The Géo Gras Group was a
French resistance
The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
movement that played a decisive role during
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
, the British-American invasion of
French North Africa
French North Africa (french: Afrique du Nord française, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is the term often applied to the territories controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In ...
during WWII.
Formed October 1940 in
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
, the group recruited Jews and French Army officers opposed to the
Vichy regime
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
.
![Groupe Geo Gras Croix de Guerre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Groupe_Geo_Gras_Croix_de_Guerre.jpg)
They provided a third of the resistance fighters during the capture of Algiers. Its role was to neutralize the strategic civilian and military points of the city, and prevent the Vichy forces from defeating the
Allied forces.
Origin and operation
The abolishment of the
Marchandeau Decree on August 16, 1940 allowed the ultra right
French Popular Party lead by
Jacques Doriot
Jacques Doriot (; 26 September 1898 – 22 February 1945) was a French politician, initially communist, later fascist, before and during World War II.
In 1936, after his exclusion from the Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Party (P ...
to maintain anti-Semitic unrest in Algiers. The windows of Jewish-owned stores were smashed during the night of September 11, 1940.
On October 7, 1940 the
Crémieux Decree
The Crémieux Decree () was a law that granted French citizenship to the majority of the Jewish population in French Algeria (around 35,000), signed by the Government of National Defense on 24 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was ...
, a law that gave French citizenship to
Algerian Jews
The History of the Jews in Algeria refers to the history of the Jewish community of Algeria, which dates to the 1st century CE. In the 15th century, many Spanish Jews fled to the Maghreb, including today's Algeria, following expulsion from Spai ...
, was abolished by the Vichy regime. 120,000 Algerian Jews were stripped of their French citizenship and were from then on considered "indigenous Israelites". This discriminatory status excluded them from major public office, the military, and professions in the media, cinema, radio, and theater.
LICA members, André Temime and Emile Atlan, together with Charles Bouchara and Paul Sebaoun, formed a resistance group in favor of the Allied cause. The group gathered in a gym on Government Square (now Martyrs Square) in Algiers. There they trained wit
Géo Gras a former French military boxing champion, and practiced a range of fighting techniques such as boxing, fencing, and judo. Unbeknownst to Géo Gras, weapons were hidden under the ring and beneath the floorboards of the room. He was unaware of his students' resistance activities.
The organization was structured on a French military model. Half-companies consisting of sixty members divided into thirty member platoons and five member fireteams. Among its leaders were Fernand Aïch, Roger Albou, Émile Atlan, Charles Bouchara, Jean Gamzon, Jean Gozlan, André Levy, Germain Libine (future special guard of General De Gaulle), George Loufrani, Roger Morali, André Temime, and general counsel Raphaël Aboulker, cousin of
José Aboulker
José Aboulker (5 March 1920 – 17 November 2009) was a French Algerian Jew and the leader of the anti-Nazi resistance in French Algeria in World War II. He received the U.S. Medal of Freedom, the Croix de Guerre, and was made a Compani ...
.
Reserve officers Lieutenant Jean Dreyfus, Lieutenant Fernand Fredj, Lieutenant Roger Jais, officer aspirant Jacques Zermati and industrialist
Roger Carcassonne from Oran joined the organization. The first actions were focused on the anti-Vichy propaganda, recruitment, and the purchase of smuggled weapons. An initial stock of weapons came from the store of Emile Atlan, gunsmith by trade, until the enactment of anti-Semitic laws.
On March 27, 1941 French Army Chief of Staff, General Picquendar signed circulars stipulating the internment of Jewish soldiers from Algeria, especially in the internment camps of
Bedeau,
Télergma,
Chéraga
Chéraga ( ar, الشراقة ''ash-Shirāqa'') is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, ...
s,
Djenien Bourezg,
Mécheria
Mécheria is a city situated in Naâma Province, Algeria in the Atlas mountains, capital of Mécheria District, known for its cold winter and livestock life. As of 2020, it had a population of around 120,000, making it the most populous commune ...
, and
El Meridj. On June 2, 1941, a law required a census of all Jews in Algeria. The words "indigenous Israelites” were added to their identity cards. On August 23, 1941, a quota on Jewish students excluded two thirds of them from study. A decree dated November 5, 1941 established a quota of 2% for lawyers and medical professions. Professions such as broker, banker, realtor, forester, midwife, and architect were prohibited. The economic
aryanisation of Jewish property was established by a decree of November 21, 1941.
