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Resistance in Upper Normandy, 1940-44

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Resistance in Upper Normandy, 1940-44 Mason Norton Resistance in Upper Normandy, 1940-44 Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Edge Hill University, 2017 Mason Norton, Resistance in Upper Normandy, 1940-1944, PhD Thesis Abstract This thesis aims to make an original contribution to knowledge by looking at the phenomenon of resistance in the French region of Upper Normandy between 1940 and 1944 from a perspective of ‘history from below’, by looking principally at the testimonies of former resisters, and demonstrating a political history of resistance. The introduction defines what is meant by Upper Normandy and justifies its choice as a region for this study, before analysing both the historiography and the epistemology of resistance, both locally and nationally, and then giving a justification and an analysis of the methodology used. The main body of the thesis is then divided into four chapters. Chapter one looks at resistance that was designed to revolutionise society, by looking at Communist resisters and the idea of the grand soir, as well as the sociological origins of these resisters, and how this influenced their resistance action. Chapter two looks at more gradualist forms of resistance, which were conceived to slowly prepare for an eventual liberation and the struggle against Vichyite hegemony, arguing that these resisters formed a ‘resistance aristocracy’, aiming to slowly forge a post-Vichy vision of the polis. Chapter three analyses resistance purely from a patriotic angle, and identifies three different forms of patriotism, before arguing that resistance was part of a process to ‘remasculate’ France after the defeat of 1940, and that these resisters saw their engagement as primarily being one of serving France. Chapter four looks at auxiliary resistance, or resistance actions that were designed to help people, whether they were fleeing persecution or were active resisters, aiming to show that resistance went beyond just organisations and networks, and could be about facilitating other actions rather than direct confrontation. The conclusion then argues for a new understanding of resistance, not as une organisation or even un mouvement, but as a form of la cité, or polis, engaged in creating a new form of polity. It shows that the political history of resistance is a combination of institutional politics and expression politics, and that resistance, even if not necessarily politicised, was political by its very nature. Keywords: Resistance, France, Normandy, Twentieth Century, Second World War, Political History. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 8 Chapter One: Towards le grand soir: Communism and Resistance 51 Chapter Two: An aristocracy of resistance? Gradualism and Resisting 87 Chapter Three: National Identities? Resistance and Patriotism 128 Chapter Four: In the Shadow of the Army of Shadows? Auxiliary Resistance 179 Conclusion 232 Annexe A: Selected Resisters Biographies 240 Annexe B: Maps 250 Bibliography 252 3 Acknowledgements My first acknowledgement is to my Director of Studies, Daniel Gordon, for his constant support and helpful advice. I suspect that in recruiting me firstly to a PhD studentship in French History, and then to a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in History, he was taking a considerable risk, particularly as my academic background was based more towards French Studies than History. That I can now think of myself as a historian, and have managed to complete this thesis is, I hope, a repayment of his faith. Edge Hill University as an institution has been welcoming towards me, and I have greatly enjoyed the support that the Department of English & History has afforded me. In particular, I would like to thank Roger Spalding, as Head of History, and who has been a wise second supervisor, standing in when Daniel was on sabbatical, and Alyson Brown, who has been responsible for looking after the postgraduates in the department, and who has been a calm, understanding and supportive line manager, as well as offering me opportunities to develop beyond the PhD. Mike Bradshaw as Head of Department has given much support administratively, as have the departmental secretaries in Trish Molyneux, Sheila Lewis, and Carole Brocken. The company of fellow historians, and also Emma Deeks and Anthony Grant in English, has been an additional pleasure. I should also address special thanks to the Graduate School for their support in providing financial assistance towards the many archival visits that have been involved in the writing and research of this thesis, and to the International Office for their co-operation in facilitating my secondment as part of the Erasmus scheme to the Université de Rouen in France in 2014-15. The welcome and assistance that the Université de Rouen have given me also deserves recognition, right from the moment that I began to embark upon my review of the secondary literature that enabled me to formulate