Hidden Ally: The French Resistance, Special Operations, and the Landings in Southern France, 1944

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

How did the French Resistance and Allied forces work together to liberate southern France from the Germans during World War II Arthur Funk gives a detailed account of the complex British, French and American operations in 1944, an account that uses a wealth of original source material on both sides of the Atlantic to evaluate the role of the French Resistance and to assess the problems in coordinating Allied military activities. The study should be of great interest to historians, history buffs, and colleges and universities that wish to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II. The first half of the book deals with preparations for the Allied landings in August 1944, telling about agents first in contact with the French Resistance and about the work of Allied missions, French groups, and British officers and teams directed from London and Algiers. The second half of the book covers the collaboration of French Forces of the Interior with the U.S. Seventh Army in the liberation of Marseilles, Lyon, and other cities in southeastern France. Filled with interesting detail about major figures in the war and little-known agents and officers, the book is unique in weaving together recently declassified OSS sources in Washington with British and French archival information that is rarely noted.

Reviews

For the reader seeking a very detailed account of the activities of individual Resistance and Allied intelligence units in southern France in summer 1944, this is the book to read. Fine maps and pictures illuminate the text.-Child & Family Behavior Therapy
Funk's admirable analysis of operations by the Resistance and Special Operations forces in 1944 is a fine place to begin such preparation.-Armor
Having thoroughly researched the archival and printed sources, Funk is particularly effective at blending information obtained from U.S. Army unit histories together with that obtained in interviews with members of the Resistance, British SOE agents, and Americans who fought in the Riviera campaign. Excellent maps, prepared by the author, an appendix listing the make-up of the various Special Operations groups, and a selected bibliography add to the value of this important study of the relationship between the U.S. Army and the French Resistance in the Riviera campaign.- American Historical Review
In so doing, he has written a fascinating account that adds significantly to the understanding of the liberation of France.-The Historian
In this latest work Funk (emeritus, University of Florida), a leading American scholar on US forces in southern France, addresses the relationship between special forces (including the French resistance) and the American invasion and advance into France. Funk presents the detailed preparations and movements of all units and their leaders, mentioning every unit and every significant leader by name. Military historians and WW II buffs will be able to trace the actions throughout the southern French campaign with more than adequate maps to assist them. The author proves with little doubt that the Maquis played a major role in the relatively quick success of the allied armies. The best part of the book is Funk's integration of the Maquis and the regulars into a single complete story.-Choice
This exhaustive and detailed study bears witness to his lifelong dedication to the subject.-The International History Review
This welcome and valuable contribution to the military history of the war offers a superior case study for those who want to examine the employment of unconventional warfare in support of heavy forces on the modern battlefield.-Military Review
"For the reader seeking a very detailed account of the activities of individual Resistance and Allied intelligence units in southern France in summer 1944, this is the book to read. Fine maps and pictures illuminate the text."-Child & Family Behavior Therapy
"Funk's admirable analysis of operations by the Resistance and Special Operations forces in 1944 is a fine place to begin such preparation."-Armor
"Having thoroughly researched the archival and printed sources, Funk is particularly effective at blending information obtained from U.S. Army unit histories together with that obtained in interviews with members of the Resistance, British SOE agents, and Americans who fought in the Riviera campaign. Excellent maps, prepared by the author, an appendix listing the make-up of the various Special Operations groups, and a selected bibliography add to the value of this important study of the relationship between the U.S. Army and the French Resistance in the Riviera campaign."- American Historical Review
"In so doing, he has written a fascinating account that adds significantly to the understanding of the liberation of France."-The Historian
"This exhaustive and detailed study bears witness to his lifelong dedication to the subject."-The International History Review
"This welcome and valuable contribution to the military history of the war offers a superior case study for those who want to examine the employment of unconventional warfare in support of heavy forces on the modern battlefield."-Military Review
"In this latest work Funk (emeritus, University of Florida), a leading American scholar on US forces in southern France, addresses the relationship between special forces (including the French resistance) and the American invasion and advance into France. Funk presents the detailed preparations and movements of all units and their leaders, mentioning every unit and every significant leader by name. Military historians and WW II buffs will be able to trace the actions throughout the southern French campaign with more than adequate maps to assist them. The author proves with little doubt that the Maquis played a major role in the relatively quick success of the allied armies. The best part of the book is Funk's integration of the Maquis and the regulars into a single complete story."-Choice

Author Bio

ARTHUR LAYTON FUNK is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Florida. He is a recognized expert on American-French relations in World War II and the author of Charles De Gaulle: The Crucial Years, 1943-44 (1959), The Politics of TORCH (1974) and De Yalta a Potsdam (1982).