Noyautage des administrations publiques, also known by the

abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

NAP, was an arm of the

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 ...

, started by André Plaisantin of the

Combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

movement, with the aim of infiltrating the

Vichy Government 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 terr ...

. It was started in 1942 on a suggestion from

Claude Bourdet Claude Bourdet (28 October 1909 – 20 March 1996) was a writer, journalist, polemist, and militant French politician. Peronal life Bourdet was a son of the dramatic author Édouard Bourdet and the poet Catherine Pozzi, was born and died in Pari ...

Jean Moulin Jean Pierre Moulin (; 20 June 1899 – 8 July 1943) was a French civil servant and French Resistance, resistant who served as the first President of the National Council of the Resistance during World War II from 27 May 1943 until his death less ...

. The branch of the NAP charged with infiltrating the highest parts of the Vichy administration was called "Super-NAP", and was led by Albert Chambon.Françoise Bruneau, ''Essai d'historique du mouvement né autour du journal clandestin Résistance'', p. 25, 49, éd. S.E.D.E.S., 1951. The NAP only started developing effectively after the merging in early 1943 of the main ''

zone libre The ''zone libre'' (, ''free zone'') was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during World War II, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered b ...

'' resistance movements, namely Combat, Libération-Sud and

Franc-Tireur (, French for "free shooters") were irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). The term was revived and used by partisans to name two major French Resistance movements set ...

, into the

Mouvements unis de la Résistance The Communist Party of Belgium (french: Parti Communiste de Belgique, or PCB; nl, Communistische Partij van België) is a communist party in Belgium. It was founded in Wallonia in 1989 as the Communist Party of Wallonia after the Communist Party ...

(MUR). It subsequently expanded into the ''

zone occupée The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied z ...

''. The primary missions of the NAP were the passing of information to

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 ...

, the safety of the French Resistance, "professional"

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

, provision of

false document A false document is a technique by which an author aims to increase verisimilitude in a work of fiction by inventing and inserting or mentioning documents that appear to be factual. The goal of a false document is to convince an audience that what ...

s, and preparing to take power at the moment when France would be liberated. Of the 14 people involved in the creation of the NAP network, only four escaped the Gestapo, Éveline Garnie and

Andrée Jacob Andrée Jacob (22 July 1906 - 6 February 2002) was a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Initially working in publishing, she played an active part in the French Resistance during the Second World War. Post war she became ...

were two of those survivors. Of the c.1,500 approved NAP agents, more than 120 were killed or died following deportation, including Marcel Peck and Jean-Guy Bernard.

Notable members

* Gilbert Sylvain Pannetier worked in the General Directorate of Telecommunications (

Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (France) Postes, télégraphes et téléphones may refer to: * Postes, télégraphes et téléphones (France) * Postes, télégraphes, téléphones (Switzerland) {{Dab ...

created in 1941, arrest, sentenced to deportation and died in Germany. * Édouard Bonnefoy, prefect of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, arrested and deported to Neuengamme concentration camp, killed in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

on 3 May 1945, along with 10,000 other prisoners, during the sinking of the

SS Cap Arcona SS ''Cap Arcona'', named after Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen, was a large German ocean liner, later a ship of the German Navy, and finally a prison ship. A flagship of the Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft ("Hamburg- ...

, machine-gunned by mistake by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. * Jacques-Félix Bussière, prefect of

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

, arrested and deported to Neuengamme concentration camp, killed in the Baltic Sea on 3 May 1945, when the

was machine-gunned and sunk by mistake by the Royal Air Force. *

Louis Dupiech Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

, prefect of

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitan ...

, arrested and deported to Neuengamme concentration camp, killed in the Baltic Sea on 3 May 1945, along with 10,000 other prisoners, when the SS Thielbek was machine-gunned and sunk by mistake by the Royal Air Force. * André Moosmann, at the Ministère du Travail (Ministry of Labour). * Maurice Dide, arrested and deported to Buchenwald, where he died on 26 March 1944, aged 72. * Pierre Dumas * Frédéric Bourguet, politician, member of the MUR board and then president of the Tarn departmental liberation committee * Élie Vieux, teacher. Member of the NAP network, he became the fourth leader of the

in the

Roanne Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France. It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fre ...

district and president of the Roanne Liberation Committee. * Éveline Garnier *

* Jean Mairey.

References

French Resistance networks and movements 1942 establishments in France {{Authority control