a research proposal. Olivier Feiertag served as an advisor, which enabled me to use the facilities at Rouen more officially during my spell 4 in Normandy, and which gave me an academic base during my lengthy furrow through French archives. He has also invited me to speak in seminars at the university which have developed further my ideas, and has been extraordinarily generous with his time. But also, I have cause to be thankful to others at Rouen- Raphaëlle Branche gave useful advice in training sessions around the nature of research and oral history in France, and Jean-Claude Vimont was a stimulating instructor around the methodology and historiography of the Occupation. One of my regrets is that Jean-Claude, a warm and generous colleague and mentor to many of us, passed away before the completion of this thesis, and is not here to see it. Ludivine Bantigny as well influenced much of my thinking around the concept of le politique and the nature of history as a discipline more generally, and showed me the importance of gender, for which I am also thankful, and which shaped this thesis in a way that I did not foresee when I began my research. I am also thankful for advice from Bénédicte Percheron, Pierre Miléo (whom I must also thank, along with his wife Françoise, for his hospitality), and Michel Baldenweck, whom in many ways has been my concurrent, but who has been generous with his time, and whose research has been undoubtedly informative, even if our interpretations of the Resistance, and indeed, the nature of French history and politics, are rather different. As such, I hope that this thesis gives both of us cause for much in the way of further discussion, debate and research. The research of this thesis has, as I have indicated, involved many trips to France, and that, without any question, has been the greatest joy of my doctoral research. Scientists largely carry out their research in a laboratory; scholars of France have an entire country to play with. I have benefited from the aid of a number of libraries and archives in France, and most especially the Archives Départementales de la Seine-Maritime, and the Archives Départementales de l’Eure. At the former, Marie-Christine Hubert has been welcoming, and without her assistance, and that of the staff at both Rouen and Evreux, this thesis would not 5 have seen the light of day. I have also enjoyed, and have much to be thankful towards, the Bibliothèque Universitaire at Mont-Saint-Aignan, the Bibliothèque Jacques Villon in Rouen, and the Bibliothèque Municipale at Evreux, whilst the CARAN at Pierrefitte, and the BnF in Paris, have also offered valuable assistance. The Musée de la Déportation et de la Résistance at Forges-les-Eaux have allowed me access to private archives, and I am grateful to Guy Cressent, for agreeing to speak to me and show me some of his father’s records and testimonies. Similarly, I am thankful to Pierre Jouvin and his daughter Catherine Voranger for the chance to speak to them about the Resistance, and to the late Bernard Lawday, whom I interviewed in 2011 in relation to another project, and who convinced me that the Resistance in Upper Normandy was a neglected topic that needed to be focused upon. That he too, passed away before completion, is something that I regret. Finally, I have been grateful for hospitality and accommodation in France from Maurice Bouchu, Francis & Brigitte Joron, Europe-Echanges, and Réjane Lhote, to name but a few. I have benefited from talking to fellow researchers, both academics and amateurs, who are too numerous to fully list here, but with particular thanks in France to Jean-Paul Nicolas, Pierre Largesse, John Barzman, Claude Malon, François Rouquet, Gaël Eismann, Michel Croguennec, the late Norbert Dufour, Thierry Lamiraud, Delphine Leneveu and Alya Aglan. I consider that I have been very lucky as a postgraduate to be able to present in France, and all of the papers that I have given in France have prompted stimulating debate and enabled me to strengthen my work. In Britain, I have benefited from the support of both the Association for the Study of Modern & Contemporary France, and the Society for the Study of French History, which have given me financial support, and through various conferences, the ability to test my ideas- the company of fellow researchers makes, I think, the field of French history such a strong one. In addition, the comments of Jackie Clarke, Andrew Knapp, Paul Smith, Lindsey Dodd, David Lees and Julian Wright have been useful 6 in making my arguments stronger, and I have enjoyed the welcome of the Centre of Resistance Studies, directed by Chris Warne and Martin Evans, at the University of Sussex for various events and initiatives. Also at Sussex, Rebecca Shtasel, whose doctoral research is on Le Havre during the war, has been helpful, and a welcome face in the reading rooms at Rouen, and like everyone else in the field, I am grateful for the kind encouragement and perceptions of Rod Kedward, arguably the ‘godfather’ of the study of the French Resistance.
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