European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

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.

My father was mobilized as we had become French citizens.

He was sent to the East. But they did not even have weapons.

Unfortunately, I lost my mother at that time and my father came back to take care of the family.

During the time it took him to come home, my aunt and uncle took care of us, my brother and me.

In 1940, when the danger of German occupation was imminent, my aunt wanted us to go to Southern France.

We got to know the so-called “débacle” – the total collapse – during our flight.

We left by foot, pushing our suitcases on bikes.

In Le Mans the Germans caught up with us.

When the Germans got in front of us, we returned to Nanterre.

The city was almost empty at the time.

It was July and Nanterre had been occupied on June 14th, 1940.

There were very few working factories.

I got back in touch with my comrades from the Communist Youth Movement and we started…

how could I best describe it? The people did not understand anything.