Combat ( French Resistance ) Combat was a large movement in the French Resistance created in the non - occupied zone of France during the Second World War ( 1939 - 1945 ) . Combat was one of the eight great resistance movements which constituted the Conseil national de la Résistance . Combat ' s development . Combat , also known under its former name " Mouvement de libération nationale " ( MLN ) , was active both in the unoccupied zone in southern France and in the occupied north . Birth and growth . Combat was created in August 1940 in Lyon by Henri Frenay , supported by Berty Albrecht . Through a system of regional heads , he spread the movement through six regions within the free zone : New regions appeared later , particularly in the north of France ( " e . g . " Jura and Brittany ) . Little by little , the MLN ( subsequently renamed the " Mouvement de Libération Française " ) , merged with other smaller networks in the regions where it took root . On merging with the " Liberté " network at the end of 1941 , the movement took on the name of Combat . At this point , however , Combat took a Gaullist approach , causing a split with other networks which tended towards Philippe Pétain . The break caused Combat ' s sources of information to be diminished somewhat . A satellite organization by the name of " Combat - zone nord " , was also created in the occupied zone , specifically in Paris . The organiser was Robert Guédon , called " Robert " . " Combat - zone nord " proved to be quite active , quickly growing its network into several regions of the occupied zone such as the Nord - Pas - de - Calais . Initial obstacles . Among the initial Combat members planted in the occupied zone , there was an agent of the " Abwehr " , Henri Devillers , involved in linking and communications between the parts of the movement in the free and occupied zones . Jean - Paul Lien , another member of combat , learned about Devilliers ' treachery by accident from two German agents . Lien alerted Henri Frenay , who had no power to stop Devilliers . 47 members of Combat were arrested , 31 by the " Gestapo " and 16 by the French police , of whom only two would be released . They were tried by the " Volkgerichthof " ( people ' s tribunal ) and 23 were sentenced to death ; this was referred to as the " affaire Continent " . The movement was completely disbanded in the occupied zone between the end of 1941 and the beginning of 1942 . Frenay decided not to rebuild there but to concentrate all his efforts in the free zone . A new movement was born from the ashes of " Combat - zone nord " , " Ceux de la Résistance " , founded by Jacques Lecompte - Boinet . Frenay also declined repeated offers to put himself at the service of the Deuxième Bureau of the Vichy Regime or of the Intelligence service of London , preferring to keep his independence and continue to fight for France alone rather than a foreign power . In the beginning of summer 1942 , another network called " Carte " , which was directly linked to the British Special Operations Executive and therefore better armed at that time than the other French networks in the free zone , took over two of Combat ' s groups on the Côte d ' Azur . Frenay sent a message to the SOE asking them to stop taking his teams away from him . It did not happen again . This may have been due to the displeasure expressed by Frenay in his message , or alternatively to the invasion of the free zone by the Germans a few months later . 1943 . After the Allies landed in North Africa , the Germans invaded the free zone . This plunged Combat undercover , since they now had to deal with the well - organised " Gestapo " . Secrecy and security measures were reinforced . Messages were encrypted , rendez - vous locations were specified by letters and generally were moved to outside Lyon , which became by degrees the capital of the French resistance . Arrests took place from February onwards , followed by escapes . Combat was infiltrated by " Gestapo " and " Abwehr " agents . In January , the idea of amalgamating the three big resistance movements of the south ( Combat , Libération et Franc - Tireur ) gradually gained ground , culminating between February and March in " Mouvements unis de la Résistance " ( MUR ) . The steering committee of each movement lost much of its importance . Combat was represented on the steering committee of the MUR by Frenay , who was also the commissioner on military affairs of the three networks . The press of the three movements remained independent , and Combat ' s newspaper continued to exist in its own right . Combat ' s structure was unchanged by its affiliation to the MUR ; it retained a steering committee , and branches for political and military affairs among others . Internal organisation . Combat was led by a steering committee , over which Frenay permanently presided . In March 1943 , the other five members were Georges Bidault , Claude Bourdet , Maurice Chevance , Alfred Coste - Floret , François de Menthon ( former head of " Liberté " ) , et Pierre - Henri Teitgen . In January 1943 , Combat contained a total of 14 specialised services and more than 100 permanent agents , paid by the network . The network was split into four branches : Initially Combat was mainly financed through gifts coming from all over France , solicited by Frenay from high - ranking members of society . This situation changed quickly , however , and soon most resources were provided from London , through the agency of Jean Moulin . At the beginning of 1943 , the money received by Combat from London went up to five million Francs , of which " Libération " received 1 . 5 million , and " Franc - Tireur " , just under a million . Moulin tried to separate the different activities of the network , particularly the information and the " Choc " ( shock , heavy military operations ) , following directions given to him in London . He finally won his case when the " MUR " was created . Activities and operations . The secret press . The activities of Combat originally revolved around the dispersal of information using secret newspapers . These pieces of information were provided to Frenay initially from army offices , then , after the disbandment of the French army , from the " deuxième bureau " of the Vichy regime . Combat quickly distanced itself from Vichy , after which information was gathered through various resistance groups with which Combat had links . These pieces of information fed into newspapers which were published from time to time . In the beginning Frenay mainly distributed bulletins in army offices ; these bulletins stopped after the army broke up . In the occupied zone , the newspaper " Les Petites Ailes du Nord et du Pas - de - Calais " ( little wings of the North and Pas - de - Calais ) appeared . In time it became " Les Petites Ailes de France " , then " Résistance " . In the free zone , an underground newspaper was established , modelled on " Petites Ailes de