upheaval of the hierarchy.

The Organization of Resistance of the Army will pay a heavy tribute in this war without mercy, more than 1600 men will be killed with the combat or shot whose 327 officers and under officers, more than 850 of its members will be off-set, 360 will not return.

Chiefs

Regional chiefs

  • R1 Area ():
  • Area R2 (Provence): Jacques Lécuyer
  • Area R6 (Auvergne): Jacques Boutet

External bonds

  • X-Resistance (in Buchenwald on September 14th, 1944)
  • Lt-Colonel Jacques Boutet regional chief of the O.R.A. shot on May 10th, 1944 by the Germans to Clermont Ferrand.

See too

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