| Page Created |
| April 30th, 2025 |
| Last Updated |
| May 5th, 2025 |
| France |
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| Additional Information |
| Unit Order of Battle Commanders Operations Equipment Multimedia Sources Biographies |
| Operations |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Blue |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| Plan Bleu is a coordinated sabotage initiative specifically designed to disable high-voltage power lines supplying electricity to electrified railway networks and coastal defences. Its primary objective is to disrupt the German military’s logistics and troop movements at a critical juncture during the Allied invasion of France. The plan complements other resistance efforts, forming part of a broader Allied strategy to weaken German operational capacity. These sabotage actions are carefully synchronised with the D-Day invasion, activated by coded messages broadcast by the BBC to Resistance networks across France. French Resistance groups carry out targeted sabotage operations using explosives and other means to disable key electrical infrastructure. A notable example occurs in May 1944, when saboteurs destroy power pylons at Île Héron near Nantes, plunging the city into darkness for a week. This action severely hampers German command and control in the region. By disrupting the power grid, Plan Bleu achieves several key effects: It impedes the functioning of electrified railways, causing delays in the movement of German troops and equipment. It forces the German military to rely on less efficient means of communication and logistics, reducing their responsiveness to the unfolding Allied offensive. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Jaune |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| Plan Jaune is a targeted sabotage initiative carried out by the French Resistance in coordination with Allied forces during the Second World War. Its primary objective is to strike German command posts in order to disrupt enemy leadership structures and communication networks, thereby supporting the success of the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. The plan is devised to disrupt German command and control capabilities by targeting key operational headquarters. Hinder enemy communication and coordination to delay responses to Allied advances. The Resistance employs a combination of tactics to execute Plan Jaune: * Intelligence gathering is essential, with Resistance operatives using local networks and surveillance to identify the locations, schedules, and routines of German command posts. * Sabotage operations involve the use of explosives and other means to damage or destroy command infrastructure, equipment, and personnel. * Coordinated timing ensures that attacks on command centres coincide with other resistance actions, amplifying their effect and increasing confusion within the German command structure. These missions are often carried out by small, mobile units familiar with the local terrain, allowing for rapid execution and successful withdrawal. While precise measurements of its effectiveness are difficult to ascertain, Plan Jaune plays a vital role within the larger resistance effort. By striking at the heart of German command infrastructure, it disrupts the enemy’s ability to coordinate defences and deploy reinforcements efficiently. In conjunction with other plans, Plan Jaune contributes to the paralysis of the German response during the critical days of the Normandy invasion and supports the broader objective of liberating occupied France. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Noir |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| Plan Noir is developed as a contingency plan to prevent the Germans from executing a scorched earth policy or carrying out mass executions during their anticipated retreat from France. It reflects the growing concern among Allied and Resistance planners that, once the Wehrmacht is forced to withdraw, it may resort to widespread destruction of infrastructure and reprisals against civilian populations. The goal of Plan Noir is to disrupt German demolitions of vital infrastructure such as bridges, factories, dams, and power stations. Protect urban centres and industrial assets from sabotage during retreat. Prevent massacres of civilians or captured Resistance fighters by German forces in the final stages of occupation. The implementation of Plan Noir requires the discreet pre-positioning of Resistance units and the gathering of intelligence on German withdrawal plans, including the locations of explosives and demolition orders. Communication lines between Allied command, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action operatives, and local Resistance leaders are reinforced to enable rapid activation. Though less visible than plans involving direct sabotage or ambushes, Plan Noir plays a critical strategic role in safeguarding France’s physical and human resources during the liberation phase. It reflects a shift in Resistance planning from offensive disruption to defensive preservation, ensuring that the liberation of France does not come at the cost of its post-war recovery. Executed selectively in late summer and autumn 1944, Plan Noir helps to protect key cities and industrial regions from destruction, limiting long-term economic damage and sparing many civilian lives. Its success depends on the speed of the Allied advance, the reliability of intelligence, and the readiness of Resistance networks to act at short notice. