"‘Francs-tireurs’ – Meet the French Resistance of the" Topic

….1870 Franco-Prussian War

"THE GERMAN MILITARY invades France. In just a few weeks it cuts off, encircles and destroys almost the whole of the French army. Paris is surrounded; it soon falls to the invaders.

Then something unexpected happens. The foreign occupiers, believing that the war is won, suddenly find themselves facing a new threat: an insurgency. As if out of nowhere, a vast underground resistance movement materializes. It avoids open battle, favouring ambush, sabotage and hit-and-run tactics.

Overwhelmed by the persistence of these shadowy guerrillas, the occupiers retaliate through a campaign of terror against the civilian population. Yet despite the savage reprisals (perhaps because of them), the insurgent raids only intensify. They continue right up until the day the invaders withdraw from France entirely…"

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Armand

Seems like a pointless continuation of the killing.

Glup!…

Mais… et la patrie ?

Armand

Patriots will resist.

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be careful with the term "francs tireurs" during the war of 1870-71, not to be confused with the civil resistance. Francs tireurs units are basically made up of members of shooting companies, they wear a uniform and are attached to an army corps. in some cases they will be used as a more specialized military unit in reconnaissance among others. Bourras' corps has the army of the east and the most important, they comprise 16 companies, each with a different uniform. They will participate in several battles.

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Nice finds rougeau and Old Contemptible!

That is my Flickr page "History in Miniature."

Thanks.

Armand

Not sure a such text demostrates its understanding on this matter…
the Francs-Tireurs were someting like the units of Volunteers in others countries, there were around 600 corps, French and Foreign as the Garibaldian Red Shirts fully armed, uniformed and organized in regiments, battalions, companies, squadrons, troops, batteries, of infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers, so quite far from WWII Maquisards

the text seems to follow the meaning given by the german, basically or mainly only armed civilians, but this has nothing to do with the reality of these military corps associated to the French National Guard

popular uprisings against invaders are not unknown and while the prussians and others went through france in 1870 such guerillas were not unusual.
the bigger impact was in 1914 when the memories of 1870 produce german strategies dealing with real or even assumed resistance.

during the drive through france there were massacres, hostage shootings and burnings of towns often after the germans claimed to have been shot at often by their own troops (red on red). figures show about 6000 civilians were shot in 1914 most innocent civiliancs.