I’m sure many of you are familiar with the opening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. It starts with “Dah-Dah-Dah-Duh.” Listen here.

Today, some people refer to Beethoven’s masterpiece as the “Victory Symphony.” Oh, and for some of you familiar with the movie, The Longest Day, you’ll recognize it as one of the back ground themes to this well-done account of D-Day ⏤ 6 June 1944. Watch the opening scene here.

During World War II, the BBC came up with the idea of opening its nightly broadcast to the occupied countries with the “Dah-Dah-Dah-Duh.” Was it coincidental that the four-sound phrase was Morse code (“dot-dot-dot-dash”) for the letter “V” which the British equated to Victory and Churchill’s famous hand signal? Was it coincidental that “V” is the Roman numeral for five or the fifth (as in symphony)? One thing I know is that it wasn’t coincidental that this striking sound alerted the French Resistance to pay close attention to that evening’s messages.

Winston Churchill in Downing Street giving his famous “V” sign. Photo by British Government (5 June 1943). Imperial War Museum. PD-British Government Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Did You Know?

Did you know that before Christian Dior (1905-1957) founded his world renown fashion house in 1946, he designed clothes for the wives, daughters, and mistresses of Nazi officers stationed in Paris? At the same time, his sister, Catherine, worked for the French Resistance. She was arrested in June 1944 and deported to KZ Ravensbrück concentration camp and several sub-camps of KZ Buchenwald where she survived the war. However, Christian and Catherine’s niece, François Dior (daughter of Raymond Dior, a radical Communist), married the neo-Nazi, Holocaust denier, Colin Jordan in 1963. After the wedding ceremony, the couple gave the Nazi salute and mingled their blood over a copy of Mein Kampf, the book written by Hitler in the 1920s. François funded the creation of the French chapter of the World Union of National Socialists (a neo-Nazi organization) and supported former Waffen SS officers during the 1960s. Watch the wedding newsreel here.

The Colin Jordan-François Dior Wedding. Mingling blood over “Mein Kampf.” Photo by anonymous (1963).

Back to Christian Dior ⏤ his first post-war fashion featured dresses that were voluptuous and curvaceous with boned, busty bodices, tiny waists, and long, sweeping skirts. Some women complained the dresses covered up their legs. Dior called this collection the Corolle or, circlet of flower petals. Coco Chanel called it crap. She said, “Only a man who never was intimate with a woman could design something that uncomfortable.” Christian Dior had the last laugh. Women flocked to buy his “new” fashions. Dior had bet wisely that women in the post-war wanted something new that would make them forget the drab years of the German Occupation. Ironically, Coco Chanel was run out of town as a highly visible Nazi collaborator (and possible spy – read the blog Coco Chanel Nazi Collaborator or Spy? here).

Silk shantung and pleated wool bar suit by Christian Dior ⏤ Spring-Summer 1947. Photo by SpiritedMichelle (2019). Denver Art Museum. PD-CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International. Wikimedia Commons.

Competing Radio Stations

The British, the Germans, and occupied France’s Vichy government competed every night for the attention of the French people. In the British corner was the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) while in France, the Nazis directly controlled Radio-Paris (116, avenue des Champs-Élysées) and Vichy broadcast over Radio Vichy from the Unoccupied Zone. The primary purpose of the BBC broadcasts was to lift the spirits of French citizens and provide information concerning the Allied war progress. With time, sophisticated messages to the French Resistance were included in the evening broadcasts. The programs emanating from Paris were intended to promote Nazi propaganda while Vichy primarily used their radio station for political purposes such as framing its collaboration with the Nazis in a positive way, denouncing Charles de Gaulle and the Free French as traitors, positioning the British as the enemy of France, and justifying the government’s new anti-Semitic laws. Read More “Dah-Dah-Dah-Duh”

Did You Know?

Did you know the image I’ve included here of the four resistance members being executed was one of three photos discovered in December 2009? These are members of the Manouchian group named after its leader, Missak Manouchian. It was one of the deadliest and more successful resistance groups which made up the FTP-MOI, a resistance réseau (network) comprised of European immigrants, principally Jews. Manouchian’s group specialized in assassinations, bombings, and general disruption of the German occupation forces (the Nazis called them “The Army of Crime”). The group was betrayed, and the Gestapo arrested twenty-three members. A public trial was held and twenty-two were executed by firing squad at Fort Mont-Valérien on 21 February 1944 (the only woman was taken to Germany where she was beheaded in May). No photographs were allowed of any executions. However, Clemens Rüter, a German soldier, stood on the crest of the hill overlooking the clearing where the four men were tied to stakes in front of the firing squad and he took three snapshots. Rüter went back to Germany after the war and the camera, with the film still in it, was left untouched for forty years. Shortly before he died, Rüter told someone about the camera and the three images. The person he told his story to worked for the Franz Stock Association. The camera and film were turned over to the association which had the film developed. Serge Klarsfeld identified the four victims as members of the Manouchian group. Franz Stock was the German priest assigned to Fort Mont-Valérien to administer to the condemned men. He was known as the L’Archange de enfer or, “The archangel in hell.” Franz Stock will be the subject of our 2 March 2019 blog post.

Before Paul talks about his first-hand experience in late September, allow me to give you a brief background on the Mémorial de la France combattante or, Memorial of Fighting France, it’s annual ceremony, the Companions of the Liberation, and Fort Mont-Valérien. By tying these together, you will have a better appreciation for Paul’s blog.

Mémorial de la France Combattante

Almost immediately after the liberation of France in August 1944, General Charles de Gaulle decided to formally pay tribute to the members of the French Resistance who had died. He visited Fort Mont-Valérien where resistance members were executed by firing squad, Fort Neuf de Vincennes where other executions took place, and finally, Cimetière Ivry-sur-Seine (aka Cimetière Parisien d’Ivry) where many of the victims were buried including Missak Manouchian.

Missak Manouchian two days after his arrest by the Gestapo. Photo by anonymous (18 November 1943). PD-70+. Wikimedia Commons.

Execution of four members of the Manouchian Group. Marcel Rayman is on far right. Photo by Clemens Rüter (21 February 1944). Courtesy of Friends of Franz Stock Association.