Francs-Tireurs et Partisans
- FTP - French Fighters and Partisans
- FTP
Dates of Existence
1942/1944-02
History
The Francs-Tireurs et Partisans, set up in the spring of 1942, resulted from the merger of three militant communist groups: the Organisation Spéciale, formed in 1940 to protect communist leaders; the group of young communists, the first to attack German soldiers; and the fighters of the Main-d’Oeuvre Immigrée. The FTP was the military arm of the communist Front National, which decided that about 20 per cent of its members would take part in it. With the introduction of the abhorred Service du Travail Obligatoire, non-communists joined the FTP for self-protection to avoid work in Germany, as much as to fight the occupation and Vichy. The FTP claimed that in three months of 1943 it carried out 1,500 actions; among the 1,500 were 158 on train derailments, and 110 on engines and bridges. While keeping its autonomy, the FTP in 1944-02 became a part of the Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur.
Places
Founded in France.
Sources
Verdict on Vichy : Power and prejudice in the Vichy France Regime / M. Curtis. – London, 2002. – p. 247