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Rougue |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| Plan Rouge is conceived as a guerrilla warfare initiative designed to launch sustained resistance activities from six remote and mountainous regions: the Morvan, Massif Central, Pyrenees, Alps, Jura, and Vosges. These areas are selected for their challenging terrain, which provides natural defences and is highly suitable for irregular warfare. The plan seeks to achieve several objectives: To establish secure operational bases for the French Resistance (maquis) from which long-term attacks on German rear positions can be launched. To divert and immobilise German forces in the interior, thereby preventing their redeployment to reinforce front-line units facing the Allied invasion. Although strategically sound, the execution of Plan Rouge encounters significant difficulties: Resistance groups often suffer from limited resources, with many maquisards poorly armed and lacking sufficient ammunition and equipment. The euphoria that follows the D-Day landings leads to premature and spontaneous uprisings, many of which are not adequately coordinated or supported. The German military responds swiftly and with brutal efficiency to these insurrections, inflicting heavy casualties and temporarily destabilising Resistance efforts in several regions. As a result, the immediate impact of Plan Rouge proves less decisive than that of other coordinated sabotage plans, such as Plan Vert (targeting rail networks) and Plan Violet (disrupting communications). Despite these setbacks, Plan Rouge plays an important role within the broader Allied strategy. By initiating guerrilla warfare across multiple geographic zones, it compels the Germans to spread their forces thin, responding to persistent internal threats far from the front lines. In doing so, Plan Rouge supports the external Allied assault by fostering internal disruption, while also empowering the French Resistance to take a more active role in the liberation of their country. Although less immediately effective than other operations, the long-term contribution of Plan Rouge lies in its promotion of sustained Resistance activity and its symbolic assertion of French agency during the final phase of occupation. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Tortue |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| Plan Tortue is a coordinated effort aimed at hindering German road transport in the lead-up to and during the Allied landings in Normandy. The operation focuses on disrupting the movement of German forces by targeting key transportation routes and logistical infrastructure. The plan includes the establishment of roadblocks and the cutting of routes to impede German military movements. Ambushes are conducted against enemy convoys, while strategic bridges and vital infrastructure are destroyed to disrupt supply lines and troop deployments. In addition, false signage and misinformation are used to misdirect German traffic and delay their progress. Specialist teams, including Jedburgh units composed of British, American, and French operatives, are deployed across the region. These teams coordinate sabotage activities and serve as liaisons with local Resistance groups, enhancing the scale and effectiveness of the operation. The execution of Plan Tortue significantly delays the arrival of German reinforcements in Normandy, particularly affecting armoured divisions. Most notably, the 2. SS-Panzer-Division “Das Reich” is severely hampered by persistent Resistance actions, requiring over two weeks to reach the front, a movement that would normally take only a few days. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Vert |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| A coordinated Allied operation during World War II aimed at sabotaging the French railway network to hinder German troop movements, particularly in preparation for the D-Day landings. |
| June 5th, 1944 – June 6th, 1944 |
| Plan Violet |
| Special Operations Executive, Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action |
| The principal objective of Plan Violet is to paralyse the German telephone network throughout France. By targeting telephone lines and underground cables, the French Resistance aims to undermine German command and control capabilities during the critical opening stages of the Allied invasion. The plan is designed to: Disrupt the German military’s internal communications structures. Force reliance on radio transmissions, which Allied intelligence services are capable of intercepting and decoding. Delay and complicate the coordination of German troop movements and responses to Allied operations. On the evening of June 5th, 1944, coded messages are broadcast by the BBC, triggering the implementation of various Resistance operations, including Plan Violet. Resistance groups across France immediately begin sabotage actions, resulting in widespread damage to the German telephone infrastructure. This decisive blow to communication lines severely weakens the German military’s responsiveness as the Normandy landings commence. The successful execution of Plan Violet has a significant impact on the German military’s operational effectiveness during the invasion: * German forces are compelled to switch to radio communications, enabling Allied codebreakers at Bletchley Park to intercept and decrypt key messages, thus providing valuable intelligence to the Allied command. * The breakdown in communications causes delays in German reactions to the landings, weakening their capacity to mount an organised defence and contributing to the overall success of Operation Overlord. |
| March 1945 – May 1945 |
| Operation Vicarage |
| Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force, Direction Générale des Études et Recherches |
| This mission aims to ensure the safety and evacuation of Allied Prisoners Of War in Germany. French teams, under the Direction Générale des Études et Recherches, are involved in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering to locate Prisoners Of War camps and assess conditions. However, the rapid advance of Soviet forces led to the operation’s premature termination. |
| April 25th, 1945- May 1945 |
| Operation Violet |
| Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force, Direction Générale des Études et Recherches |
| An airborne mission by the Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force (SAARF). This operation involved parachuting six multinational teams, comprising British, American, and French personnel, near Stalag XI-A, a German prisoner-of-war camp in Altengrabow, Germany. The teams were tasked with: * Ensuring the protection and welfare of Allied Prisoners Of War. * Assessing humanitarian needs within the camp. * Facilitating a peaceful transition of the camp to Allied control. Notably, Operation Violet was the Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force’s only airborne insertion and marked one of the final parachute missions in the European theater before Germany’s surrender on May 8th, 1945. |