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Remarkable Heroes and Heroines of the French Resistance in World War II

Khalid Elhassan May 12, 2025 18 min

Resistance - Women and men of the French Resistance — Women and men of the French Resistance. Pegasus Battlefield Tours

19. The Resistance’s Unifier

Jean Moulin in 1940, with the distinctive scarf he used to hide the scar on his neck. France 24

Jean Moulin’s early act of defiance marked was the start of his involvement in resisting the German occupation. In 1941, he made a dangerous journey to London via Spain and Portugal, and met with General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces. De Gaulle recognized Moulin’s integrity and organizational skills, and directed him to unify the various, often competing, resistance movements within occupied France.

Moulin returned to France under the alias “Rex” and began the difficult task of coordination and unification. His greatest accomplishment was the creation of the Conseil National de la Résistance (CNR) in May 1943, a body that brought together multiple resistance factions under a single political leadership aligned with de Gaulle. Such unity was essential for the often fractious resistance movements to become the French Resistance, an effective force against the Nazis and one able to help prepare for France’s liberation.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.