Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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lllllllllli IIEIEUIKEIEIEIEBEIIII . and independent people, began to re- volt secretly to save their country from complete annhilation and humiliation, and to regain their self-respect and their pride as a nation. They risked their lives for the little liberty offered in resistance movements. The people fought against the Vichy regime, which was to them worse than that of the Nazis - French participation in Ger- man oppression of Frenchmen. In spite of German arrests, murders, spies, informers, and the control of the press, radio, and all out-going mail, the underground, which originally be- gan by acts of personal: vengeance, became united and strong. Notwithstanding great obstacles, the organizations of the resistance move- ments forged papers, helped stranded Royal Air Force men escape, got fac- tual data on all German activities, and persuaded the people to collect and give money for the cause. Resistance against oppression welded people of all creeds, of all political be- liefs, and of all types, both rich and poor, to work smoothly together for victory. In the fight for freedom, the French used sabotage, the Maquis, and news- papers to overcome the Germans and their evil deeds. All phases of the re- sistance movements were equally dan- gerous and had the same penalty - death if captured. The leaders in these fields were chosen for their ability, not for former wealth or position - ability made authority. In order to weaken the enemy and to lower his morale, the French peo- ple committed sabotage in important places during blackouts. Sabotage methods included the destruction of railroad tracks, the poisoning of Ger- man food, the cutting of vital telephone and telegraph wires, and the firing of fuel dumps. To commit these acids, the saboteurs, often women and older men, were taught by school teachers and former soldiers to be alert, wily, and to give careful attention to minute details. One of the cleverest acts of the sabo- tours was to put an abrasive on bear- ings made at one factory. When the various parts were assembled, the ma- chine would run well at first but would soon break down for some mysterious unaccountable reason. Such sabotage rattled the nerves of the Nazis and finally forced them to close many vital factories. 1 On D-Day, sabotage acts delayed German rein- forcements for twenty-four hours. Another phase of the war for inde- pendence appeared when the traitor Laval issued the order that all young men were to report for slave labor in Germany. The men took to the woods and formed the guerrilla band called the Maquis. Although the Maquis, who were led by former French Army officers, lacked arms, they did not lack faith, and in that faith performed daring deeds by means of which they stole from the Germans most of the arms they used.

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of the government providing he main- tains the standard of good work. But what is the significance of all this planning? What does it really mean? lt means that the government with the co-operation of educational institutions is undertaking a costly and somewhat experimental program. By this undertaking the government hopes to do several things: chiefly, to raise the intellectual standards of Americag to give the returning veterans a new chance and a head start on their civil- ian lifeg and to prevent their having to sell apples on the street corner. This G. l. Bill of Rights and the planning of each individual educational institu- tion for returning ahead of anything done after the last war for their benefit that the two situa-- tions are hardly comparable. During and after the first World ,War the government helped only the disabled with some slight vocational trainingg and after the first World War Sieg- fried Sassoon could write such bitterly sarcastic lines as the following, which although they were probably describ- ing England's neglect of her soldiers were just as true of our own: veterans is so far Do they matter ?-those dreams from the pit? You can drink and forget and be glad, And people won't say that you 're madg For they'll know that you fought for your country And no o11e will worry a bit.', This time the country is worrying and preparing to embark upon a pro- gram which will demonstrate to its fighting men that the people have not forgotten their sacrifices and are grate- ful to the extent of providing for them substantially by supplying what can never be taken from them - an edu- cation. EPIC OF THE FRENCH UNDERGROUND By Eva Morin N the spring of l94U, the French Army, disheartened and beaten by the overwhelmingly stronger forces of tl1e Germans, thought only of the black and gloomy present. The Germans tried to poison the people by a contaminated press filled with propaganda. They made the people believe that they were to devote all their efforts toward build- ing up the Third Reich and the New Order and ruled their subjects with an iron hand. The people couldn't move an inch without seeing a detested swastika or a uniform of the German Army of occupation. ln spite of this apparent defeat and loss of freedom, however, the French love of liberty was not dead. No sooner had the Germans occu- pied France, than the French, a proud

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llEKlll?lE!lllllllllllll!lllll-Ill!!! In one instance, five Maquis, dressed in French Army uniforms, stole four wagons of food and supplies which were waiting to be shipped into Ger- many. The German sentries thought the disguised Maquis were following German orders. The members of the Corps Francs or Shock Troops, an active division of the freedom-loving Maquis were equal to the British and American comman- dos in their hard, reckless courage, their stamina, and their indifference to death. The Corps made various attacks on the German positions a11d supply houses. The most important deeds of the guerrillas was to keep General Patton constantly informed of the exact position of each German column and to protect his flank, thus enabling him to make his speedy drive. Another very important contribution to final victory was the clandestine press. Sickened by the Paris and Vichy newspapers, the underground publications became honest, bold, and strong. They were banners of hope for the conquered people. All of the sixty papers in occupied territory were printed at the risk of death, distributed by stealth, and read under the threat of imprisonment. One clandestine news- paper was printed at night. During the day, the shop printed a German- approved editio11. The first leader in tl1e literature against the oppressor was Andre Simeon, who printed the ' ' Valmy. Through the help of -a distant relative who worked in an office of a building occupied by Germans, Simeon mimeo- graphed his first issue. He eventually added others to his staff of the t'Valmy,' and acquired a printing press which he l1id in a cave. The Valmy had a circulation of 500,000 a week. Considering that each copy was read by twenty persons, the paper did a great deal to stir up tl1e people against the Nazis and to encourage them to look forward to an eventual day of liberation. In spite of the closing of universities, including the University of Sorbonne, the clandestine press printed works of authors and poets in hiding. The Voice of France in chains speaks in Paul E'luard's Armes de la Douleurf' To a desolate country, this literature gave strength and courage to tl1e resistance groups. . The quotation from the New York Times Magazine, to intensify and ren- der more efficient the fight for libera- tion from the enemy and from traitors by immediate action and by preparing a national insurrection, to defend the interests of France and the Empire, and to concentrate forces of resistance with a view to the creation of a Fourth Republic and.. a just societyf' clearly explains why the people began uniting and fusing all active parts of the un- derground into a National Council of Resistance of sixteen members, which 'represented all parts of France tllld