France: Immigrants Defend the "Honour of France" Group Manouchian

Democracy and Class Struggle says nothing exposes the fake patriotism  of the Le Pen's more than their apologetics for the Vichy Government and the Nazi Occupation of France, 

it took immigrants to defend the honour of France from the Vichy collaborators of yesterday.

Red Salute to the Group Manouchian may they inspire a new generation to combat Fascism in France.

FTP-MOI - Paris, Groupe Manouchian
Francs-Tireurs et Partisans de la Main d'Oeuvre Immigrée

FTP-MOI were a sub-grouping of the Francs-tireurs et partisans movement in the French Resistance to the German occupation of France during World War II.

It originated from the Main d'Oeuvre Immigrée.
FTP-MOI -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francs-Tireurs_et_Partisans_de_la_Main_d%27Oeuvr...

The FTP-MOI groups were had been created in the Paris region at the same time as the Francs-tireurs et partisans, in 1941.

Their ranks were filled with members from the Main d'Oeuvre Immigrée.

Foreign communists living in France but not part of the French Communist Party had been put in place in May 1942.

Although integrated with the FTP, these groups depended directly on Jacques Duclos, who passed on orders from the Communist International (Comintern).

The FTP-MOI were among the most active and determined resistance groups, particularly as being foreigners,and mostly Jews, they were under the direct watch of the Vichy regime, which left them no choices but secrecy or internment.


Because they depended directly on the Comintern, with Duclos as intermediary, it was often they who were on the front line when the order to fight came from Moscow.

The Parisian groups were initially led by Boris Holban, then Missak Manouchian.
When Manouchian was arrested, Holban took over again from the beginning of 1944.

Their trial was held in front of a German military tribunal at the hôtel Continental.
It began on 17 February 1944, lasted between two and four days, and after a 30-minute deliberation, reached the following verdict:

23 accused were condemned to death, with no possibility of appeal.
22 were shot immediately on the 21 February 1944 at mont Valérien.
The execution of Olga Bancic was suspended for further enquiry.
In a new sentence passed on the 10 May 1944 at Stuttgart, she was condemned to death and promptly beheaded by axe.

One accused, Migratulski, was transferred to French jurisdiction.

The red poster reads:
"Liberators? Liberation by the army of crime!"

Affiche Rouge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affiche_rouge
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affiche_rouge
http://l-afficherouge-manouchian.hautetfort.com/temoignages
"La traque de l'affiche rouge" (1/4):
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x39u9r_la-traque-de-laffiche-rouge-14

L'affiche rouge (Poem)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'affiche_rouge_(Poem)

Heroes and Martyrs of the Resistance - France 1940-45
The Manouchian Group (The Last Letters)
http://www.marxists.org/history/france/resistance/manouchian/index.htm

Vichy France:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vichy_Franc

"There was such a friendship between us, between all these people coming from everywhere, Jews, Spanish, Italians, Germans, Armenians and French of course.

A brotherly friendship which surpassed all that you can imagine";

explains Arsene Tchakarian to the 3rd year students of Chérioux junior high school in Vitry-sur-Seine.

Arsene Tchakarian, of Armenian origin, is now 89 years old.

He is one of the only two survivors of a group called Groupe Manouchian under FTP-MOI; that was created at the Spring of 1942.
It was an extremely well organized group.

On one hand it was formed by elderly militants and on the other hand by young Parisians of about 20 years old who fought both to defend their views and against the Nazi occupation.

The red poster (Affiche rouge) which denounced them became famous in a very sad way as it meant the breaking up of the group.

The Red Poster:
From left to right, and top to bottom, individual portraits are labeled:
GRZYWACZ: Polish Jew, 2 terrorist attacks
ELEK: Juif Hungarian Jew, 5 derailments
WASJBROT: Polish Jew, 1 terrorist attack, 1 derailment
WITCHITZ: Polish Jew, 15 terrorist attacks - although it is unclear if Witchitz was in fact Jewish or Polish
FINGERCWAJG: Polish Jew, 3 terrorist attacks, 5 derailments)
BOCZOV: Hungarian Jew, chief of derailment operations, 20 terrorist attacks
FONTANOT: Italian Communist, 12 terrorist attacks. His correct name was Fontano
ALFONSO: Red Spaniard, 2 terrorist attacks
RAYMAN: Polish Jew, 13 terrorist attacks
MANOUCHIAN: Armenian, boss of the gang, 56 terrorist attacks, 150 dead, 600 wounded

The bottom features photographs of:
the right shoulder and right chest of a corpse, riddled by bullet holes
a dead body lying on the ground
a derailed locomotive
a derailed train
a collection of small arms, grenades, and bomb components, displayed on a table
another derailed train.