November 8, 1942
![Groupe Géo Gras King's Medal for Courage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Groupe_G%C3%A9o_Gras_King%27s_Medal_for_Courage.jpg)
On October 22, 1942,
General Clark, secretly came to
Cherchell, Algeria to negotiate the coordination of the military operations for the
Allied forces for the invasion of North Africa with the representatives of the Resistance. The two focal points of this clandestine negotiation were :
# On D-Day, the Resistance shall control the strategic points of the city; cut the Vichy means of communication; neutralize the
19th Army Corps and the police forces until the arrival of the Allied Army; and capture military and civilian leaders under the Vichy authority.
# US Special Forces would be sent before the landing of regular troops to take over the positions captured by the Resistance who were out-numbered by the Vichy armed forces.
On November 7, 1942, the BBC broadcast the code message: "Hello Robert? Franklin’s coming!" (Robert refers to American Consul
Robert Murphy Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby Murphy may refer to:
Sports Ice hockey
*Robert Ronald Murphy or Ron Murphy (1933–2014), Canadian ice hockey player
* Bob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1951), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player
* Rob Murphy (ice ...
, personal representative of
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in French North Africa). Under the command of
General Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, 110,000 men were engaged in
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
. The invasion took place on the night of November 7 without having notified
General de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
. Colonel Germain Jousse and General Charles Mast led the resistance operation. Supplies of arms by the Allies had failed, so very old
Lebel Model 1886 rifle
The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: ''Fusil Modèle 1886 dit "Fusil Lebel"'') also known as the ''"Fusil Mle 1886 M93"'', after a bolt modification was added in 1893, is an 8 mm bolt-action infantry rifle that entered service in the French A ...
s, stolen from the military by Colonel Jousse, were distributed to resistance fighters. The fighters were identified by VP armbands (Square Volunteers). These armbands were originally intended to identify collaborationist volunteers.
Called for 21:00 hours with mission orders signed by General Mast or Colonel Jousse, section leaders took up the main key targets of the city such as the barracks of
19th Army Corps, police stations, the arsenal, telephone exchanges, the General Government (also known as Summer Palace), the Prefecture, and the headquarters of Radio Algiers. All means of communication of Vichy forces were sabotaged. The operation was accomplished as early as 1:30.
The Allied invasion was however 15 hours behind schedule because of rough seas, communication failure with the Resistance, and the difficult first landing of the Anglo-American forces on the
Western Front. The positions captured by the Resistance were recaptured by the Vichy forces. Resistant fighters tried to secure their positions as long as possible, resulting in the death o
Lieutenant Jean Dreyfus an
Captain Alfred Pillafort The US military released the city only in the late afternoon, with the surrender of Admiral
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan (7 August 1881 – 24 December 1942) was a French admiral and political figure. Born in Nérac, Darlan graduated from the ''École navale'' in 1902 and quickly advanced through the ranks following his service d ...
, commander of the French Forces.
General Juin ordered a ceasefire at 16:30. The future leader of the
French Expeditionary Corps There have been several French Expeditionary Corps (French ''Corps expéditionnaire'' 'français'':
* Expeditionary Corps of the Orient 'Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient'', CEO(1915), during World War I
* Expeditionary Corps of the Dardanelles 'Co ...
and future
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
then commanded the Vichy French troops in North Africa.
Vichy internment camps and FLN assassinations
The action of the members of the Géo Gras Group was a victory of a lightly armed civilian force over the regular army. It represented the first major act of the French Resistance during the WWII. The Group identified itself as belonging to the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
, but was in effect isolated from Free France because of a lack of contact with General de Gaulle in London.
In the Algiers sector, there was virtually no armed opposition from the French troops to the US invasion, but the combat in Oran and in Morocco killed 1,350 people on the French side, 480 people among the Allies, and wounded 2,700 people among both camps.
The political situation in liberated French Africa was particularly intricate and unstable by the end of the operation.
Darlan, the advocate of the Paris Protocols continued to exercise power in North Africa. The Americans considered this the least bad solution, on the basis of military expediency. Algiers went from "Vichy under German control to Vichy under US control". Despite the crucial participation of the Jewish community in the Allied invasion,
Darlan refused to reinstate the
Crémieux Decree
The Crémieux Decree () was a law that granted French citizenship to the majority of the Jewish population in French Algeria (around 35,000), signed by the Government of National Defense on 24 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was ...
and continued to declare that he governed "in the name of impeded
Marshal Pétain
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
."