France " . Its name was " Vérités " ( Truths ) . " Vérité " ( Truth ) had been considered for the name , but was judged too philosophical ; according to Frenay , the truth was difficult , if not impossible to express . After the merger of Combat with " Liberté " , " Vérités " was scuttled and its place taken by a new newspaper bearing the name of the network , " Combat " . Other small journals also saw the light of day , but gradually separated from the Combat movement . Examples are " Veritas " and the Catholic - oriented " Cahiers du Témoignage Chrétien " ( Christian witness notebooks ) . These journals , particularly the important ones , contained propaganda articles against the Vichy regime , which revealed and criticised the actions of the government and state apparatus , as well as substantive pieces dealing with " e . g . " Nazism or collaboration . Frenay generally constructed the editorial of the Combat newspaper in person , until he joined de Gaulle in Algeria . The subtitle of the Combat newspaper was " Organe du Mouvement de la Libération Française " , accompanied by a quote from Georges Clemenceau : " " Dans la guerre comme dans la paix , le dernier mot est à ceux qui ne se rendent jamais . " " ( In war as in peace , the last word is theirs that never surrender ) . In 1943 , a section " Attentats " ( attacks ) was added to the paper ; it contained a list of the paramilitary operations of Combat . The first issue of the Combat newspaper appeared in late 1941 in Lyon , with a press run of 10 , 000 . André Bollier replaced Martinet , the initial printer for the movement . He distributed the priniting across 14 presses in the free zone , thus reducing the need for transporting papers from Lyon , and allowing the run to be increased . In May 1944 , the newspaper had a run of 250 , 000 . Bollier was also responsible for printing " Défense de la France " ( the future " France - Soir " ) , " Action " ( a paper with communist sympathy ) , the first issues of " Témoignage chrétien " , et certains issues of the " Franc - Tireur " paper and " La Voix du Nord " . Information . Alongside the underground press activities , information was sent to London by circuitous routes . These operations were directed by Jean Gemahling , from Alsace . The " Noyautage des administrations publiques " ( infiltration of public services ) was also established , with the original aim of recruiting public figures who would be able to assure the return of the republic after the Vichy regime fell . However , the " NAP " gradually changed direction and allowing itself necessary cooperation with public services and the ability to obtain basic information about German army movements . The " NAP - police " were created , whose members would warn their comrades about forthcoming arrests . Another branch , the " NAP - fer " led by René Hardy , provided the " Groupes Francs " with schedules of German supply trains from 1943 . The NAP also operated within the customs service . The Groupes de Choc . The " Groupes de Choc " were set up , generally specializing in attacks against collaborators and shopkeepers who sold collborationist papers like the Nazi magazine " Signal " ( the shops of the latter were generally blown up ) . From 1942 onwards the " GC " gradually merged into the Armée secrète which was assimilating by degrees the various paramilitary groups of Combat , Libération and Franc - Tireur . This merging was encouraged by Frenay and Moulin , who wanted the operations of the " GC " remained separate from any intelligence and propaganda activities . For this reason , the leadership of the Armée Secrète was not conferred upon Frenay as he had initially wanted ( his movement being more significant than the other two members of the " MUR " ) but rather upon the division general Charles Delestraint , who was recruited by thee chef de Combat . The " Sabotage " and " Maquis " sections were added to the network in 1943 . Groupes Francs . Frenay put Jacques Renouvin in charge of mounting " Groupes Francs " , mobile armed squads , in each of the six regions covered by the network . They were organised in the " Choc " branch of the network . They worked independently of the Armée Secrète but in contact with it to organise their operations and provide intelligence . The " Groupes Frances " organised their operations on their own initiative , following the general framework which was given them . They communicated the results of their operations to the steering committee . Before November 1942 , the operations of the " Groupes Francs " were similar to those of the " Groups de Choc " . They were responsible for obtaining their own arms from supply dumps or police posts , and making their own explosive s or stealing them from mines . After the German invasion of the free zone in November 1942 , the " Groups Francs " changed their operations style . They were ordered to attack trains containing German soldiers or going to Germany , to sabotage railway lines , to destroy arms factories and dumps and to assassinate " Gestapo " agents . The " GF " were supplied and armed by Britain through parachute dumps which provided them with Sten gun s , pistols , ammunition , explosives , grenade s and other equipment . The " GF " also organised escapes for captured resistance fighters such as that of Paul Reynaud ( planned and prepared but never executed ) and the successful escape of Berty Albrecht who was being held at the Lyon - Bron psychiatric hospital . In January 1943 , Jacques Renouvin , was arrested by the " Gestapo " getting off a train . He was held in Fresnes prison . A commando raid was mounted to free him but all its members were arrested . Renouvin was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp where he died . He was replaced as head of the " GF " by a member of Libération . The Maquis . In 1943 the steering committee of Combat learned that refugees from the Service du travail obligatoire forced labour had fled to Haute - Savoie and the Maquis had been created in the mountainous massif s . The " service Maquis " was established in Combat ' s Military affairs branch with the aim of helping all those who had " taken the " maquis " " to survive and to fight , and of providing them lives and armaments , and of integrating them into Combat ' s network . While the objective for Combat was to develop , oversee and organise these armed groups , there were some divisions relating to this at the heart of the " MUR " ; some , like Charles Delestraint , saw the Maquis as actual pockets of resistance within French territory , whereas others like Frenay saw them as armed bands operating by ambush and disappearing once their mission was accomplished . Sources ( French ) . La nuit finira , Mémoires de Résistance 1940 - 1945 , Henri Frenay ( éditions Robert Laffont , 1973 ) http : / / www . ordredelaliberation . fr Patrice Miannay , Dictionnaire des agents doubles dans la Résistance , Le Cherche Midi , 2005 .