Bastié, Jean-Pierre/Casanova, Daniel Les Armes sous l'Occupation. Collaboration & Résistance

The defeat of France in 1940 and the occupation of the country by the Germans soon led to a new internal conflict, in which collaborating France, which had committed itself wholeheartedly to the Vichy regime, and the resistance groups preparing for the liberation of the country were pitted against each other. The German army's attack on the USSR in June 1941 triggered a large-scale anti-communist crusade that further divided the country. Members of various collaborationist parties put their ideas into practice and joined the Wehrmacht, the French militia or the Waffen SS, while others went underground. They all tried to arm themselves. And there were plenty of weapons: the country was full of them, whether they were hunting, shooting or defence weapons. They were scattered all over the country and were coveted from all sides. The occupiers tried to collect them in order to gain control, the forces of order paid by Vichy wanted them for their own security and the resistance fighters collected everything they could find in anticipation of the parachute drops organised by the Allies. The authors present all the weapons that were used during these "black years", be it the weapons of the forces of order loyal to the Vichy regime, the weapons of the French who served in German uniforms, or the weapons of the men and women who rose up to fight against the occupiers.