On November 30, 1942,
General Giraud gave the order to arrest and detain the key civilian fighters of the battle of November 8, 1942. Members of the Géo Gras Group such as Raphaël Aboulker, André Temime, Fernand Morali and Émile Atlan were arrested. In contrast, French soldiers who fought against the Americans were decorated.
General Giraud succeeded
Darlan, who was assassinated by
Bonnier de la Chapelle
Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle (4 November 1922 – 26 December 1942) was a royalist member of the French resistance during World War II. He assassinated Admiral of the Fleet François Darlan, the former chief of government of Vichy France and the ...
on December 24, 1942, as commander-in-chief. With the approval of the British and Americans the collaborationist
Marcel Peyrouton
Marcel Peyrouton (2 July 1887 – 6 November 1983) was a French diplomat and politician. He served as the French Minister of the Interior from 1940 to 1941, during Vichy France. He served as the French Ambassador to Argentina from 1936 to 1940, an ...
- the Interior Minister of the Vichy government, who had signed in October 1940 the abolition of
Crémieux Decree
The Crémieux Decree () was a law that granted French citizenship to the majority of the Jewish population in French Algeria (around 35,000), signed by the Government of National Defense on 24 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was ...
- became the Governor General of Algeria on January 19, 1943 (the "Peyrouton scandal ").
General Giraud repealed the Vichy anti-Jewish laws on March 14, 1943 and signed the official order to close the internment camps for Jewish soldiers on April 28, 1943. Nevertheless, he maintained the repeal of the
Crémieux Decree
The Crémieux Decree () was a law that granted French citizenship to the majority of the Jewish population in French Algeria (around 35,000), signed by the Government of National Defense on 24 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was ...
.
General de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
left London and moved to Algiers on May 30, 1943. The
French Committee of National Liberation
The French Committee of National Liberation (french: Comité français de Libération nationale) was a provisional government of Free France formed by the French generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle to provide united leadership, organi ...
succeeded
Free France
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
on June 3, 1943 but it took 5 months to reinstate the
emancipation decree of 1870. On October 22, 1943 the French citizenship was given back to the Jewish community of Algeria.
On November 8, 1943, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the invasion of North Africa,
General Giraud decorated the main organizers and French participants in the operation, including
Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie Henri d'Astier de La Vigerie (11 September 1897 – 10 October 1952) was a French soldier, ''Résistance'' member, and conservative politician.
Life
Henri d'Astier was born in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a small village in the Indre département of cent ...
and
Aboulker whom he had arrested a few months earlier .
An Association of the French liberation of November 8, 1942 - called Association of the Companions of November 8 - was created on September 21, 1943. This apolitical association organized under
France's 1901 Association Act had the aim of "defending the collective interests of the North African Resistance" and "maintaining the spirit of camaraderie and confidence that existed in the Resistance." Some of its leading members were murdered by the
FLN during targeted assassination in August–September 1956. Fernand Aïch and Emile Atlan were shot at close range in front of their shops. These killings were immediately interpreted as a collective threat to the Jewish community.
Lucette Valensi
Lucette Valensi (born 1936) is a French historian ''née'' Lucette Chemla in Tunis.
Biography
After obtaining her bachelor's degree in history from the Sorbonne in 1958, she became a history and geography agrégée in 1963 then docteur d'Éta ...
, ''Juifs et Musulmans en Algérie VIIe-XXe siècle'', Tallandier, 2016
Further reading
“Operation Torch, the Algiers Insurrection and the Jewish role”, ''Jews, Citizenship, and Antisemitism in French colonial Algeria, 1870-1943'', Sophie B. Roberts, University of Toronto,
Bibliography
Jacques Cantier, ''L’Algérie sous le régime de Vichy'',
Odile Jacob
Odile Jacob is a French publisher who founded ''Les Éditions Odile Jacob'' in the middle of the 1980s. She is also a trained scientist, studying the workings of the brain, the mind and thought. She is a member of Le Siècle.Frédéric Saliba, 'L ...
, 2002
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geo Gras Group
French Resistance networks and movements
Conflicts in 1942
World War II invasions
Battles and operations of World War II
North African campaign
Military battles of Vichy France
Battles and operations of World War II involving France
Land battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Invasions by the United States
Battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom
November 1942 events