European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

because there was a curfew from 22h00 until 6h00 in the morning.

One was only allowed outside with an Ausweis (pass) issued by the police or by the Germans.

It’s strange when you think about it: nowadays our mailboxes are filled with advertisement,

in those days we were risking our lives, risking being arrested, beaten and tortured.

Many were used as hostages and shot. That was the case of the comrades, who I talked about before.

They were simply shot as hostages after an event of the resistance.

Those who say they were not afraid during that time, are either dumb or liars.

Or they didn’t do anything.

As soon as you were active in the resistance, there was always the danger of being arrested, with all the consequences.

Our police headquarters’ expertise was beating the foot soles of the people they arrested.

Asked about day to day life, we answer that the whole French population,

except for a minority that took advantage of the situation and dealt on the black market, suffered from hunger,

while nowadays students can get a chocolate croissant in the bakery across their school without a problem.

In those days we were allowed one little piece of bread a day, or 90 grams of meat a week.

You needed to have a ration ticket; otherwise you were forced to buy on the black market.

The Nazis had raided everything in France.

France had been self-sufficient because of their agriculture and industry.

They took everything, all the machines, everything.

First resistance activities

On September 3rd, 1939, war was declared.